Your driving instructor or supervising driver should check both parts of your provisional licence (photocard and counterpart) before your first driving lesson, so make sure you take good care of these documents. You also will need to produce your complete provisional licence in order to take your theory and practical driving tests.
To apply for a provisional licence use a D1 application form which is available from most post offices in the UK , the current fee (May 2008) is £50. The following documents are needed to complete your driving licence application form.
1. Current full UK passport
2. identity card issued by a member state of the European Community/European Economic Area (EC/EEC)*with the exception of Sweden.
3. Travel documents issued by the Home Office
4. UK certificate of naturalisation
5. You can also use your birth certificate, but will need one of the following in addition:
6. Certified passport sized photograph.
Online Provisional Licence Application
If you have one of the newer digital UK passports, you an apply for your provisional licence online.
Once your licence arrives, you are now ready to start learning to drive either with an approved driving instructor or family/friend. It is important as a provisional licence holder that you abide by the law, and don't get points on your licence as points will drive up insurance premiums for you, and if you have more that 6 points on your licence, you will have to take the driving test twice, as after the first pass, your licence will be revoked under the new driver's act.
More Reading
Provisional Licence, Penalty Points and the driving test.
