DVLA medical delays: how long it takes and what you can do

You told DVLA about a medical condition, or declared one when you renewed, and months later you’re still waiting. You’re not alone, and there are things you can do: check whether you can drive in the meantime, make sure your file is complete, and use DVLA’s complaints procedure when a case has stalled.

How long DVLA medical decisions take

DVLA publishes its own figures. Its target for 2025-26 was an average of 50 working days to make a licensing decision on medical cases. The average it achieved was 56.66 working days, up from 44.1 in 2024-25. It made 751,058 medical licensing decisions that year. These are averages across hundreds of thousands of cases, not a promise for yours.

In August 2026 DVLA said it was seeing exceptionally high demand for applications from customers with medical conditions. It said that for many customers the online service can reduce processing times compared with paper applications, with some applications processed up to 10 days faster, that it can often take the first action within 24 hours, and that you can track the progress of an online application.

What DVLA may be doing

GOV.UK says DVLA might contact your doctor or consultant, arrange for you to be examined, or ask you to take a driving assessment, or an eyesight or driving test. It also says your application may take longer than usual if it needs to be referred to a doctor. A report that hasn’t been returned, or a test that hasn’t been booked, can hold a case up, because DVLA can’t decide until it has all the relevant medical information (see Help your case move, below).

Can I drive while I wait?

GOV.UK says you can usually keep driving while DVLA considers your application. The legal basis is section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, and DVLA’s leaflet INF188/6 says you must meet all of its criteria. They include that:

• you meet the medical standards of fitness to drive, and a doctor or healthcare professional hasn’t told you not to drive;
• you have held a valid driving licence, and only drive vehicles you’ve applied for and were entitled to drive on your previous licence;
• DVLA has received your correct and complete application within the last 12 months;
• your last licence was not revoked or refused for medical reasons;
• you are not disqualified from driving by a court.

The leaflet has more conditions, including for Group 2 licences, so read it in full. It also says that while DVLA is completing medical investigations, it cannot tell you whether section 88 applies to you: you and your doctor or healthcare professional are in the best position to decide. Section 88 cover ends when your new licence arrives, when DVLA refuses or revokes, when your application is more than a year old, or if you’re disqualified.

Help your case move

DVLA’s guide for medical professionals says it cannot make a licensing decision until all the relevant medical information is available and has been considered. So the most useful thing you can do is close the gaps:

• reply to every DVLA letter or questionnaire promptly, and keep copies;
• ask your GP or specialist whether DVLA has asked them for a report, and whether it has been sent;
• if you’re not sure what DVLA holds, make a free subject access request. The ICO says organisations normally have one month to reply, which can be extended by up to two further months for complex requests;
• keep a log of every call and letter, with dates, names and what was said.

When to complain

A complaint is about service, such as delay, lost documents or unanswered letters. It won’t overturn a medical decision. DVLA’s complaints procedure asks you to contact the department you’ve been dealing with first. After that come a formal complaint to the Complaints Team (DVLA aims to reply in full within 10 working days), the Head of Complaints, an Independent Complaints Assessor, and finally a referral by your MP to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Our guide on how to complain to DVLA about a medical case takes you through each step.