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DVLA History

1965 saw the creation of the first centralised agency for the registration and licensing of vehicles, known as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre, or DVLC. The DVLC amalgamated all the responsibilities of the County Councils, in addition to the processing and communication of data to other Government agencies, such as supplying vehicle registration details to the police and maintaining the Police National Computer.

It was in charge of sustaining the central vehicle record, issuing documents and reminders for registration and licensing, overseeing the payment of vehicle excise duty, and the reimbursing of excise duty refunds.

There were 81 Local Vehicle Licensing Offices, responsible for the registration of new and imported vehicles, and issuing licences to vehicles not handled by Post Offices. Also, these offices handle export licensing arrangements, trade registration plates and cherished transfers, and carry out the local enforcement duties.

Over time, the amount of Local Vehicle Licensing Offices needed to support the DVLC has been reduced, 3000 Post Offices having been authorised to assume vehicle licensing responsibilities by 1985.

With over 90% of all vehicle licence applications are now processed through the Post Office, the local offices were renamed as DVLA Local Offices, reflecting the systems likeness to an Agency, rather than a single Centre. With the introduction of automated initial registration and licensing processes, the network has been further condensed to 40 offices in 1997.