Code 71

Code 71 shows that the document is a duplicate of an earlier driving licence. In the harmonised licence format it is followed by the number of the licence being duplicated and the sign of the issuing authority. This is document history, not a restriction on the driver's eyesight, gearbox or vehicle choice. Read the current categories, dates and any separate condition codes to know what vehicles may be driven. A duplicate normally carries forward the underlying entitlement rather than representing a fresh test pass.

Legislation on duplicate licences says the duplicate has the same effect as the original. It also requires the holder to return the original if it is later found. That prevents two supposedly current physical cards circulating. A driver should therefore use the replacement for future checks and follow DVLA's return instruction if the missing card reappears. Keeping both in different wallets creates confusion about which document is current.

Start at GOV.UK's replace a driving licence service. It covers full and provisional licences for Great Britain. The online route is for a GB resident who is not disqualified; the service asks for the details needed to establish identity and the previous licence. GOV.UK gives a £20 fee for replacement and says an online application normally arrives within a week. That is a service estimate, so leave extra time if the card is needed for a trip or a job that checks the physical document.

If you believe the licence was stolen, contact the police as GOV.UK advises, then apply for the replacement. The police report does not itself issue a new entitlement or photocard. Check whether a wallet also contained bank cards, identification or an address document and deal with those through their respective issuers. The licence replacement application should use your current name and address. If either has changed, read the relevant change-details guidance rather than treating a straight duplicate as an opportunity to leave stale information in DVLA's record.

When the new card arrives, compare the category rows, expiry dates and restriction codes with the current online record. Code 71 may reference the earlier number. If a category appears missing or a condition looks wrong, contact DVLA with the replacement reference. Do not assume that the duplicate marker overrides a separate medical restriction or a category expiry. The card is evidence of an existing licence, not a reset of its terms.

GOV.UK gives separate phone and postal replacement routes. Phone replacement is limited to a photocard whose details have not changed, and the page excludes cards that are damaged or close to expiry. It rules out a licence that expires in less than 56 days, or in less than 90 days if it is expiring for medical reasons. A driver in one of those cases should follow the suitable online or postal route rather than spending time on an ineligible phone application.

For post, GOV.UK identifies form D1 for a car or motorcycle licence and D2 for a lorry or bus licence. The page gives about 3 weeks for a postal replacement. Get the current form and instructions from the official service, supply the documents requested for the case and use the correct address printed there. A driver with vocational entitlement should not assume the ordinary car form captures all their categories.

A replacement is not the same as a renewal. If the licence or a category is expiring, check the renewal process and any medical evidence required. The physical card can be damaged while the entitlement remains current, but a replacement card cannot extend a category past its lawful expiry. The front and back of the photocard have different date fields, so check the one relevant to the vehicle you intend to use.

Code 71 itself does not suspend an entitlement. The critical questions are whether you remain licensed for the vehicle and whether any restriction or disqualification applies. Use the View your driving licence service to inspect the GB record where you can. It asks for your driving licence number, National Insurance number and postcode. A driver who has lost the card may need to recover the number from previous documents or ask DVLA how to proceed; the replacement application does not create a new category while it is pending.

A hirer or employer can require a physical licence as a condition of handing over a vehicle, even where an entitlement remains active. GOV.UK's online service can generate a check code valid for 21 days, but it is not guaranteed to satisfy every commercial check. Ask before arriving at a hire desk. If you plan to drive abroad, GOV.UK expressly says to obtain a replacement before driving there when the card is lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. That is a clear reason to apply early rather than relying on a screenshot of an online record at a foreign roadside check.

If you are disqualified, the online replacement route's eligibility condition cannot be sidestepped by ordering new plastic. If a category has expired, a duplicate does not revive it. If DVLA's record appears inaccurate, resolve the entitlement with DVLA before relying on it for a journey. The code tells a reader how a document was issued, not whether every possible journey is lawful.

GOV.UK tells a GB driver to return the old licence to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AB if it is found after a replacement is issued. Regulation 21 of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999 also requires return of the recovered original. Do not carry both and choose whichever looks more convenient. The newer card is the one to use, and the old card should leave circulation so an employer, police officer or hire firm is not shown an outdated document.

The old card may show an earlier address or an entitlement whose dates have since changed. That makes returning it especially sensible. If the card was reported stolen and later recovered, preserve any police reference while returning it. A found licence should not be handed to an unrelated person who says they can dispose of it for you. Follow DVLA's official return instructions for the document.

Northern Ireland has a different issuing authority. NIDirect says a recovered old NI licence should be returned to DVA. Do not send it to the GB Swansea address merely because an online article about code 71 uses that address. Read the issuer printed on the replacement and use its current guidance.

It does not erase endorsements. The replacement carries forward the licence's legal effect, and the View your driving licence service shows the current record, including penalty points. An insurer asking about convictions or entitlement wants the underlying facts, not the reason the card was reprinted. Answer those questions accurately. Because regulation 21 gives a duplicate the same effect as the original, code 71 does not restart the licence itself.

For work, send an employer the current check code if requested, and explain that code 71 is a document replacement marker. A carrier may require the physical card at an induction or for overseas work. Confirm the document requirement before the shift. The record and the employer's check serve different purposes; neither should be replaced with a photograph of the recovered original.

Leah is due to collect a hire car abroad and cannot find her GB photocard. Her car entitlement may still be current, but GOV.UK's driving abroad page says to get a replacement before driving overseas when the licence is lost. She applies through the official service, pays the £20 replacement fee where applicable, and tells the hire company about the delay. GOV.UK's usual online delivery estimate is within a week, but she does not treat that estimate as a guaranteed arrival before her flight.

When the new card arrives, she checks the category and any restriction codes, then asks the hire company whether it also needs a DVLA check code. If the replacement cannot arrive in time, she changes the transport plan. A photo of the old card or a printed licence record may be useful background for the firm but is not the physical replacement GOV.UK says to obtain for overseas driving.

Sam lives in Northern Ireland and loses a DVA-issued licence. The GB online DVLA process is not his route. NIDirect offers an online DVA replacement or a postal application on form DL1, sent with any remaining part of the licence and a £30 fee. The page says DVA aims to process an application within 10 working days, but asks applicants to allow at least six weeks for the licence to arrive. He plans any trip requiring the card around that longer allowance.

If his old document appears later, he returns it to DVA under the NI guidance. He checks the replacement's categories and any 71 record against what he held before. The code's duplicate meaning is shared, yet the issuing authority, fee, form and return destination differ. A GB friend who replaced a licence online cannot supply the correct instructions for Sam's NI application.