Renewing your driving licence or updating the information on it is now a much more straightforward process, thanks largely to our old friend the Internet. It can all be done on the official gov.uk website. If you don’t have online access, this isn’t a problem as you can still get the appropriate forms for a licence renewal or change of address and go through the process at a Post Office branch or by post.Driving licence fees
Whether you hold a full or provisional UK driving licence issued by the DVLA, it will need to be renewed every ten years. If, however, you are over 70 years of age, a renewal is required every three years.
If you change address when you permanently move house, failing to update the details on your driving licence could land you with a fine of £1,000. A temporary move such as moving for university is fine as long as you can still be contacted at your original address.
Driving licence fees
The fee depends on if you want to:
- get your first full or provisional GB licence
- get a replacement if yours has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed
- change your name, address or photo
- renew a driving licence
- add, renew or remove an entitlement
- exchange a driving licence, for example exchange a paper licence for a photocard
- get your licence back after it’s been taken away, for example if you’ve been disqualified
For applications by post, cheques and postal orders are payable to DVLA. The address depends on what you’re applying for.
Damaged or altered cheques will not be accepted.
There are different driving licence fees in Northern Ireland.
Get your first GB driving licence
| Apply online | Apply by post | |
|---|---|---|
| First provisional licence – car, motorcycle, moped | £34 | £43 |
| First full driving licence after passing your driving test | N/A | Free – £17 to use a different photo from your provisional |
| First full GB licence in exchange for a full European Community, European Economic Area or other designated foreign licence | N/A | £43 |
Replace a lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed licence
This costs £20. You must replace your licence if it’s been lost, stolen, defaced or destroyed.
Change the name, address or photo on your photocard driving licence
The fee depends on what you’re changing and how you do it.
| What you’re changing | Change online | Change by post |
|---|---|---|
| Address | Free | Free |
| Name | N/A | Free |
| Photo | £14 | £17 |
| Photo and name at the same time | N/A | £17 |
| Photo and address at the same time | £14 | £17 |
Renew a driving licence
Photocard licences are valid for 10 years unless otherwise stated. You’ll get a reminder to renew your photo before your current licence ends.
| Apply online | Apply by post | |
|---|---|---|
| Renewing an expired driving licence | £14 | £17 |
| Renewing because you’re 70 or over | Free | Free |
You can also renew your expired licence at a Post Office, it costs £21.50.
Renew a short-term medical driving licence
You can renew your short-term medical driving licence for free.
You can renew online if you have diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, a visual impairment, a sleep condition, or a heart condition.
Add, renew or remove an entitlement
| Apply online | Apply by post | |
|---|---|---|
| Adding entitlement to full or provisional licence – for example, to drive a bus or lorry | N/A | Free |
| Renewing entitlement to drive a bus or lorry | N/A | Free |
| Giving up entitlement to drive bus or lorry | N/A | Free |
You can also change a photo at the same time. It costs £17.
Exchange a paper or non-GB driving licence
| What you’re exchanging | Apply online | Apply by post |
|---|---|---|
| Paper licence for photocard with change of address | Free | Free |
| Paper licence for photocard with change of name | N/A | Free |
| Paper licence for photocard with no change of details | £20 | £20 |
| Full Northern Ireland licence in exchange for a GB licence | N/A | Free |
| Full European Community, European Economic Area or other designated foreign licence, if a previous GB licence held | N/A | Free |
| Full European Community, European Economic Area or other designated foreign licence, if a previous GB licence not held | N/A | £43 |
Get your licence back after it’s been taken away
The fee depends on why you had your licence taken away and how you got it back.
| How you got your licence back | Apply online | Apply by post |
|---|---|---|
| You were disqualified for any reason except drink driving | N/A | £65 |
| You were disqualified for drink driving and you need to pass a medical exam with a DVLA doctor | N/A | £90 |
| You were disqualified for drink driving and you do not need to pass a medical exam | N/A | £65 |
| You’ve got your licence back after it was revoked under the New Drivers Act | N/A | £50 |
| You’ve got your licence back after it was revoked for not handing it over to DVLA or at court | N/A | Free |
