Why papers get sent back
- Hard to read, blurry, glare or cut off.
- Insurance or roadworthy certificate invalid or expired.
- Wrong paper or photo, or details that don’t match the account.
- For a car: plate doesn’t match the car, photo hard to read, or not the right paper.
Take a photo that passes the first time
- Photograph the card or paper itself, not a photocopy or a picture on a screen.
- Keep all four corners inside the photo.
- Use daylight or a bright room and avoid the flash; lay the card flat on a dark surface.
- Hold steady until it’s sharp. For your profile photo: just you, facing the camera, no cap or sunglasses.
Fix it
- Open the Driver app and look for the paper marked to fix.
- Read the reason, then upload a new photo of only that paper (for a licence, both sides).
Expired papers
- You get reminders 30 and 7 days before a paper expires.
- An expired licence suspends your account. Renew it at a DVLA office, upload the new one, then contact driver support so the team can reactivate your account.
- An expired insurance, roadworthy or registration switches that vehicle off, and if it’s your only vehicle your account is suspended too. After the new paper is approved, contact support to switch the vehicle (and your account) back on.
Common questions
When can’t I re-upload?
Some decisions are final: a licence that belongs to another driver, signs of editing, or two driver accounts for one person.