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.


Recommended Product
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

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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.

Keep points off your provisional licence

As a learner driver you need to do everything within your power to keep your provisional driving licence clean and avoid penalty points getting onto this important driving document.

In the UK any provisional licence holder who passes the driving test is on probation for the first 2 years, and if you get 6 penalty points or more during your this period your full UK driving licence will be revoked under the new drivers act, and you will revert back to a learner driver status and will have to retake the DSA 'L' test again.

Penalty points on the Provisional Licence

As a learner driver you are bound to make mistakes especially if you are out doing private practice and are not being supervised by a professional driving instructor, you might be caught for accidentally speeding (SP30 or SP50), which is why you can have up to 6 points on your provisional licence and still be able to take the DSA driving test. If you however have more than 6 points on your licence, then you are entering a grey area!
9 Points on your provisional licence will not stop you from taking the test, as the DSA examiner has no powers to deny you a test, however even if you pass the test, it is up to the DVLA to decide whether to issue you with a full driving licence or not so if you need to know if your particular situation will mean a full driving licence with more than 6 points on your provisional, you you contact the DVLA directly giving them your licence number.

12 points on a driving licence

If you get 12 points on a licence provisional or full, you will get a driving ban, 6 months for your first offence, full details are on the DVLA Website.

Typical driving offences that can cause you to get points on your provisional are driving without car insurance, not stopping at red traffic lights, breaking the speed limit either caught by speeding camera or a traffic police officer.

Points on a licence will mean higher insurance costs as a provisional learner if you have your own car, or large premiums once you've passed the DSA test and the DVLA issue you a full driving licence.

It is better for you to use an instructor for driving lessons, spend a few hundred pounds, remain legal, than to risk being caught as a learner driver with no insurance or a proper person supervising you, you might get away with it today, but sooner than later you will get rumbuled.

Driving License Ban

If you are facing a probable ban due to already having 9 points on your driving licence, then you might want to consult one of the many solicitor companies that specilise in helping drivers to avoid driving bans before responding to any correspondence for a new traffice offence. While these solicitors can help some people avoid their licence being revoked, you will have to consult them first to see if they can help with your individual circumstances. I have no idea what these traffic offence lawyers charge, but we all know that lawyers are not cheap, so it is best if you can avoid commiting the offence in the first place and avoid the penalty points.

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

Driving Lessons

Learning to Drive

As a provisional licence holder you obviously need someone to teach you how to drive a car and prepare you for the driving test, the two main avenues that learner drivers use is either by using an approved driving instructor (ADI) or by learning with friends and family.

In these days of a slumping economy and the credit crunch biting very hard, it is not surprising that a lot of people will try and use the least costly route, which will usually be family or friends and some will choose cheap driving lessons.

Cheapest driving lessons

There is nothing wrong with trying to find the driving school that offers the best value for your money when learnong to drive, but you should not go for an instructors tuition just because they offer the cheapest driving lessons in your area. You must make sure that whoever you are learning to drive with and paying money to is a current qualified DSA approved instructor still authorised to give driving lessons in exchange for money, that the car is fully insured and roadworthy for the purpose that you intend.

Due to the ecomonic downturn, there are a lot of illegal driving instructors operation in the UK who are charging money for driving lessons, are not qualified or don't have insurance.

As a provisional licence holder learning to drive, you want to make sure that your money is being spent on the best tuition you can afford, and not lining the pockets of someone who might disappear before your DSA test or keep strectching your driving lessons just to get money off you.

Don't just go for cheap driving lessons, look for quaility as well.


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

Provisional Licence for 15 16 year olds

Driving Permit before 17

In the UK there is no provisional driving licence available for under 17 year olds to learn to drive. If you are 16 and get the higher diability allowance, then you can apply for a provisional licence, other wise the only way to get any driving experience if you are a 15 yr old is to go on one of those special off road special road adventure courses run on private properties.

This special driving lessons are designed to give young teenagers who don't qualify to apply for provisional licences a safe environment where they can learn the basic driver skills that they can later use to prepare for the DSA driving test and apply for a full UK DVLA approved licence.

Don't think that you can just drive a car as a 15 or 16 year old in a supermarket car park because it is private property, first of all you might need the owners permission to drive, and secondly if you do get involved in an accident, you won't have any insurance to cover you, and any accicent photos taken will just be more evidence against you, and you could end up getting points on a provisional licence that has not even been issued to you as a 15 or 16 yr old.

The under 17 Driving Schools have all the permissions and insurance required to offer you driving lessons, so don't break the law if you want a clean provisional licence.

Free Driving Lessons

Lessons for provisional licence holders

New learner drivers can take advantage of the many special offers including free driving lessons that many instructors or schools offer as a means of getting new customers to join them. It is important before taking these offers especially free driving lessons that you read the small print or terms and conditions of the driver training organisation.

Driving lesson offers are designed to introduce pupils to the instructor, allow the learner to have an idea of how the ADI teaches, what the car feels like and if you can have a comfortable relationship as learner and teacher. You should not feel that because you've been given a free driving lesson, that you should stick with the school especially if you feel uncomfortable with the instructor.

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


Enjoy your free driving lessons.