apply for your first driving licence
Applying for a provisional driving licence
Before you can learn to drive a car, moped or motorcycle you must apply for a provisional driving licence. If you already hold a valid full driving licence and want to learn to drive larger vehicles, minibuses or buses you will need to apply for provisional entitlement for these vehicles.
You can apply for your first British provisional driving licence online if you:
are a resident of Great Britain
- can meet the minimum age requirement
- can meet the minimum eyesight requirement
- are currently not prevented from driving for any reason
- can pay £50.00 by Mastercard, Visa, Maestro, Electron, Delta or Solo debit or credit card
- have a valid UK passport or another form of identity
- can provide addresses of where you have lived over the last three years
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Driving in Great Britain (GB) on a licence issued in a European Community/European Economic Area (EC/EEA) country
All drivers must comply with British minimum age requirements. These are 17 years for cars and motorcycles, 18 years for medium sized vehicles and 21 years for large lorries and buses.
Interactive tool
We are always trying to improve our service, and have created a way for you to get the most accurate information based on your individual need. If possible, please use our interactive tool and give us your comments when you have completed it.
Use the 'driving in GB' interactive tool
European Community and European Economic Area
Licences issued in the European Community and European Economic Area make up two groups that are treated equally. The full list is:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
Visitors
If you hold a valid community licence and are visiting GB, you can drive any vehicle if the full entitlement for that vehicle is shown on the licence.
Residents
If you have a valid community licence, this will allow you to drive in GB for the period set out below.Alternatively, you can exchange your licence for a British licence.
Provided your licence remains valid you may drive in GB:
Car, motorcycle driving licence holders (ordinary driving licence):
until aged 70 or for three years after becoming resident, whichever is the longer period
Lorry, minibus, bus driving licence holders (vocational driving licence):
until aged 45 or for five years after becoming resident, whichever is the longer period
- if you are aged over 45 (but under 65) until your 66th birthday or for five years after becoming resident, whichever is the shorter period
- if you are aged 65 or over for 12 months after becoming resident
In order to continue driving after these periods, you must get a British driving licence.
Register of community licence holders
Holders of community licences with vocational entitlement who live in GB must register their details with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). For further information you can contact them on 0300 790 6801.
Notifying health conditions
You must tell DVLA about conditions that existed before you came to GB and which you may have already notified to the authorities. This also includes any conditions you have recently become aware of. In most cases, the rules will be the same as those in other EC/EEA countries although there may be some differences. Higher visual standards apply for vocational drivers in this country.
Taking a driving test
If you want to take a British driving test you must be a resident in GB. However, if you have moved to GB having recently been a permanent resident in another state of the EC/EEA, you must be a resident in GB for 185 days in the 12 months before your application for a driving test and full licence.
To take a GB driving test you will need to either:
apply for a GB counterpart licence (D58/2) by completing a D9 enclosing your community driving licence
- exchange your community licence for the British equivalent and request the appropriate provisional entitlement
A provisional licence document is issued free of charge. However, the appropriate fee must be paid and your community licence surrendered in exchange for a GB one when claiming the full entitlement.
Download 'Application for a GB counterpart' (form D9) (PDF, 191K)
Vehicles which community licence holders may also drive in GB
Community licence holders with category B entitlement can also drive certain vehicles in GB, which are exempt from the normal large vehicle driver licensing requirements. These include non-commercial minibuses driven on a voluntary basis, permit minibuses and large vehicles such as agricultural motor vehicles and road construction vehicles. Further details about these vehicles and the conditions that apply to them can be found in the fact sheet "Special Licensing Arrangements For Drivers of Large Vehicles" available from DVLA.
Community licences issued in exchange for licences from elsewhere
A community licence issued on the strength of a licence from a designated country will be valid for driving in GB for 12 months only and is acceptable for exchange purposes.
A community licence issued on the strength of a licence from a non-designated country will be valid for driving in GB for 12 months only but is not valid for exchange purposes.
A licence from any country outside the EC/EEA, which was originally issued on the basis of a community licence, will be valid for driving in GB for 12 months only and is acceptable for exchange purposes. Evidence of the original EC/EEA entitlement must be provided
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