Renew your driving licence
You must apply to renew your licence before it is due to expire. Check the date of expiry of your licence at section 4b of your plastic photocard licence.
Licence period
A car, motorcycle or tractor driving licence will expire (when the date at 4b on the plastic card part of your driving licence has passed) every 10 years, unless you have a driving licence that has been medically restricted. There are also exceptions for drivers over 60 and for lorry and bus drivers. More about this below under the heading: Exceptions.
You'll get a reminder notice
About two months before your licence expires the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) will send you a reminder notice with information on how to renew your licence online. This will be posted to the address held in its records, so it is important that you tell the DVA when you change address:
Renew early
Apply early to get your new driving licence before your existing licence expires. Applications where the driver has declared a medical condition may take longer to process.
The earliest you can renew
The DVA will accept applications for renewal driving licences up to two months before they are due to expire. This gives you time to plan ahead to make sure that your licence is ready in good time, for example for a planned trip or holiday.
Renew online
Once you've got your reminder notice, you can apply to renew your car, motorcycle and tractor driving licence online at the link below. During the process you'll be asked to give a digital photo of yourself. By following the digital photo guidelines at the link below, you'll avoid your application being delayed:
If you renew online, you'll get your driving licence much sooner than if you renew by post.
Cost of renewing a licence
The reminder notice you receive from the DVA to remind you to renew your licence will tell you how much your licence renewal will cost. You can also get details about the fees for different types of driving licences including details of how to pay at the following link:
Be aware that there are unofficial websites offering online driver licensing. Ignore these.
If you don't receive a reminder notice
The DVA send out reminders to renew your driving licence as a courtesy but it is not obliged to let you know that your licence is due to expire.
If, for any reason, you don’t receive the reminder notice from the DVA, you can apply online:
Driving before new licence arrives
Once the DVA has received your valid application, you can drive before you receive your new licence as long as you:
- have held a Northern Ireland or Great Britain driving licence issued since 1 January 1976 or hold 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
- aren't disqualified from driving
- haven't been refused a licence for medical reasons or for failing to follow the DVA medical enquiries
- wouldn't be refused a licence for medical reasons (if in doubt, check with your doctor)
- keep to any special conditions which apply to the licence
When to expect your licence
The DVA aims to process your licence within 10 working days of receiving a fully filled in 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 will have to apply for a duplicate licence and pay the relevant fee.
Return of supporting documents
Make sure you attach the correct postage to the envelopes when you are returning your documents to DVA Driver Licensing as DVA cannot accept the delivery of this post with insufficient or no postage.
The driving licence fee includes the return of your supporting documents (where applicable for applications done by post) by second class post. If you would like your supporting documents returned by secure delivery, include a pre-paid Royal Mail special delivery envelope.
The DVA will not give compensation for any loss or delay resulting from the use of second-class post.
The DVA cannot guarantee to return your documents by a set date, for example, a holiday.
Exceptions
Drivers over 60
Drivers over 60 whose licences expire before their 70th birthday, will be issued a licence valid until age 70 or for a period of three years, whichever is the longer. A fee applies, even if the period granted is for the minimum of three years.
Renew your driving licence at 70 plus
If you drive a lorry, bus, minibus
The licence categories for driving a lorry, bus or minibus will be valid for a maximum of five years, up to age 65. At age 65 and over, the maximum is one year.
Medical conditions
You must tell the DVA if you’ve ever had, or presently suffer from a medical condition that may affect your driving.
Licence lost, stolen or damaged
If your licence has been lost, stolen, defaced, or damaged you can make an application for a replacement at any time:
Driving on holiday
Thinking about going on holiday and hiring a car? If so, check that your driving licence will be valid well before you are due to travel.
If you need to share your driving record with a car hire company, you can create a licence ‘check code’ online.
Differences between NI and GB licences
Changes that were made to the format of Great Britain driving licences in June 2015 have no effect on licences from the 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.