Expired Endorsements

An endorsement is a visible penalty for a motoring offence placed on your driver's licence for a set period of time. Endorsements range from those relating to the vehicle itself, through to offences where the lives of passengers, pedestrians and other motorists are put at risk as a result of the driver's actions.

Types of Endorsement

Endorsements are awarded as penalty points on your licence and are allocated on a scale of 1 to 11. The type of endorsement given varies depending on the nature of the motoring offence.

The categories of Endorsements include:

• Accident Offences
• Construction & Use Offences
• Careless Driving
• Insurance Offences
• Licence Offences
• Motorway Offences
• Speeding Offences

How Long will an Endorsement Last?

The duration of an endorsement on your licence depends entirely on the nature of the offence committed. The minimum period of time for an endorsement to remain on your licence is four years. Again depending on the nature of the offence endorsements in some instances can last up to eleven years; for an endorsement to last this length of time it is could be that the driver will have caused death by Reckless Driving or by driving under the influence of Alcohol or Drugs. In which case a custodial sentence is usually applied as well.

Expired Endorsements

Once an endorsement has expired it is up to you to ensure that it is removed from your licence. The DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) will not automatically remove endorsements from your licence even though they have expired so it is your responsibility to return your licence to them in order for it to be removed.

You must send both your paper and photocard licence to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) with the accompanying forms D1 and D750 as well as the required fee which is currently £20.

Appealing to Have Your Disqualification Lifted

If you have been Disqualified for four years then you can apply to the court where the disqualification was issued in the last year of the period. It is at the magistrate's discretion as to whether or not the disqualification will be lifted, however the endorsements will stay on your licence until they have expired fully.

If taking this course of action you should employ the services of legal representation so that your case can be heard properly but there are no guarantees that the disqualification will be lifted.

Taking the Test again

In some instances depending on the nature of the endorsements and the disqualification you may be required to retake your driving and theory tests before your licence will be returned. If this is the case then you may discover that you have to pay higher insurance premiums and may even find that some insurance companies refuse to insure you.

New Drivers Act

The New Drivers Act states that if you are disqualified because of maximum endsorements on your licence within the first two years following the issue of your licence that you must retake all tests necessary to achieving your licence.

Again if you are in any doubt you should contact the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) or check out the Direct Gov website for further information.

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