Annual test certificates will no longer be issued as hard copies from Monday (29 April) as the DVSA switches to digital in a move to be more environmentally friendly.

Certificates can already be viewed, downloaded and printed via the MOT History Service and from next week paper copies will no longer be created when a vehicle passes its test.

The results will be uploaded to the system almost instantly and the DVSA said these changes will save operators and businesses time by not having to file or keep certificates.

The move to digital is hoped to reduce an overreliance on paper within the industry and will help modernise the vehicle testing service and promote a more environmentally friendly approach.

The change also means that operators will no longer need to contact DVSA to replace lost copies of their annual test certificates, which previously cost £13.00.

Gordon Thomson, DVSA’s head of vehicle testing, said: “These improvements, coming into effect next week, will make our services more efficient and streamlined for operators and cut down on the amount of paperwork we all have to work with.

“We look forward to working with the industry to further develop our digital services.”

The agency added that for the time being it would continue to provide paper copies of failure documentation to ensure that operators are fully aware of the vehicle repairs that are required.

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