Renew your driving licence at 70 plus
All driving licences with an expiry date from 1 January 2021 must be renewed. All driving licences with an expiry date between 1 February 2020 and 31 December 2020 will be treated as valid for a further 11 months.
Renew your driving licence at 70 plus
- This extension will be automatically applied, the driver record will not be updated and renewal licences may not be issued during this period.
- Drivers whose licence expiry falls within these dates do not need to take any action on the expiry of their licence.
- For some drivers this will remove the need to have a medical assessment conducted at this difficult time.
- Note the extension does not apply to provisional driving licences that expire in this period.
- The DVA will issue you with a reminder notice when the temporary extension period is coming to an end.
Differences between NI and GB licences
Changes made to the format of the Great Britain driving licences from 8 June 2015 have no affect on licences from the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland. NI licences are still made up of two parts, a plastic photocard and paper part which is known as the paper counterpart.
The photocard driving licence explained
Licence period
Driving licences sent to applicants aged 70 years or over will normally be valid for up to three years. If you wish to continue driving you must renew your licence.
No charge
There is no fee if your application is made no more than two months before the expiry of your present licence, or if you are applying to renew an expired licence. ('Expiry' and 'expired' means when the date at 4B on the plastic card part of your driving licence has passed.)
You will get a renewal notice
About two months before your present licence expires, the DVA will send you a renewal notice.
Renew online
Once you have got your renewal notice, you can apply to renew your car, motorcycle and tractor driving licence online at the link below. During the process you will be asked to provide a digital photo of yourself. By following the digital photo guidelines at the link below, you will avoid your application being delayed:
The benefit of renewing online is that you will get your driving licence much sooner than if you renew by post.
Be alert to unofficial websites offering online driver licensing.
If you do not receive a renewal notice
The DVA send out reminders to renew your driving licence as a courtesy, but are not required to let a driver know that their licence is due to expire.
If, for any reason, you do not receive the renewal notice from the DVA, you can apply online:
Renewing your C1 or D1 licence categories
If you wish to renew your C1 or D1 licence categories, you cannot renew your licence online and must send the completed reminder form by post. You must also enclose the 'medical examination report' (DLM1 form) completed by a doctor, in support of your application. This applies whether you previously held full, restricted or voluntary entitlement, C1 and D1 licence categories explained:
DLM1 forms are available from MOT test centres or directly from the DVA by calling:
- phone: 0300 2007 861
Your doctor may charge you a fee for filling in the DLM1 medical report.
Medical conditions
You must tell DVA if you have ever had, or presently suffer from, a medical condition that may affect your driving:
When to expect your licence
The DVA aims to process your licence within 10 working days of receiving a completed application. This may take longer if your health or personal details have to be checked. Allow at least four weeks for your driving licence to arrive before contacting the DVA.
If your driving licence has not arrived six weeks after you made your application, contact DVA Driver Licensing.
If you do not tell the DVA within eight weeks that your licence has not arrived, you must apply for a duplicate licence and pay the relevant fee.
Driving before new licence arrives
Once the DVA has received your valid application, you can drive before you receive your new driving licence as long as you:
- have held a Northern Ireland or Great Britain licence issued since 1 January 1976 or another exchangeable licence - explained at the following links: GBR, Jersey, Guernsey, IOM, Gibraltar driving licences and Exchanging your foreign driving licence;
- have made a qualifying application for a licence;
- are not disqualified from driving;
- have not been refused a licence for medical reasons or for failing to follow the DVA medical enquiries; and
- would not be refused a licence for medical reasons (if in doubt, check with your doctor).
Insurance
You must, of course, be insured to drive your vehicle. It is essential to be open and honest with your motor insurer and make sure that they know about any health condition that might affect your driving. Failing to inform your insurer of a relevant fact (for example, that you have a health condition that may affect your driving) could invalidate your insurance. If you do not renew your licence but carry on driving, you would not have a valid driving licence and so your motor insurance would not be valid. You would be committing a serious offence which carries stringent penalties, which could include a heavy fine and having your car seized by the police.