Driving Licences: Health
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on the number of medical license renewal applications made to the DVLA that were submitted prior to 31 March 2026 that have not yet been closed.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
The number of medical licence renewals where customers are awaiting a licensing decision which were received at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) before 31 March 2026 is 68,489. This includes driving licence cases that have been re-opened following a customer enquiry. This does not include new notifications of a medical condition.
The DVLA has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued. The length of time taken to process these applications often depends on the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals.
To keep up with growing customer demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA is updating its Drivers Medical function and has launched a new casework system and a new digital medical services portal. This new online service covers around 1,600 medical conditions and allows the majority of customers to apply online via the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account. Further enhancements for customers applying for a provisional licence and those renewing at the age of 70 or over will be made later this summer.
These enhancements are already helping the DVLA to process applications more quickly. The DVLA encourages customers to use the online service wherever possible to help speed up processing times.
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