How To… Apply For Your Provisional Driving Licence

Before You Start

To apply for your provisional driving licence online for a car, motorcycle or moped you need to make sure you:

• Are a resident of Great Britain – its a different service for those in Northern Ireland
• Meet the minimum age requirement
• Can meet the minimum eyesight requirement
• Have not been prevented from driving for any reason at all
• Can pay a fee of £50 by either MasterCard, Visa, Electron, Maestro or Delta debit or credit card
• Have a valid British passport or another form of identity
• If you know it, your National Insurance Number
• Be able to provide the addresses you have lived at for the last 3 years

When Can I Apply For My Provisional Driving Licence?

You can make an application for your provisional driving licence when you are 15 years and 9 months old.

You can start driving/learning to drive a car at 17 or 16 if you want to drive a moped or light quad bike.

Applying Online

Step One

Visit the DVLA’s DirectGov ‘Apply for a provisional licence page‘. You will be presented with a screen the same as this and you need to log on, using your Government Gateway ID.

Step Two

You will then need to register. Click ‘Next’

Step Three

You can then find out more information about how secure your data is. Once you have gone over this, click ‘Next’

Step Four

Then you will need to fill in your personal details. Once you have done this and they are all correct, click ‘Next’

Step Five

You then need to enter your home name or number and postcode. Then click ‘Next’

Step Six

You then need to check that your address is displayed correctly and this is what will be shown on your driving licence. Once you have verified it, click ‘Next’

Step Seven

You then need to enter how long you have lived at this address. As long as you have lived here for longer than 3 years, there won’t be anything extra to do. If you have not lived at your current address for 3 years or longer, you will need to fill in the details of your previous addresses. Click ‘Next’

Step Eight

You then need to enter some security details. This includes your home and daytime phone number as well as your martial status, birth surname, mothers maiden name and your place of birth. Once you have filled these in correctly, you can click ‘Next’

Step Nine

Then you will be given the chance to enter your National Insurance Number, twice. Don’t worry if you don’t have it, you can proceed without it if you need to. Then click ‘Next’

Step Ten

You are then given the opportunity to give your passport number to speed up your application. Again, this isn’t a requirement, so you can either enter it or leave the fields blank and click ‘Next’

Step Eleven

You need to set password reminders then. This includes a memorable date, name and town. You are best to not use your personal data, rather the data or a person who is close to you but lives in another town at least. Then click ‘Next’

Step Twelve

You have to then verify whether or not you have resided in the UK for the last 12 months and if you have been disqualified from driving for any reasons. Once you have honestly answered these questions, click ‘Next’

Step Thirteen

You then need to answer questions about your eyesight. Then click ‘Next’

Step Fourteen

You need to take part in a medical questionnaire after this. You need to select all the conditions that apply to you and then select ‘Next’

Step Fifteen

Once you have taken the medical questionnaire, you are asked to declare that you have completed this correctly. Then click ‘Next’

Step Sixteen

You are given the chance to join the NHS Organ Donor Register. If you are not interested or have already done so, you can click “I’d like to find out more later”

Step Seventeen

You then need to enter your email address, twice to confirm it. Then click ‘Next’

Step Eighteen

You need to declare that you have not made any false declarations in your application then. After you have confirmed this, select ‘Next’

Step Nineteen

Then you need to enter your payment details and click ‘Next’. Then you submit your application and receive a confirmation.

How To Apply In Other Ways

You can apply for your provisional licence by post and this method may take up to 3 weeks. To do this you will need to complete a D1 application form, which can be found at your local Post Office or by using the DVLA’s online form ordering service.

As well as your D1 form, you will need to send:

• Original documentation that confirms your identity
• A colour passport-style photo
• The £50 fee in either cheque or postal order form, made payable to the DVLA. Please note the DVLA cannot accept cash.

You need to send your completed form and the relevant documents to:

DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1AD

If you are sending non-UK identity documents, you need to send your application to

DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1AF