The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999

Lost or defaced licences

21.—(1) If the holder of a licence—

(a) satisfies the Secretary of State that—

(i) the licence or its counterpart has been lost or defaced; and

(ii) the holder is entitled to continue to hold the licence; and

(b) pays the fee prescribed by regulation 14,

the Secretary of State shall, on surrender of any licence or counterpart that has not been lost, issue to him a duplicate licence and counterpart and shall endorse upon the counterpart any particulars endorsed upon the original licence or counterpart as the case may be and the duplicates so issued shall have the same effect as the originals.

(2) If at any time while a duplicate licence is in force the original licence is found, the person to whom the original licence was issued, if it is in his possession, shall return it to the Secretary of State, or if it is not in his possession, but he becomes aware that it is found, shall take all reasonable steps to take possession of it and if successful shall return it as soon as may be to the Secretary of State.

(3) The obligation in paragaph (2) shall apply in respect of the counterpart of a licence as if for the words “original licence” in each place where they occur there were substituted the words “original counterpart”.