Renewing Provisional Licence Photo

It's another New Year, with January speeding by, so appropriate to issue a reminder about this:

You are probably aware that provisional licence photocards need to be renewed every 10 years, so if you have had your photo provisional licence for that length of time, you need to know the various ways to get it renewed.

1. Online: This is the easiest option, but is only available to those who have one of the digital passports that were issued in the last 5 years or so (you can check and see if it has a chip in the back page).

If you have one of these, then you can go online to DVLA and renew your provisional photocard with a fee of £20 (March 2011), you don't need to submit a photo!

2. At a Post Office: To do this you will either need a D798 DVLA reminder or a D1 driving licence application form. There is an additional fee of £4.50 for processing your licence application, but this saves you having to send your documents in the post, and everything is done electronically and securely transfered to the DVLA, so you should get your provisional license back within a max of 3 weeks. It also means that any mistakes on your part can be rectified immediately without having to have the form sent back to you. You will need to provide a photo unless you have a digital passport.

3. By Post: This is the slowest option, and requires you to send the D798 licence reminder or D1 application form and your accompanying documents to the DVLA in Swansea via the postal system. The fee is £20 and it can take 3 weeks excluding any mistakes that need to be corrected. The address to send provisional licence photocard renewals to is:

DVLA, Swansea SA99 1DH


Remember it is your responsibility to renew your photo, otherwise your provisional licence is invalid, and you could be breaking the law if taking driving lessons when your photocard has expired!


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New Driving Licence Rules from January 19th 2013

The government bodies DSA and DVLA will be introducing new driving licence rules from the 19th of January 2013.

Most of the changes will affect motorcycle riders and HGV/LGV drivers, but car drivers who want to drive larger vehicles or tow trailers and caravans will be affected.

The current provisional licence driving age will however still remain 17 (16 for those getting the higher diability benefit).

For more details of the new changes and how it will affect you as a provisional driving licence holder, visit the direct.gov website.



Recommended ProductFocus Media's Driving Test simulator for the PC, a virtual driving test simulator based on the DSA driving test.


Interested in Fake Driving Licences or driving test videos?

Free Student Provisional Licence

I recently had someone enquire about a free student provisionl licence because according to the email I received, they had been told that the DVLA in Swansea was able to issue free provisional licenses to students who held a current valid NUS card. The video below has details:



Sorry to disappoint you, but there is no government sponsored programme that allows this, and if you want a provisonal licence to learn to drive, you will need to pay £50 (correct as at April 2011) in order to get one even if you are a student, so they are not free.

If I do learn of any such schemes for the issue of learner licences to students, I will post it here.

Recommended ProductFocus Media's Driving Test simulator for the PC, a virtual driving test simulator based on the DSA driving test.

Provisional licence holder can buy a car

A common question I see very often is can a provisional licence holder buy a car in the UK. The answer is yes, any class of driving licence can buy a car, new or second hand. In fact you don't need a licence at all.

The issue is how do you get your newly bought car home? This is where the issue of owning a provisional driving licence comes in. You will first of all need insurance if you want to drive it yourself, secondly you will need someone with a 3 year old full british licence (manual class B if the car bought is manual), finally you need to make sure the car you bought with your provisional licence is roadworthy (not just a current MOT and road tax) if you want to stay within the law.

If you don't intend to drive your newly bought car, you can have it delivered at extra cost to your home, ask a full licence holder with comprehensive insurance to drive it home for you.

So in summary you can buy a car with a provisional licence, you just can't drive it alone or without the necessary insurance and documents.

More Reading
Provisional licence and carrying passengers.
Provisional licence penalty points.
Provisional licence age is 17 and not changing in october 2010.

Recommended Product
Focus Media's Driving Test simulator for the PC, a virtual driving test simulator based on the DSA driving test.

Provisional to Full British Licence 2010

The process of going from a provisional licence holder to a full fledged British driving licence will be getting harder from October 2010 as the DSA makes radical changes to the UK practical car test.

The driving standards agency who conducts the test in the UK have following a consultation with provisional licence holders, instructors and the general public decided that from october 2010, learner drivers will need to have an accompanying driver in the car with them on the test and they will also need to be able to drive independently following road signs only with no instructions from the dsa test examiner.

These new changes in the UK will mean that it is going to cost more to convert a provisional driving licence to the full British version as you will now need more lessons with an instructor or friend to understand and be able to fufil these new requirements by the DSA otherwise you will not be able to send off to the DVLA a pass certificate and get that highly coveted pink license 3 weeks later in the post.

Having your driving instructor, dad, mum or spouse sitting in the back of the car while taking your practical assessment will make some people very nervous, and this will mean that more people will fail because they make mistakes due to the thought of the additional prying eyes of their teacher being on them and watching their every move especially on those difficult and hard test manoeuvers.

My advice to all you proviional holders is that do as much as you can in your power to get the driving test out of your way before october 2010, as it will be harder to pass and get a full British licence next year.


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Focus Media's Driving Test simulator for the PC, a virtual driving test simulator based on the DSA driving test.

Provisional Licence Cost

The cost of applying for a provisional driving licence in the UK is now £50 (May 2009), and with a DSA practical car test now costing £62 during the week and £75 at the weekends, it is getting very expensive to learn to drive and get a full British driving licence.

There are other costs associated with your licence which you also need to be aware of.

Renewing your photocard for your provisional licence is £20.
Replacing a lost or stolen licence is £20
Removing penalty points off licence is £20.
Renewing a licence after driving ban is between £50 and £95 depending on the offence.

Driving Offences

As a provisional licence holder, it is understandable that you might make a mistake or two while learning to drive, especially if you are not being supervised by a driving instructor, so driving traffic offences will occur.

The 2 most common driving offences that learner drivers commit are breaking the speed limit (speeding) and failing to stop or obey a traffic signal (running a red light). All offences committed in a car are covered by the road traffic act 1988.

Provisional Licence holders and Speeding Fines

If you are caught by either a camera or police officer commiting a speeding offence, then you will usually be fined £60 and given 3-6 penalty points on your licence indicated by a code SP30 on the counterpart, but if the speed you were travelling at was far in excess of the statutory limit, you might have to go to court where you would be prosecuted in front of a magistrate. Other codes that might be put on your licence are SP50. Remember it is your responsibility as a driver to obey the highway code and road traffic act.

Failing to comply with traffic light signals

Running a red light is a simple driving offence which is usually dealt with by issuing a fixed penalty fine of £60 and 3 points on your licence (TS10), unless if there was a resultant accident with serious injuries or fatalities in which case you would probably be needing a solicitor or barister to defend you in a court of law. You as a provisional licence holder need to also know that it is a driving offence to fail to comply with a school crossing patrol direction (lollipop man or lady), you are playing with another £60 fine and 3 penalty points.

Driving Licence bans and disqualification

The maximum number of penalty points that you can have on a provisional driving licence under the totting up system is 11 in any 3 year period (even though the minimum period they actually stay on is 4), if you get 12 points or more, you will get a driving ban, and the TT99 code will be added to your licence counterpart. If you are facing a ban due to driving offences, then you might want to contact a solicitor to see if they can prevent this from happening, but it doesn't give a good impression of your responsibility as a potential driver if you build up so many penalty points on a provisional licence.

Driving without Insurance

The first two provisional licence driving offences that I mentioned above are mistakes which can be easily be made while legally trying to learn to drive car with supervision, but driving without car insurance is a delibrate flout of the road traffic act law, and while as a driver you might get away initially, you will one be caught and will have to pay for this driving offence.
There is a valid reason for the law requiring you to have a minimum of 3rd party vehicle insurance cover before you drive a car as others are protected in the event of a road traffic accident. I know there are many reasons why a lot of provisional licence holders break this law, but at the end of the day you are delibrately commiting a criminal offence which you will have to pay for when caught by a police officer using their ANPR cameras and database.
The Penalty code associated with insurance driving offences is IN10 and you will get a minimum of 6 points entered on your driving licence counterpart. The irony being that you will now have to pay even higher insurance premiums to get your car covered!

Drunk Driving

Drunk driving on a provisional licence is another offence which you the driver can make a conscious decision on whether you are going to do or not. If you've committed this driving offence before and got away with it, now is the time to stop! Not only are you endangering your life, but that of other road users including pedestrians. Drink and driving do not go together, and those who have lost loved ones to this very common driving offence are living for the rest of their lives with the consequences.

In Conclusion
If you've been involved in one of the above mentioned driving offences, then now is the time to have a change of heart, mistakes can happen, but consistently braking the speed limit, running red lights, driving without insurance, being drunk incharge of a car has no excuse!

Provisional licence FAQ and Contact

Contact Info:
To contact us or ask a question, please add a comment to this post.

Frequently asked questions about the Provisional Licence

Can a provisional licence holder carry passengers?
Yes. You can carry passengers as long as there are no conditions in your insurance policy stopping you from doing so, and you are within the passenger limit for your car. You can also carry passengers during your driving lessons, as long as your instructor or supervisor is okay with that, and they don't distrupt the lesson, this usually means no children, but some well behaved minors or babies might be allowed.

What cars or vehicles can I drive on a provisional licence?
The categories of vehicles covered by your driving license are shown on the paper counterpart, so read it carefully to make sure you comply with the terms, and don't get penalty points.

Can a provisional licence holder drive on the motorway?
No, you are not allowed on the motorway unless you hold a full UK driving licence, if you need motorway driving lessons, you can either do a pass plus course or just get an instructor to give you a 2 hour motorway lesson after you've passed the test.

Can a provisional licence holder drive without 'L' Plates?
No, you can not drive a car without 'L' Plates, unless you hold a full licence for that category of car, so if you have an automatic licence, you will need to display 'L' plates and have a supervising driver if you want to drive a manual car.

Can a provisional licencee book a driving test without a driving instructor?
Yes, you don't need a driving instructor number to book a practical driving test, skip that option when using the test booking service. You have a better chance of passing the driving test if you use an ADI though.

How much does the provisional licence cost?
The current cost of a provisional licence (july 2008) is £50.

Can a Learner Driver with a Provisional License buy a car used or new?
Any one can buy a used or new car, you however need a licence and insurance to drive one, and if you are a learner driver you should display "L" plates and have a qualified supervisor or instructor (ADI or PDI) with you in the car.

Is there a limit to how many times a provisional licence holder can take the driving test?
There is no limit to the number of attempts you can take the theory or practical driving test

Do penalty points get transfered from provisional to full driving licence?
If you get points on your provisional licence, they will be transfered to your full uk licence when you pass the driving test unless they are 4 years or more, and you apply to have them removed with the DVLA. Note: under the New drivers act you could lose your licence if you get more than 6 points on your licence after passing the driving test within 2 years.

Can I take driving lessons if I have 6 points on my provisional?
You can still take driving lessons with or without an instructor if you have points on your licence, but if you are using your own car, the insurance premium could be very high depending on the number of points and what you were penalised for.

What do I do if I lose my provisinal licence?
You will need to apply to the DVLA for a replacement document. If you had one of the newer digital photocard licenses, you don't need to include any passport photos, the required application forms are available at most UK post offices

Can I use my Automatic Full UK licence to drive a manual car unsupervised?
Your Automatic licence acts as a provisional licence to drive a manual car, so you can drive one as long as you have someone supervising you who has held a full manual licence for 3 yrs and is over 21

Fake Provisional Driving Licence

Novelty Fake UK Learner Driving Licences

Applying for a provisional licence is easy, there are no special requirements for you to obtaining one, so I'm not sure why a learner driver should be looking for a fake ID provisional driving license. If you are looking for a Novelty provisional driving licence, then there are websites out there offering what are good replicas of UK driving licences, and from some reports on some forums, these fake licences are quite good copies of the real thing.

Can I just make it very clear that it is illegal and a criminal offence to drive a car or learn to drive in the UK without a valid provisional driving licence, and if you are thinking of passing off these fake novelity licences as the real thing, the relevant authorities (police and DVLA) are aware of them, and know what to look for on these fake provisional documents.

There are genuine people (tourists and collectors) who just want these novelty provisional licences for nostalgia reasons, if however you are a learner driver who can't be bothered to put in the effort to go through the application process or have a provisional licence with points and want to replace the valid document for driving cars, then sooner than later you will be caught.

Fake Provisional driving ID Cards

You can not also use these fake provisional driving licences for identification purposes or to impersonate another individual.

Stop looking for fake ID driving licences, go through the proper channels to get a valid provisional licence or pass the driving test and get the full UK licence.

Fake Driving licences for the uk

These fake novelity documents are in high demand because the DSA driving test is getting harder, and the current pass rate is only 40% and the high cost of lessons means a lot of people are looking for fake UK driving licences.



It is illegal in the UK to be in possession of a fake driving licence whether you are using it to drive a car or as means of indentification in place of a national identification card. Recently a fraudster from Waltham Abbey who obtained credit cards and loans using a fake provisional driving license in the UK was jailed for 15 months.
The man used false ID documents with a fake name to get a £4,500 loan from the HSBC bank company in early 2005. The account was over drawn by a further £3,000 before it was closed by HSBC, the fraudster then opened another account 16 months later with a separate fake photocard UK provisiona driving license.

Fake UK driving licences which look like the real provisional documents are on sale via various websites on the internet as Novelity gifts for tourists or collectors, but a lot of people are using these fake documents either to avoid having taking a uk driving test, or underaged teenagers are using them to purchase alcohol in bars and clubs.

The UK authorities are aware of these fake driving licences, and if you are caught with any of these dubious identification cards, you risk going to jail, so as a warning, you are adviced to stay clear of these Fake Provisional Driving Licence



If you are a tourist or a collector of foriegn driving licences, please do use google to search for the online websites where you will be able to get these authentic fake driving licences, otherwise it is best if you just pass the UK driving test and make use of the full pink licence that comes as a benefit for succeeding.

Recommended Product
Focus Media's Driving Test simulator for the PC, a virtual driving test simulator based on the DSA driving test.

Provisional Licence Expired!

UK Provisional Licence Does Not Expire!

Ok not quite true. The provisional licence issued in the UK does not expire until the 70th birthday of the licencee. What does expire is the provisional licence photocard photo which needs to be renewed every 10 years. You can check the date your provisional photocard licence expires, as it is the date marked 4b on your photocard licence as shown below.



You can continue to use your provisional licence to learn to drive until the age of 70, when you will need to renew the licence with the DVLA. I hope that none of you will still be learning to drive at the age of 70! Once you've passed the driving test, your full driving licence will be issued to you free of any additional costs, and the only time you will be charged for changes to your licence is if you need to have penalty points removed from either a provisional or full driving licence.

When it is time to renew your provisional photocard licence, all you need to do is complete the required form with the new passport photographs and send it off to the DVLA. Please note that you must use a colour passport photo even though all current UK provisional licences carry black and white photographs.

Don't wait till your provisional licence expires to learn to drive.