Surrendering Your Driver's Licence

You will have to surrender your driving licence if you have received a driving ban (otherwise known as a disqualification) or if you suffer from an illness or condition which makes it difficult for you to drive safely. If you receive a driving ban you will have done so because you have either exceeded the maximum number of penalty points or been disqualified for a serious motoring offence.

Failure to surrender your licence for either of the above reasons DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) constitutes a criminal offence in itself. It is not unknown for individuals to break the law further by continuing to drive after disqualified. This serious offence can lead to a prison sentence.

Losing Your Licence

The maximum number of points any one can have on their licence is twelve, after which an automatic disqualification is issued. Failure to relinquish your licence after such a ban is a criminal offence. The length of the ban depends on the time period during which you receive you points under what's called the 'totting up' system. Here's what the Government says:

Generally, you can be disqualified from driving for:

• Six months if you get 12 penalty points or more within three years
• Twelve months if you get a second disqualification within three years
• Two years if you get a third disqualification

Serious Motoring Offences

If you are caught committing a serious motoring offence you may also be disqualified by the courts. Drink Driving comes with a mandatory disqualification. Other offences that might result in immediate disqualification include: inconsiderate driving; unauthorised off-road driving of cars and driving without the appropriate licence or insurance.

Surrendering your Licence on Medical Grounds

It may become necessary to surrender your driving licence on the basis of ill health and it is better to do so rather than risk trying to drive if medically unfit to do so. There a several obvious Medical Conditions that may affect your ability to drive safely.

If your doctor informs you that you should not be driving because of ill health then you should voluntarily surrender your licence to the DVLA who will then cancel it without the need to make enquiries about your medical condition from your GP.

Failure to surrender your licence if you are unfit to drive, may result in the DVLA revoking your licence if such enquiries are made and it is found that you have not declared them.

If you wish to surrender your licence on the basis of ill-health you can download the necessary form - VOC99 - from the DVLA website or pick one up from a local post office. If you're no longer driving you may wish to cancel your car insurance policy - sending a copy of this completed form to insurance company may help with this.

Re-Applying for your Licence

If your circumstances change and the bout of ill-health you have suffered has past then you may apply to have your licence reinstated. You will have to contact your doctor and get some proof that he/she considers you fit to drive. You can apply to have your licence reinstated by completing the form D1 and a medical questionnaire.

Whilst re-applying for your licence you can legally drive on the roads once your application has been received by the DVLA. This can be done under section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. There are some exceptions to this: you must not have been disqualified from driving when your licence was surrendered and your licence must not have been revoked for failure to declare a medical condition.