Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Motoring
  3. Driving licences
  4. Renew, exchange or apply for a driving licence

Renewing your vocational licence

Your entitlement to drive lorries, minibuses or buses needs to be renewed every five years until you are 65. After the age of 65 you have to renew your licence entitlement every year. You can apply to renew your vocational licence online or by post.

Changes made to the format of Great Britain driving licences effective on 8 June 2015, have no effect on licences from the Driver & Vehicle Agency in Northern Ireland (NI). NI licences still have two parts, a plastic photocard and paper part which is known as the paper counterpart.

How to renew your entitlement online

The Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) will send you a renewal reminder. Once you've got your renewal notice, you can apply to renew your lorry or bus 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:

  • Renew your lorry or bus vocational driving licence online
  • The photo for your driving licence

If you renew online, you'll get your driving licence much sooner than if you renew by post.

How to renew your entitlement by post

The DVA will send you a renewal reminder.

If you are over the age of 45, a DLM1: ‘medical examination report’ form is also needed to renew your entitlement. The DLM1 must be filled in by a doctor and you should make sure that all the relevant questions are answered. The doctor will normally charge you for filling in the report and those registered for VAT also need to charge the current rate on top of their fee.

  • Group 2 (lorry or bus) licence (DLM1) medical report

Find out more about Medical questionnaires for lorry and bus licence holders 

If you haven’t received a reminder, you should get a DL2 ‘application for renewal of a driving licence' from a main Post Office branch or directly from the DVA by emailing your details to:

  • Driver & Vehicle Agency - driver licensing

Basic Disclosure Certificates (PCV entitlement only)

All applications for Passenger-Carrying Vehicles (PCV) drivers' licences must be accompanied by a Basic Disclosure Certificate (BDC). Where the applicant is aged over 65 years, or where the ordinary driving licence is issued for periods of three years or less, a BDC will only be needed on renewal of the ordinary driving licence and no more often than every three years.

BDC's, which you can get from Access NI, will show details of all convictions considered to be unspent or state that no such convictions were found.

You should note that while a conviction will not necessarily prevent you from being issued with a licence, some serious convictions may lead to a refusal. Where a licence is refused, you may make an appeal.

To get a Basic Disclosure Certificate, you should contact AccessNI:

  • AccessNI 

The DVA will only accept BDC's issued within a period of three months ending with the date of the application for the driving licence.

Applicants for PCV drivers' licences who need Standard or Enhanced Disclosure arrangements may give a BDC waiver letter from their employer showing that they are in registered employment and that they have not been convicted of any offence which could lead to the refusal of the grant of a PCV driver’s licence.  

Applications for PCV entitlement without a valid Disclosure Certificate will not be accepted.

You’ll need to:

  • fill in the DL2 form
  • ask a doctor to fill in the DLM1 form (if over 45) - the doctor will normally charge you for filling in the report
  • get and include a Basic Disclosure Certificate with your application (PCV only)
  • or send a copy of your digital certificate to Driver & Vehicle Agency via the share button on your nidirect account and include the following email address  - BusDriverConduct@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk - when you share your disclosure certificate with someone, it will only be visible to them for three days - you may share your certificate as many times as you like
  • surrender your existing driving licence - failure to do so may delay the processing of your application

To login to your nidirect account, go to: 

  • Account login

Send filled in forms to the DVA driver licensing at their address in Coleraine, see the page below for the postal address:

  • Driver & Vehicle Agency - driver licensing 

When to expect your licence

The DVA aim to deliver your driving licence to you within three weeks of receiving your application. It'll take longer if your health or personal details have to be checked.

  • The photo for your driving licence

Driving before your licence is returned

Once the DVA has received your application, you can drive before you receive your licence as long as:

  • you have held a Northern Ireland or Great Britain driving licence issued since 1 April 1986, or an EU driving licence, which allows the driving of vehicles included in the category to which your application relates
  • you have made a qualifying application for a licence
  • you aren't disqualified from driving
  • you haven't been refused a licence for medical reasons or for failing to reply to medical enquiries
  • you wouldn't be refused a licence for medical reasons (if in doubt, check with your doctor)
  • you keep to any special conditions which apply to the previously issued licence

Medical conditions

To renew your vocational driving licence you need to observe the medical standards as below:

  • if you are under age 45 at the time of renewal, you will have to sign a declaration to confirm you still meet the medical standards for driving these vehicles
  • if you are over age 45 at the time of renewal, you will need to give a medical examination report (DLM1)

You must tell the DVA if you have ever had, or presently suffer from, a medical condition that may affect your driving.

  • Medical conditions and driving

If you are applying for, or hold, a large goods vehicle (LGV) or PCV driving licence you will have to meet a higher standard of conduct.

  • Your driving conduct for larger vehicles, minibuses or buses

More useful links

  • The cost of a driving licence
Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Renew, exchange or apply for a driving licence

  • Apply for a provisional driving licence online
  • Applying for a provisional driving licence
  • Driving licence application DL1 - guidance notes
  • Driving licence application DL2 - guidance notes
  • Exchanging your foreign driving licence
  • Identity documents and photographs
  • Keeping your driving licence up-to-date
  • Older drivers – deciding when to stop driving
  • Renew your driving licence
  • Renew your driving licence at 70 plus
  • Renew your lorry or bus vocational driving licence online
  • Renewing your vocational licence
  • Replacing your driving licence
  • The cost of a driving licence
  • The photocard driving licence explained

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS