How to get a UK driving licence

Apply online at GOV.UK. You need to be at least 15 years and 9 months old to apply, though you cannot drive a car until 17. You must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres, be resident in Great Britain, and have lived here for at least 185 days in the last 12 months.

You will need your identity documents — a valid UK passport makes this straightforward, since DVLA can verify it directly — your National Insurance number if you have one, and addresses for the last three years.

There is a fee, lower online than by post. The licence normally arrives within a week or two.

Once you have it, you can drive a car supervised by someone aged 21 or over who has held a full licence for that category for at least three years. You must display L plates (or D plates in Wales), and you cannot drive on a motorway except with an approved driving instructor in a dual-controlled car.

The theory test is taken in one sitting at a DVSA test centre and has two parts. The first is 50 multiple-choice questions drawn from the Highway Code, road signs and driving theory, with a pass mark of 43. The second is hazard perception: 14 video clips containing 15 developing hazards, scored on how quickly you identify each, with a pass mark of 44 out of 75.

You must pass both parts in the same sitting. Failing one means retaking both.

Study from the official DVSA materials rather than third-party question banks of uncertain provenance. The official app and books contain the actual question bank.

The pass certificate is valid for two years. If you do not pass the practical within that window, the theory must be retaken — a genuinely common and entirely avoidable expense given practical waiting times.

Extra time and other adjustments are available for candidates with dyslexia, other reading difficulties or disabilities. Request them when booking.

The test lasts around 40 minutes and includes an eyesight check, two vehicle safety questions, around 20 minutes of independent driving following a satnav or road signs, one reversing manoeuvre, and possibly an emergency stop.

You can make up to 15 driving faults and still pass. One serious or dangerous fault is an immediate fail.

Book through the official GOV.UK service only. Third-party booking sites charge a substantial premium for a service that costs nothing extra to use directly, and some have been the subject of DVSA action over bulk-booking and reselling slots.

You can use your instructor's car or your own, provided it meets the requirements — taxed, insured for the test, roadworthy, with an extra interior mirror and L plates.

On passing, the examiner can send your licence off automatically. A full licence usually arrives within a few weeks, and you can drive immediately in the meantime.

The New Drivers Act is the rule most new drivers do not know about. If you accumulate six or more penalty points within two years of passing your first test, your licence is revoked. You return to provisional status and must pass both the theory and practical tests again — and points already on the licence are not wiped.

Six points is a single offence away. Using a hand-held mobile phone carries six points. So does driving without insurance. A speeding offence typically carries three, so two of them will do it.

Beyond the first two years, the general threshold is 12 points within three years, which leads to disqualification by a court.

You must tell DVLA about any medical condition that could affect your driving — including epilepsy, diabetes treated with insulin, certain heart conditions, sleep apnoea and visual impairment. Failing to declare a notifiable condition is an offence and can invalidate insurance.

Licences must be renewed every ten years, and from age 70 every three years. Renewal at 70 involves a self-declaration of fitness rather than a test.