D100 Driving licences For more informtion go to www.direct.gov.uk/driving 7/08
How to pply for your driving licence To pply for your driving licence you need to fill in: Contents How to pply for your driving licence... 3 Provisionl licences... 4 When you pss your driving test... 5 The Rod Trffic (New Drivers) Act 1995... 5 Your entitlement to drive... 6 When to renew your licence... 6 Chnge of personl detils... 7 How to renew the photo on your licence... 7 How to get replcement licence... 8 Cn I drive while my licence is with?... 8 Penlty points nd driving disqulifictions... 9 Your helth... 11 The Dt Protection Act nd you... 15 If you hve ny questions... 15 Informtion leflets... 16 Our service stndrds... 17 form D1 ppliction for driving licence (for ll driving licences except those for lorries nd buses); or form D2 ppliction for lorry or bus licence. You cn order ppliction pcks for the D1 nd D2 online from www.direct.gov.uk/motoringforms or from us by phoning 0870 240 0009 (between 8m nd 8.30pm Mondy to Fridy, nd between 8m nd 5.30pm on Sturdys). You cn lso get these ppliction pcks from: Post Office brnches (D1 only); Trffic Are Offices (D2 only); nd locl offices. You cn use these ppliction pcks to pply for : provisionl licence; full licence; replcement licence; new licence fter it hs been withdrwn for helth resons; or new licence fter you hve been disqulified from driving. You cn lso use them to: renew your photo; chnge your detils; renew your licence; remove out-of-dte points or detils of driving disqulifictions; or exchnge Northern Irelnd or non-british licence for British one. You my need to py fee (see the relevnt ppliction form). 16570
Provisionl licences To lern to drive you must hve vlid provisionl licence. We will normlly send this to you within 15 working dys of receiving your ppliction. You must not drive until you receive your licence, s this will give detils of wht nd when you cn strt driving. For lorries nd buses only You must hold full licence for driving cr nd you need to pply for provisionl lorry or bus licence using form D2. You will need to get the medicl report form (D4) (included in the D2 ppliction pck) filled in by doctor. When you pss your driving test Lerning to drive crs Lerners must be supervised by qulified driver who must: be t lest 21; hold full vlid British, Northern Irelnd or EU Community licence in the pproprite ctegory; nd hve held tht licence for three yers or more. For crs nd motorcycles If you hve never held GB driving licence you need to pply for provisionl licence using form D1. For motorcycles only If your provisionl motorcycle licence ws issued before 1 Februry 2001 it ws only vlid for two yers. If you did not pss test by the end of those two yers, you my pply for nother provisionl licence. If your provisionl motorcycle licence ws issued on or fter 1 Februry 2001 it will be vlid until your 70th birthdy. Since Mrch 2002, driving licences hve utomticlly llowed you to lern to ride motorcycle. (Tht is, you hve provisionl motorcycle entitlement ). If you hve full moped licence tht includes provisionl motorcycle entitlement, tht is lso vlid until your 70th birthdy. Note: you must complete compulsory bsic trining (CBT) course for moped or motorcycle before you cn ride on public rod. For more informtion visit www.direct.gov.uk/lerning2drive or phone the Driving Stndrds Agency on 0115 936 6666 nd choose the CBT section. You cn drive unsupervised s soon s you pss your test. We will normlly issue you with full licence utomticlly. If we cnnot issue your licence utomticlly, your driving exminer will tell you wht to do. We will normlly send your driving licence to you within 15 working dys of receiving your ppliction. Note: the certificte you get when you pss your test is only vlid for two yers. If you do not clim your full licence within this period you will hve to tke both the theory nd prcticl tests gin. The Rod Trffic (New Drivers) Act 1995 If you get six or more penlty points within two yers of pssing your first driving test in GB (the probtionry period) you will lose your licence. To get your full licence bck you must: get provisionl licence; drive s lerner; then pss the theory nd prcticl tests gin. The totl number of penlty points on your licence includes ny you got before pssing the test. Points you get fter the probtionry period will lso count if you committed the driving offence during tht period. 4 5
Pssing the driving test gin does not remove the penlty points from your licence, nd if, within the following three yers, the totl number of points reches 12, you could be disqulified from driving by court. If you hve exchnged licence issued in designted country see How to fill in your Appliction for driving licence (D1) (INF1D) nd pss British driving test to gin dditionl driving entitlements. The two yer period begins from the dte you pssed driving test in Gret Britin. Penlty points you received before pssing your first test, nd which still pply, will count towrds the totl of six. Points you get fter the two-yer period will lso count if you committed the offence during tht period. Pssing the theory nd prcticl tests does not remove the penlty points from your licence, nd if the totl reches 12 you my be bnned from driving. Your entitlement to drive Your entitlement to drive crs nd ride motorcycles nd mopeds normlly lsts until your 70th birthdy. After tht you need to renew your licence every three yers. Your entitlement to drive lrge goods vehicle or pssenger-crrying vehicle normlly lsts until your 45th birthdy. After tht you need to renew your licence every five yers until your 65th birthdy, nd every yer from then on. If you hve medicl condition which needs to be reviewed regulrly, you my be given entitlement to drive for period of one, two or three yers. Plese see Your helth on pge 11. We will send you reminder three months before your current licence ends. If you provide photo when you re 70 or over, you will not need to updte your photo gin unless you wnt to. If you hold pper licence this is vlid until your 70th birthdy. At tht point, you will need to pply for photocrd licence. We will send you reminder two months before your current licence ends. Chnge of personl detils To tell us bout chnge of ddress you cn: fill in form D1; or if you hve photocrd licence, write your new ddress in the chnges section on the pper counterprt nd send both the counterprt nd photocrd to us. To tell us bout chnge of nme you must fill in form D1. Plese see leflet How to fill in your ppliction for driving licence (INF1D) for more informtion. Importnt you must tell us bout ny chnge of nme or ddress. If you don t, you could be fined up to 1000. How to renew the photo on your licence To renew the photo on your licence you cn: fill in the reminder tht we hve sent you; or fill in the form D1 Plese see leflet INF1D for more informtion. When to renew your licence Photocrd licences re only vlid for up to 10 yers, lthough your entitlement to drive will normlly be vlid until your 70th birthdy. If you hold photocrd driving licence, by lw you must renew your photo every 10 yers. You could be fined up to 1000 if you don t. 6 7
How to get replcement licence If your driving licence hs been lost, stolen, dmged or destroyed, you cn pply for replcement licence by filling in form D1. If you hve lost both your photocrd licence nd the pper counterprt, you cn pply for replcement photocrd licence over the phone using credit crd or debit crd, s long s none of the detils hve chnged or re incorrect. You cn py by Vis, Delt, Mstercrd nd Mestro. To use this service, phone 0870 240 0009 between 8m nd 8.30pm Mondy to Fridy, nd between 8m nd 5.30pm on Sturdys. We will normlly send your replcement licence to you within 15 working dys of receiving your ppliction. If you find your old licence fter pplying for replcement, plese return it to, Swnse, SA99 1AB with n explntory note. Cn I drive while my licence is with? You cn drive before you receive your replcement licence bck s long s the following pply. You hve held GB or Northern Irelnd licence issued since 1 Jnury 1976, or nother licence tht cn be exchnge for GB licence. (Plese see leflet Driving in Gret Britin s visitor or new resident (INF38) for more informtion). You re not disqulified from driving. You hve not been refused licence for medicl resons or for not responding to medicl enquiries. You would not be refused licence for medicl resons. You keep to ny specil conditions which pply to the licence. Penlty points nd driving disqulifictions If you re convicted of motoring offence, the court cn: put penlty points on your licence; disqulify you for set time; or do both. If you get 12 or more penlty points in three-yer period you will be disqulified from driving. Penlty points Points sty on licence for the following periods. 11 yers from the dte of being convicted of the following offences. Driving while under the influence of drink or drugs, including cusing deth by creless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs (shown on the licence s DR10, DR20, DR30, DR80, CD40, CD50, nd CD60). Cusing deth by creless driving then filing or refusing to tke breth, blood or urine test (shown on the licence s CD70). Four yers from the dte of being convicted of reckless or dngerous driving, nd offences resulting in driving disqulifiction (shown on the licence s DD40, DD60 nd DD80). Four yers from the dte of the offence in ll other cses. We will utomticlly remove out-of-dte penlty points if you chnge your licence for ny reson. 8 9
Driving disqulifictions If you re disqulified for less thn 56 dys. The court will stmp your old-style pper licence or the pper counterprt of your photocrd nd give it bck to you. The stmp will show how long you re disqulified for. You don t need to renew your licence when the disqulifiction ends. Your licence becomes vlid gin the dy fter the disqulifiction ends. If you re disqulified for 56 dys or more. You need to pply to hve your licence renewed. If you re not sure when your driving disqulifiction ends, contct the court which disqulified you. Two months before your disqulifiction ends we will send you n ppliction to renew it. You cn lso pply to renew your licence fter being disqulified, or to hve out-of-dte points removed from your licence, by filling in: form D1 (for n ordinry driving licence); or form D2 (for lorry or bus licence). Plese see either booklet INF1D (for form D1) or How to fill in your lorry or bus driving licence ppliction form (INF2D) (for form D2) for detils on how to fill in the forms. If you were disqulified for more thn two yers, you cn sk the court to consider removing the disqulifiction fter: two yers if you were disqulified for between two nd four yers; hlf the period of the driving bn if you were disqulified for between four nd 10 yers; or five yers if you were disqulified for 10 yers or more. For more informtion on codes which explin wht penlty points re for, visit our website t www.direct.gov.uk/penltypoints or see leflet Informtion on driving licences (INS57P), which you cn downlod from www.direct.gov.uk/motoringleflets How cn I get out-of-dte penlty points nd disqulifiction removed? When penlty points nd disqulifiction hve run out you cn pply to hve them removed from your licence. To do this, fill in: form D1 (for n ordinry driving licence); or form D2 (for lorry or bus licence). Plese see either booklet INF1D (for form D1) or INF2D (for form D2) on how to fill in the forms. Your helth You must tell us if you ever hd or you currently hve ny of the following. Epilepsy Fits or blckouts Repeted ttcks of sudden disbling giddiness (dizziness tht prevents you from functioning normlly) Dibetes controlled by insulin An implnted crdic pcemker An implnted crdic defibrilltor (ICD) Persistent lcohol buse or dependency Persistent drug buse or dependency Prkinson s disese Nrcolepsy or sleep pnoe syndrome Stroke, with ny symptoms lsting longer thn one month, recurrent mini strokes or TIAs (Trnsint Ischemic Attcks) Any type of brin surgery, severe hed injury involving inptient tretment, or brin tumour Any other chronic (long term) neurologicl condition A serious problem with memory or episodes of confusion Severe lerning disbility Serious psychitric illness or mentl ill-helth Totl loss of sight in one eye Any condition ffecting both eyes, or the remining eye only (not including short or long sight or colour blindness) 10 11
Any condition ffecting your visul field (the surrounding re you cn see when looking directly hed) Any persistent limb problem for which your driving hs to be restricted to certin types of vehicle or those with dpted controls. If you do not tell us bout ny of the bove, you re committing n offence which could led to you being fined up to 1000. If you knowingly give us flse informtion, or do not give us ny relevnt informtion, to get driving licence, you could be sent to prison for up to two yers. How do I tell you bout helth problem? If you re filling in form D1 or form D2, you cn give us detils in the helth section. If you lredy hve licence, contct us t: Drivers Medicl Group Swnse SA99 1TU. Phone: 0870 600 0301 (between 8m nd 5.30pm Mondy to Fridy, nd between 8m nd 1pm on Sturdys) Textphone: 01792 766366 Fx: 0845 850 0095 E-mil: eftd@dvl.gsi.gov.uk Or you cn downlod the pproprite medicl questionnire from www.direct.gov.uk/driverhelth We will need to know: your driver number or your full nme nd dte of birth; nd s much detil s possible bout the helth problem. Wht hppens when I tell you bout helth problem? We ll send you medicl questionnire (unless you re lso sending in form D4). It sks you for permission to let our medicl dviser get reports from your doctor nd specilists. Extr rules for medium nd lrge vehicles, minibuses or buses The rules bout helth re stricter for drivers of lrger vehicles. This is becuse ccidents involving lrge vehicles re more likely to result in deth or serious injury. As well s those conditions lredy stted you lso need to tell us bout: ngin, other hert conditions or hert opertion; dibetes controlled by tblets; visul problems ffecting either eye; or ny form of stroke, including TIAs (Trnsient Ischemic Attcks). Epilepsy If you wnt to drive medium or lrge vehicle, minibus or bus you must not hve libility to epileptic seizures. Dibetes If you hve dibetes treted by insulin you my not drive medium or lrge vehicles, minibuses or buses unless: You held licence to drive lorries or buses on 1 April 1991; nd The trffic commissioner who issued the licence or in whose re you lived knew bout the insulin tretment before Jnury 1991. 12 13
Medicl report (D4) (for medium or lrge vehicles, minibus or bus drivers/pplicnts only) When pplying for your first lorry or bus licence, or renewing n existing licence, you will need to get D4 form filled in by your doctor. You lso need to hve D4 filled in if you hold n EC/EEA licence nd re pplying for your first lorry or bus licence or renewing it t ge 45 or over. If you lredy hold lorry or bus licence nd you re pplying for the other ctegory you must provide further D4 form unless you provided one in the lst 12 months. You cn downlod form D4 nd guidnce notes INF4D from www.direct.gov.uk/motoringforms Extr eyesight rules if you wnt to drive medium or lrge vehicles, minibuses or buses New drivers Your eyesight must be t lest: 6/9 on the Snellen scle in the better eye nd 6/12 on the Snellen scle in the other eye (while wering glsses or corrective lenses if you need them); nd 3/60 in ech eye without glsses or corrective lenses. An opticin will be ble to tell you bout this. Drivers who held licence before 1 Jnury 1997 If you hd licence before 1 Jnury 1997 nd you do not meet the eyesight stndrds bove, get more informtion from our Drivers Medicl Group,, Swnse, SA99 1TU (phone 0870 6000 301). When licence is no longer needed The licence should be returned to: Swnse SA99 1AB. Enclose covering letter if you: re returning your own licence becuse you no longer wnt to drive; or re returning the licence of someone who hs died. The Dt Protection Act nd you The Dt Protection Act 1998 gives you the right to be told wht informtion we hold bout you. If you wnt to know wht informtion we hold bout you, plese write to us. Include your full nme, ddress nd dte of birth. Send your letter, together with cheque or postl order for 5 (mde pyble to, Swnse) to: Driving Licence Vlidtion Tem Driver Customer Services Swnse SA6 7JL. If you hve ny questions Driving licences Find out more bout driving licences on our website t www.direct.gov.uk/driverinfo Write to: Driver Customer Services Correspondence Tem Swnse SA6 7JL. Send n e-mil to drivers.dvl@gtnet.gov.uk Cll Customer Enquiries Group (Drivers) on 0870 240 0009 between 8m nd 8.30pm Mondy to Fridy, nd between 8m nd 5.30pm on Sturdys. Textphone If you re def or hrd of hering nd you hve ccess to textphone, cll 01792 766366. This number will not respond to ordinry phones. 14 15
Informtion leflets If you need more informtion, the following leflets re vilble. INF28 Driving minibus INF29 Minimum test vehicles INF30 Driving licence requirements for towing trilers in Gret Britin INF31 Driver licensing for motorcyclists INF38 Driving in GB s visitor or new resident INF45 Your photocrd driving licence explined INF52 Specil licensing rrngements for drivers of lrger vehicles INF93 Photocrd driving licences INF95 A generl guide to driving licences INS57P Informtion on driving licences You cn downlod ll these leflets from our website t www.direct.gov.uk/motoringleflets or you cn get copies by clling 0870 240 0009. Our service stndrds We im to give you the best possible service. If you d like copy of our Customer Service Guide (INS101), plese write to: Driver Customer Services Correspondence Tem Swnse SA6 7JL. Fx: 0870 240 1651 E-mil: drivers.dvl@gtnet.gov.uk Or you cn downlod it from our website t www.direct.gov.uk/motoringleflets Plese tell us: when we do well; when we fil to meet our service stndrds; how we cn improve our services; nd if you hve ny comments on ny of our other documents. Plese write to: Mr In Broom Customer Services Mnger Swnse SA7 0EE. Fx: 01792 766416 E-mil: csm.dvl@gtnet.gov.uk 16 17
Notes Notes 18 19
www.direct.gov.uk/driving