There is a provision in law under Section 88 of The Road Traffic Act (RTA) 1988 that may allow you to drive while DVLA processes your application. In practice, this means that when you send your application to DVLA to be renewed and your driving licence expires (runs out) while we are processing your application, you may be able to continue driving. Apply for driving licence online
The DVLA says if your driving licence expires while it is processing your renewal application, you can continue driving as long as you meet certain conditions including only driving vehicles you were entitled to drive on your previous licence, not being told by a doctor or optician that you shouldn’t drive, and you aren’t disqualified from driving. For full info, see the Gov.uk website.
If your medical condition meant you had to take a specified amount of time off driving to ensure the stability of your condition, you must still complete that time off driving before you drive under Section 88 of The RTA. If you are unsure please check the ‘At a Glance’ guide, which can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/at-a-glanceor check with your Doctor. Apply for driving licence online
Driving before your driving licence is returned | Conditions to meet
You can drive before you get your driving licence as long as you:
- have held a Great Britain or Northern Ireland driving licence issued since 1 January 1976 or another exchangeable licence
- are not disqualified from driving
- haven’t been refused a licence for medical reasons or for failing to comply with medical enquiries
- wouldn’t be refused a licence for medical reasons – if in doubt, check with your doctor
- keep to any special conditions that apply to your driving licence“
Your license privilege doesn’t get revoked whilst it’s being renewed, you’re still licensed to drive, it’s just they like to update the picture and signature every 10 years. Apply for driving licence online
Make sure that you know what vehicles you are currently licensed to drive. There have been some documented stories that some people lose entitlements following a simple re-issue by the DVLA ( eg. they used to be able to ride a motorbike, but the new license does not include this anymore )
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