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How to tell DVLA about a medical condition

If you have had, or currently suffer from a medical condition or disability that may affect your driving you must tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). You'll also need to provide details if you develop a new condition or disability or one that has become worse since your licence was issued.

Failure to notify DVLA is a criminal offence and is punishable by a fine of up to £1000.

Surrendering your driving licence

The medical standards of fitness to drive are available to all medical practitioners and if your doctor, in accordance with these standards, has advised you that you should not drive you may wish to surrender your licence, and reapply for its restoration at a later date. Surrendering your licence has an advantage, if and when you decide to reapply.

How to tell DVLA if you are applying for or currently hold a driving licence

All driver licence application forms contain a series of health questions for you to complete when telling DVLA of the medical condition or disability that you have. You may also wish to download and complete the appropriate medical questionnaire(s) and enclose them with your application. This will help to speed up the processing of your driving licence when the documents are received at DVLA.

If you already have a driving licence and need to tell DVLA of a medical condition or disability, you must tell them right away and not wait until your licence is due for renewal.

Medical questionnaires for notification purposes and where appropriate information leaflets are available for downloading from the links below.

Extra rules for applications to drive larger vehicles over 3,500kgs, minibuses (between 9 and 16 seats) and buses

Under the following circumstances, a D4 medical report form, completed by a medical practitioner, will also need to be returned with your application to DVLA.

  • you are applying for entitlement to drive larger vehicles over 3500kg, minibuses (between 9 and 16 seats) and buses for the first time
  • you are a car licence holder applying to renew category C1 and or D1
  • you are renewing your large goods vehicle (LGV) or passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) driving entitlement on or after the age of 45 and at five yearly intervals until the age of 65 (if you are aged between 45 and 65 and have been issued with a medical short period licence, then you only need send in a D4 form if you have not done so within the last five years)
  • you are renewing your LGV and or PCV driving entitlement on or after the age of 65 and on a yearly basis thereafter

Drivers already holding entitlement to drive vehicles of category C1 and or D1 and who have passed a car test before 1 January 1997, will only be required to meet the higher medical standards when the licence is next renewed.

How to contact DVLA

You can return your documents or contact the DVLA in the following ways:

By post

You can send your documents to DVLA at the following address:

Drivers Medical Group
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1TU

By fax or email

You can contact DVLA regarding a medical condition by fax or email and can return a completed medical questionnaire by fax or as an attachment to an email. If you choose to email DVLA you should note that this is not a secure means of communication and that DVLA accepts no responsibility for handling your email until after it is received.

So that DVLA can send further correspondence to you by fax or email your agreement is required. You should confirm in your communication if you wish a reply sent to you at the fax number or email address provided.

If you do not wish DVLA to respond in this way a reply will be sent you by post.

Contact point: Drivers Medical Group

Fax: 0845 850 0095

Email:

By telephone

You can also notify DVLA of a medical condition by telephone. Please remember to quote your full name, date of birth and or driver number (if known). You must also give details of your specific medical condition or disability in order that you can be sent the appropriate medical questionnaire.

Telephone: 0870 600 0301

(Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 5.30 pm and Saturday, 8.00am to 1.00pm)

Further information

You can also download the customer service guide to keep for future reference should you need it.

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