DVLA revoked your licence on medical grounds: what to do next

A letter from DVLA saying you must stop driving is a shock, especially if you depend on the car to work, to shop or to care for someone. The letter starts a clock, but it also gives you options. This guide explains what the letter means, whether you can still drive, and the three routes GOV.UK describes.

What a revocation or refusal letter means

After you tell DVLA about a medical condition, or declare one when you apply or renew, DVLA assesses it and decides whether you can have a licence. GOV.UK says the outcomes include a new licence, a shorter licence (for 1, 2, 3 or 5 years), a licence on condition that you adapt your car, or that you must stop driving and give up your licence.

If DVLA decides you must stop, it sends a letter. GOV.UK says the letter gives you a medical reason and tells you if and when you can reapply. There are two versions of the same decision:

• Revoked means the licence you held has been taken away.
• Refused means an application, for example a renewal, has been turned down.

Either way, the letter is the most important document you have. Keep the original safe, note the date printed on it and the date it arrived, and copy out, word for word, the standard DVLA says you don’t meet and any waiting period it sets.

Can I still drive?

No. Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 sometimes lets people drive while an application is with DVLA, but DVLA’s leaflet INF188/6 lists, among its conditions, that your last licence was not revoked or refused for medical reasons. After a medical revocation or refusal, you must wait for DVLA to issue a new licence before you drive again, and that stays true while you send evidence, reapply or appeal.

Two more things are worth knowing. GOV.UK says you could be fined up to £1,000 if you don’t tell DVLA about a condition that might affect your ability to drive safely, and you could be prosecuted if you have an accident. And DVLA’s guide for medical professionals warns that choosing to ignore medical advice to stop driving may affect the validity of your motor insurance.

If you drive a taxi or private hire vehicle, your driving licence comes from DVLA, but your taxi licence and any higher medical standard come from Transport for London or your local council. Tell them too, and ask what they need. If it’s a lorry or bus licence, see our guide to a Group 2 licence revoked on medical grounds.

Your three options

GOV.UK says that if you’re told to stop driving, you can send DVLA more medical evidence, reapply for your licence (if your letter says you can), or appeal the decision.

1. Send more medical evidence

This asks DVLA to look again with information it didn’t have. GOV.UK says you must give relevant information that was not included in the original assessment, and include proof that you meet the required standards for driving (explained in the decision letter) and the reference number from your letter. It gives this address:

DM Further Evidence
DMI Support
D5
DVLA
SA99 1DL

Evidence works when it answers the standard DVLA applied: a dated specialist report, a test result DVLA never received, or a record showing that a fact in the letter is wrong. A letter explaining how much you need to drive doesn’t address a medical standard. If you’re not sure what to send, GOV.UK suggests checking with a doctor or healthcare professional. Our list of DVLA medical addresses shows where each kind of letter goes.

2. Reapply at the right moment

Your letter will tell you if there’s a period you have to wait before you can get a new licence. GOV.UK says you can reapply 8 weeks before the end of that period, online or by post, and to check with your doctor that you can meet the medical standards for driving before you reapply. Many medical standards are time-based, such as a set period free of seizures, so a new application at the right time is often the most direct way back.

3. Appeal the decision

In England and Wales, GOV.UK says you can appeal by contacting your local magistrates’ court within 6 months, and you must tell DVLA in writing if you choose to appeal. In Scotland, you contact your local sheriff court within 21 days, and must also tell DVLA you’re appealing within 21 days. GOV.UK adds that you may want legal advice before you appeal, and that you might be able to get legal aid.

An appeal is a court case against the Secretary of State for Transport. If a magistrates’ court dismisses it, the court can order you to pay the other side’s costs (Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980, section 64). Our guide on how to appeal a DVLA medical decision covers the steps, the time limits and the risks.

Which route first?

You can use more than one route, and you don’t have to choose on the day the letter arrives. Most people start by asking two questions:

• Is there relevant medical information DVLA didn’t have? If so, further evidence is free and keeps the conversation with DVLA rather than a court.
• Does the letter set a waiting period? If so, a well-timed new application may get you driving sooner than a court hearing would.

Whatever you decide, diary the appeal time limit on day one and treat the clock as running. Nothing in DVLA’s published guidance says that sending further evidence pauses it.

See what DVLA relied on

You can’t answer evidence you haven’t seen. A subject access request asks DVLA for a copy of the personal data it holds about you, including the medical reports it used. It’s free: GOV.UK gives an email address and a postal address, and a form (MIS1065) you can use. The ICO says an organisation normally has one month to reply, which it can extend by up to two further months if the request is complex, and that the clock starts once it has any identification it needs.

If you’re helping a parent or partner

DVLA deals with the licence holder, so letters should be signed by the driver, or come with their signed authority for you to act for them. It also helps to keep one record of everything: every letter sent and received, with dates, and every call.

Northern Ireland

Driving licences in Northern Ireland are issued by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), which has its own process. This guide, and our kit, cover DVLA decisions in England and Wales, with Scotland as a note.