you wish to remove an expired endorsement(s) from your driving licence. (see Driving offences)
you are no longer disqualified from driving and where applicable, you have attended a
rehabilitation course. (see Driving offences)
you wish to change your name or address or both. (see Change your name and/or address)
Your fitness to drive
If you have been advised by your doctor or a consultant that you have a disability or medical condition
that could affect your fitness to drive then you must inform the Department as soon as possible.
The penalty for contravention is a fine of up to £1,000. Road Traffic Act 1985 Sch 3 paragraph 5A(3)
If you believe that you are unable to drive safely or you have been advised not to drive then you must
stop driving immediately. You should also be aware that if you drive and are involved in an accident
and it was determined that you had a disability or medical condition that you had not informed us
about and that this was a contributing factor, then your motor vehicle insurance may be invalid.
To inform the Department about a disability or medical condition that may affect your fitness to drive or
a change to an existing one then you should complete Supplementary Medical Information Form MI1.
(see Obtaining a driving licence)
There are accompanying leaflets A guide for drivers with a medical condition and Guidelines for driving
following a stroke or Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) that provide additional advice and information.
These are available from the Vehicle Test Centre.
When we receive your application we will assess the information that you have provided to determine if
your disability or medical condition will affect your fitness to drive. In the course of our enquiries, we
may consult with your doctor or consultant or an occupational therapist or eye specialist. We may also
ask you take a driving assessment.
Depending on the outcome of our assessment, we may restrict your driving licence in terms of eyesight
correction or modifications to the controls of vehicles that you drive. In addition, we may reduce the
validity period of your driving licence to 1, 2 or 3 years. In more severe cases, we may revoke your
driving licence. We will keep you fully informed of our actions and any decisions that we make.
If your doctor or consultant advises you that your disability or medical condition has changed (improved
or worsened) and that this could affect your fitness to drive then you must complete a Supplementary
Medication Information Form MI1
Learning to drive
If you have never passed a driving test and you wish to learn to drive then you are a learner driver and
you must apply for a provisional driving licence before driving on the public highway. (see Obtaining a
driving licence)
As a learner driver you can, subject to the minimum age restrictions in table 1, learn to drive the
following vehicle categories:-
A1, B, B1, f, g, h, k, p, s, w
You are permitted to learn to drive on the public highway however you must pass a theory test before
you can apply for a practical driving test.
If you wish to learn to drive on the public highway then you must:-