UK driving licence
For driving cars in the UK there are two kinds of driving licences, a Provisional licence and a Full licence.
New driving licences consist of two parts — the first a plastic credit-card sized 'photocard' and the second a piece of pink and green A4 paper onto which the court will detail and motoring convictions.
Provisional Licence
You need one of these before you can learn to drive on the public road. You can apply for a driving licence by post using form D1 available from most Post Office branches. You need to provide documentation to prove your identity and a passport sized colour photograph. Full details of the required documents are available at the DVLA website.
Your first Provisional licence will set you back £50 (cheque or postal order only) and you can apply up to 3 months before your 17th birthday, which is handy if you want to get on the road as soon as possible.
The DVLA claim to return over 95% of UK driving licence applications within 15 working days (3 working weeks) and you may be able to use the application checking service at larger Post Offices. If you suffer from certain medical conditions, these are detailed on form D1, then your application may take longer whilst enquiries are completed. The DVLA should keep you informed of this.
You can apply for one of these before your 17th birthday so that you’ll have it the big day. If you are disabled and want to learn to drive you can actually apply and start to drive at the age of 16 if you receive the ‘mobility component’ of the disability allowance at the higher level.
Here's a DVLA video to show you how it's done - it refers to applying for a provisional licence at the age of 16, that's only for sub-50cc motorcycles and for disabled drivers.
Full Licence
This is what you get if you pass your driving test and what you can lose your licence if convicted of serious motoring offences.
When you pass your test you send your test pass certificate with the ‘declaration’ section completed and your provisional licence to the DVLA. It's now free to do this.
It is very valuable and and should be kept safely. If you lose your licence or have it stolen you should report it immediately to the DVLA.
