Brits, dependant on age, have two main types of driving licence. 1) a paper licence for us oldies and 2) a plastic licence and a paper attachment for the youngsters. It looks like IT developments mean that the paper attachment is being replaced by a 72 hour time stamped docket.... oh boy is this going to be fun hiring a car. Do you think there is an APP for it?

http://www.theguardian.com/money/201...rless-car-hire

Just goes to show how unfamiliar the journalist who wrote this (and the similar story on the BBC website earlier this week) are with car hire procedures outside the UK. I can't think of a single occasion over the past 25 years when I've been asked for the paper counterpart <b>outside</b> of the UK - and I must have hired at least 200 cars in this time.

The problem will be for UK licence holders who hire cars <b>within</b> the UK, where the paper counterpart is ALWAYS asked for in my experience. But overseas, nope.

There was the same story only even more so on the Mail site earlier this week. All the comments on that article agreed with Gordon. No one had been asked for the paper version when renting a car outside the UK.
I just checked with my brother too, currently in Malta, just back from South Africa (some people have all the luck), and he has never shown his paper copy.
Rental companies just want to see a valid licence. They don't care about points.

I agree it will be an issue in the UK, but being with "friends" the British hire companies will sort it for you.

I hope you are right, I've never had licence type 2) so no experience.

I had the old green paper type licence but had to get it updated after being stopped 2-3 times (randomly, no points ) and being warned that you need to have a licence with a current address on - not the one where you were living when you passed your test at 17, 30 years ago. So now I have the plastic photo credit card one with the paper supplement. You do already have to show the paper supplement when renting in the UK. I don't really understand this bit about the 72hr docket overseas which sounds a bit of a PITA to be honest.

Btw, there are some advantages to the credit card type - as its in my purse all the time (the original one was too big) its quite handy as ID when collecting parcels etc.

As I understand it, after the paper counterpart is abolished on 8th June you will need to go online to confirm your driving record. That shouldn't be a problem for the vast majority of British Drivers license holders. I'm not sure what I will do, though, as I don't have a National Insurance Number, which is required for online access.

but the record will only be valid for 72 hours, so if you pick up the car 96 hours after you leave UK you'll need to access the internet. Let's hope no one knows in Continental Europe

Heimdall, it is easy enough to get a NI number: https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number .

"there are some advantages to the credit card type"

Loads.

It fits wallets, it's photo ID, it's got my address on. All the advantages of a national ID card (Irish immigration accepts it as a pseudo-passport) without the bureaucracy or the systemic police bullying the original Blairite idea would have ensured.

Possibly the most useful public-sector innovation since the National Health Service was invented. And the paperless counterpart sounds even better.

As for media scare stories: where are all the outgoing border queues they promised us over Easter? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...rry-ports.html

Gone to the same tabloid parallel universe as the Olympic meltdowns, perhaps?
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/its-th...-london-748478
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-overload.html
http://www.london24.com/news/public_...2012_1_1126801

Hetismij2, thank you for your reply. I was under the impression I had to have a job to apply for a National Insurance number, and have no intention of coming out of retirement. I will check with the Job Centre.