You will usually find these rogue websites at the top or bottom of the search results; with ‘Ad’ next to them. Anyone who needs to pay for an advertisement to help you with your application should be avoided.
Internet Search
We did a Google search for ‘apply for a provisional licence’. At the top of the results were four websites all advertising their services:
At the top of the page was https://licencing-matter.co.uk/ – this website is designed to mimic the look of the Gov.uk website. Although if you scroll down to the very bottom of the page it states:
‘We are in no way affiliated with the government of the United Kingdom or the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency).’
Inflated Prices
At the time of writing this they charge you £89 every 3 months to help you with your application. You need to give them exactly the same information that you would enter on the official Gov.uk website; however the official service only charges a one-off fee of £34!
Three other sites advertising in the listings were:
- https://www.dalencar.com
- https://bestdriving-uk.online/
- https://yourdriveradmin.com/
These may have different names but all the links led to an identical website.
Apply for a Driving Licence
So whether you want to apply for a driving licence for the first time, or you need to renew a photo or change your address; always do this through the official Gov.uk website at https://apply-provisional-driving-licence.service.gov.uk/
When you make your application you ideally need to have:
- your UK passport number (a passport that expired within the last 12 months can be used for this service)
- your National Insurance number if you know it
- you may also have to provide addresses where you’ve lived over the last 3 years
If you don’t have these then you may have to send alternative documents to prove your identity through the post. This will slow down your application; however the process would be exactly the same if you were conned into paying £81 for the service!
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