Applying For a License
Want to get behind the wheel and start learning how to drive? Your first step is to obtain a provisional driving licence. This important document is your official introduction to learning.
Getting Your Provisional Licence: Process and Requirements
Obtaining your provisional licence is easy, with alternatives to suit your taste. You have the option to apply speedily and cheaply online from the GOV.UK website. Or, if you would rather apply on paper, you can obtain a D1 form from your local Post Office and post it. Online applications generally cost £34, while postal applications cost £43.
In order to qualify for a provisional driving license in the UK, you will need to fulfil the following criteria:
- Within 3 months, turn 17. However, you can only drive on the road after your birthday.
- Be a resident of Great Britain.
- Have a valid proof of identity
- Give details of all addresses where you’ve lived for the last three years.
- Should be able to read a new-style number plate at 20 metres (or an old-style number plate at 20.5 metres).
- You should not be legally disqualified from driving for any reason at all, like past driving offences which resulted in disqualification.
It’s essential that you collect your new provisional licence card prior to your commencement of any driving, and you’ll also need to give your FDT UK instructor a DVSA check code in order to validate your entitlement to drive.
How Long Until It Arrives?
After you’ve applied for a provisional licence, the waiting time is typically one to three weeks. Applications made online tend to process quickly.
Why This Licence is Important to Learners
Your provisional licence is more than just a bit of plastic; it’s actually a legal requirement that gives you official permission to learn. Without it, you’re not legally allowed to take driving lessons, practice on public roads, or even book your driving theory or practical tests.
In whichever type of manual or automatic vehicle you intend to learn in, this interim licence entitles you to both types of vehicles, so you have the freedom to decide which course of learning suits you best. This licence serves as your learner permit but only enables you to drive under the supervision of an approved instructor or a qualified person as defined by law. With FDT UK, we’ll be here to take you from your very first lesson after you’ve got this licence in your hand, on the road to independence and safe driving for life.
Beyond Provisional: Getting Your Full Driving Licence
The instant that you pass your practical driving test is exhilarating! After you’ve passed your test, the next thing to do is to change your provisional licence to a full driving licence. You should immediately call the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to exchange your test pass certificate and provisional licence.
When you get your full licence, it will bear certain codes showing the category of vehicles that you are entitled to drive. This will depend on whether you sat your practical test in a manual or automatic car. For example, if you sit and pass your test in an automatic car, your new licence will have a ’78’ code on it, so you can only drive automatic transmission cars. If you sit and pass in a manual, you can drive any manual or automatic vehicle.
FAQs
Your provisional licence is your lawful authorisation to start learning to drive a vehicle on UK public roads. It's a core document that states you are a learner and have to be accompanied by a qualified driver.
The cost of a provisional licence is £34 if you apply online through GOV.UK is usually the fastest option. If you'd rather write to them using a D1 form from the Post Office, the cost is slightly higher, at £43.
A provisional driving licence will normally last until you are 70 years old. Its primary purpose, however, is to allow you to learn and take your tests, then swap it for a full driving licence.
You will be able to apply for your provisional licence when you are 15 years and 9 months old. But you can only drive a car on the road from the age of 17. There is an exception for recipients of the enhanced rate of the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), who are allowed to drive from the age of 16.
The full Highway Code is available online on the official government website (GOV.UK). Copies can also be bought from bookshops and other outlets. Your FDT UK instructor might also give instructions on particular sections that are applicable to your lessons.
Yes, your provisional licence gives you the authority to practice in and drive both manual and automatic gear cars. Having this leeway means you don't require a different licence if you choose to change between learning manual and automatic.
You can change your address on your provisional licence for free from the GOV.UK website. To change your name, you'll need to complete a D1 application form (available online or at the Post Office) and send it in with your existing licence and official documentation of your name change (such as a marriage certificate).
No, it's a legal requirement that you need to have the physical provisional licence card in your possession before you can legally start driving lessons or practising on public roads. Be sure to always be accompanied by an appropriately qualified driver.
Yes, your FDT UK instructor will ask you for a DVSA check code prior to your lessons starting. The code, produced on the GOV.UK website enables your instructor to safely view your driving entitlement details online. Your code is valid for 21 days.
