What To Do If You Lose Your Driving Licence? Losing your driver’s licence can cause you all kinds of problems. A simple oversight is enough not to remember where you have stored it, so always carry it with you in a safe place. Luckily for you, in case you lose it, there are mechanisms to recover it. Do you know what you have to do?
What To Do If I Lose My Driving Licence?
This document is essential for day-to-day life, especially if you have to travel by car daily. Losing it can cause you more than one nuisance. As the driver of a vehicle, you are obliged to always carry your documentation with you, and much more so when you are behind the wheel.
If the police or the civil guard stops you at the control and you do not have your driver’s licence, you will receive an administrative sanction for not carrying the document. In case of loss, the best thing you can do is avoid driving to avoid risking a fine.
To solve this situation, you must request a duplicate, which you will get in case of theft, loss, or deterioration of the original document.
How Do I Request A Duplicate Driver’s Licence?
You won’t have to get your driver’s licence again if you lose it.
When carrying out the same process, your permit must be in force. Otherwise, you must request a renewal of the licence.
You can request a duplicate of your driving licence through the website of the Directorate General of Traffic, and they will send it directly to your home without having to go to any Traffic office. At this very moment, you will obtain a provisional permit.
If the request for a duplicate driver’s licence is due to a variation in the data, you will have to request the duplicate at your Headquarters or Traffic Office.
You should know that the duplicate driving licence implies issuing a new document and that this issuance does not change your previous validity dates.
To obtain the duplicate due to data change, you must go to your nearest Traffic Headquarters, which depends on the General Directorate of Traffic:
- The fastest way to obtain it is to go to the DGT website and request an appointment at the office closest to your home.
- On the web, you will find the document to fill out to request the duplicate, which you will have to present with the relevant documentation: the DNI, the driving licence, and the payment of the corresponding fee, which currently amounts to €20.40.
- Once you have completed the documents to be delivered, go to the headquarters indicated in the previous appointment. Once everything is delivered, you will only have to wait for your new card to be sent to your home.
- Once the process to obtain a duplicate of the old circulation permit has begun, the DGT will give you a provisional document with which you can circulate.
It doesn’t seem complicated. It can cost you even more to lose your car keys! Of course, try to ensure you have lost it since having the copy and the original simultaneously can result in a fine of €80. Also, do not hesitate to report the loss in case of theft. Someone could find it, and you would calmly receive it at your home or the nearest police station.
As you can see, losing your driver’s licence due to carelessness will not be free, but it will not prevent you from driving. You will only have to request a duplicate. Try to act quickly when you are sure that you have lost it. So you can get back on the road soon and safely!
The DGT is already working on an app to access your document digitally. However, it is still in the beta phase, so you will have to wait until it is up and running to be able to leave home without the physical documentation on you.
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