Documents That Expire Without You Realising

Most people know their passport expires. Fewer people realise their driving licence photo needs renewing every ten years. And almost nobody thinks about the expiry date on their boiler service certificate — until something goes wrong.

Driving Licence Photo Card

The photocard section of your UK driving licence expires every ten years. The driving entitlement itself does not expire (for most licence holders under 70), but the card does and you are legally required to renew it. DVLA will write to remind you, but letters go missing and addresses change. The renewal fee is £14. Letting it lapse does not immediately invalidate your right to drive, but it is still an offence to hold an expired licence.

GHIC / EHIC Card

The Global Health Insurance Card (which replaced the European EHIC for UK residents post-Brexit) gives you access to state healthcare in most European countries at the local rate. It expires every five years. Travelling with an expired card means you would have to pay in full upfront and claim back through your travel insurance — if you have it. Renewal is free via the NHS website.

MOT Certificate

Most drivers know the MOT needs doing annually, but it is easy to let the reminder slip by a week or two. Driving with an expired MOT (outside of driving to a pre-booked test) is illegal and invalidates most car insurance policies. The reminder needs to arrive early enough that you can book a slot — not the day before it expires.

Gas Safety Certificate (Landlords)

If you rent out a property, your Gas Safety Record must be renewed every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Failing to do so is a criminal offence. Tenants must receive their copy within 28 days of the inspection — or before they move in. This is one of the most frequently overlooked compliance documents for private landlords.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

Also for landlords: the EICR — which checks the fixed electrical installation in the property — must be renewed at least every five years, or at the start of a new tenancy. This became a legal requirement in England from July 2020. If your last EICR is approaching five years old, book the inspection before it lapses.

Food Hygiene Certificate

For anyone running a food business — from a café to a market stall to a home bakery — Food Standards Agency guidance recommends refreshing your Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate every three years. It is not a strict legal requirement to renew, but most inspectors and insurers will expect a recent certificate. Staff certificates should also be kept current.

First Aid Certificate

A First Aid at Work certificate (the three-day course) is valid for three years. An Emergency First Aid certificate (the one-day course) also expires after three years. In a workplace context, an expired certificate counts as no certificate for the purposes of Health and Safety Executive compliance.

CRB / DBS Check

DBS checks do not technically expire, but most organisations will not accept one that is more than two to three years old. If you work in education, healthcare, or with vulnerable adults, you will likely be asked to renew well before that. Some employers subscribe to the DBS Update Service, which makes checks continuously valid.

Boiler and Appliance Service Records

Many boiler warranties require an annual service to remain valid. If you skip a service, the manufacturer may refuse to honour the warranty. Beyond the warranty, an unserviced boiler is a safety risk — Carbon Safe Register data shows that most carbon monoxide incidents involve appliances that have not been recently serviced.

The problem with remembering

Every document above has a different renewal cycle, and the consequences of missing them range from mildly inconvenient to illegal. The only realistic solution is an automatic one. Orlo lets you upload the document, extracts the expiry date, and sets reminders with enough lead time to act. You stop remembering dates because you no longer need to.