Apply for a Provisional Licence

To apply for your first provisional driving licence for a car, motorbike, moped or other vehicle from DVLA online, you must be at least 15 years and 9 months old. However, most people can start learning to drive when they are 17.

When you apply for your first provisional driving licence, the strict legal requirement states that you must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres away.

To apply for your first provisional driving licence, you must have been given permission to live in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) for at least 185 days.

It costs £34 when you apply online. You can pay this fee securely by using a MasterCard, Visa, Electron, or Delta debit or credit card.

To apply by post, you must complete form D1 'Application for a driving licence', which is available from most Post Offices. You must send your application to the address on the form, along with a cheque or postal order for £43.

The official guidance states that if you applied for a provisional licence before 1 March 1973, you will need to use this service to get a new licence.

If you already have a provisional licence you can use the service to: renew your provisional licence, replace your provisional licence if it's lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, reapply for your provisional licence if you've been disqualified, or change the address on your provisional licence.