As a learner driver you cannot take driving lessons until you have a valid provisional driving licence. And, as a qualified driver you must have a valid full driving licence before you can legally drive a car. This page has guidance on how to apply for a driving licence in the UK.

A provisional driving licence (

car ) can be applied for up to two months prior to the seventeenth birthday. However, it cannot be used before the date of the seventeenth birthday, and it has to be in an individual's possession before they can legally take driving lessons.

The provisional licence allows individuals to learn to drive, either with a relative over the age of 21 who has held a full driving licence for more than three years, or with a DSA registered Approved Driving Instructor (ADI).

An Approved Driving Instructor will always ask to check your provisional licence at your first driving lesson.

A provisional licence can be applied for:

All provisional driving licence applications require:

These should then be sent, with a SAE to:

Your licence should arrive through the post within 14-21 days.

Persons approved to endorse photographs of identification.

The person who certifies your photograph must not be a relative and should have known you in a personal capacity for at least two years.

Once you have applied for, and received, your provisional licence, you can then begin to take driving lessons on public roads, as long as you have also passed your seventeenth (17th) birthday.

Take a look at our Driving Lessons pages, to get an idea about what taking driving lessons involves and what, and how you will learn, when you learn to drive.

In the UK, you never apply for your first full licence yourself. You can only apply for a driving licence when it is a provisional licence, and you can apply to update a licence, both provisional and full, but your first full driving licence is not applied for. Your full driving licence is automatically issued when you pass your driving test.

When you pass your driving test, the driving test examiner will issue you with a pass certificate. This acts as a temporary full licence. He/she will take your provisional licence from you, complete the necessary documentation and send it to the DVLA. The issue of a full driving licence from a provisional driving licence is free. The DVLA will issue you with your full licence, which you will normally receive through the post within 14-21 days.

We hope this page has been of help to you if you were looking to find out how to apply for a driving licence in the UK.

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