Applying for your Driver's Licence

Once you have taken your Theory test, Hazard Perception test and the Practical Driving test and passed all three then you can - as a newly qualified driver - move onto the part of the process that most fully qualified drivers hold dear as being one of their finest moments: applying for their driving licence.

Applying for your full Driver's Licence

Once you have successfully passed your test you will be automatically entitled to have your Provisional Licence changed to a full licence entitling you to drive the same vehicles as you were initially entitled to on a provisional licence only without the supervision of another driver.

You should send your provisional licence along with the relevant form - form D1 - which is available from most post offices and from the DVLA (Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Agency) website and local offices - to the DVLA in Swansea.

You must also enclose the correct fee and two passport sized photographs for use on your new licence

Once in receipt of your licence they will produce a full driver's licence for you and aim to return it to you within 15 working days. However you should allow longer for this at certain times of the year.

Your new licence when it arrives will show that you are legally entitled as a fully qualified driver to drive a car and usually your will be entitled to drive any car or light van, with or without a trailer, providing the Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) does not exceed 3500kg.

In order to Drive Other Vehicles you must first take and pass the relevant tests in their disciplines before you can legally do so.

You will be issued with the new style photocard - paper licences are no longer issued as a means to reduce the risk of fraudulent driver's licences. This Photocard Licence will contain all of the relevant details about you as well as your photo which is taken from the application you originally made for a licence.

Can I Drive while I am waiting for my Licence?

Yes you can: providing that you have not been previously disqualified from driving for any motoring offence or have been refused a driving licence for any medical reason.

You will have your driver number which was allocated to you when you first applied for a provisional licence and this number entitles you to drive once you have passed your test - and whilst waiting for your new licence to arrive.

Upon passing your test all the relevant information is passed to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) who will make note of it on their systems so that you may drive in the interim period.

You are required by law to apply for a New Photo Licence every ten years and also to provide a new photograph at the time in order to reduce the risk of anyone using your details fraudulently.

It is worth noting that you cannot apply for your full licence until after you have been awarded a pass for your practical driving test. The DVLA (Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Agency) will not issue anyone with a full driver's licence until they have received information confirming that you have indeed passed your test.