Medical conditions, disabilities and driving

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Telling DVLA about a medical condition or disability

You must tell DVLA if you have a driving licence and:

  • you develop a ‘notifiable’ medical condition or disability
  • a condition or disability has got worse since you got your licence

Notifiable conditions are anything that could affect your ability to drive safely. They can include:

How to tell DVLA

Check if you need to tell DVLA about your condition to find the forms or questionnaires you need. The address you need is on the forms.

If you’re in Northern Ireland you must contact the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA).

There are different forms for different conditions and disabilities.

Contact DVLA if you’re not sure what to do.

You could be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA about a condition that might affect your ability to drive safely. You could also be prosecuted if you have an accident.

Surrendering your licence

You must surrender your licence to DVLA if any of the following are true:

  • your doctor tells you to stop driving for 3 months or more
  • your medical condition affects your ability to drive safely and lasts for 3 months or more
  • you do not meet the required standards for driving because of your medical condition

You can apply to get your licence back when you meet the medical standards for driving again.

First licence or renewal if you’re 70 or over

You must also tell DVLA about notifiable conditions if you:

You’ll be asked for this information in your application form. You do not need to contact DVLA separately.