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The Government is gradually introducing
additional facilities that allow the public to access its
services using electronic means. One of these services is
Electronic Vehicle Licensing (EVL), which was introduced to
England, Scotland and Wales in 2004 by the DVLA. This
service allows vehicle re-licensing via the phone or Internet,
although motorists are still able to go to a licence-issuing
Post Office or DVLA local office to get a new tax disc should
they not have access to a telephone or the Internet.
EVL uses the Motor Insurance Database
(MID) to make a check on whether there is valid insurance on the
date on which the licence must be renewed (or the date of the
transaction, if this is later). An electronic message is sent to
the MID, and if a record is found for the vehicle for the
relevant date, the response is positive. No information
about the policy is sent to the DVLA, but the transaction is
authorised to go ahead.
Please note that motorists may not be
able to use EVL if they have recently changed their name and or
address, changed their insurance company or any details of their
vehicle. There may also be problems verifying insurance
cover if the tax and insurance are both due at the same time.
In Northern Ireland,
the DVLNI have also introduced a telephone re-licensing service,
which is available to callers with appropriate insurance for the
vehicle to be re-licensed, as confirmed by an enquiry on the
MID.
EVL
helps in the fight against fraudsters who forge certificates. It
also saves owners’ or keepers’ time, as they no longer have
to hunt for their insurance certificate when they need a new tax
disc. |
