According to the law, you must be seventeen years of age to drive a car, but if you want to ride a motorcycle or moped you only need to be sixteen. You can apply for your provisional licence provided you are at least 15 years and 9 months old.
To get your first provisional driving licence you need to be a resident of Great Britain, meet the minimum age requirement and meet the minimum eyesight requirement. If you need glasses or contact lenses to meet the eyesight standard, they must be worn every time you drive, or you will be committing an offence.
It costs £43 to apply for a provisional driving licence from the www.gov.uk website (or £34 if you apply online). In order to complete your application you will need a valid UK passport or other form of identity, your National Insurance number and the addresses you lived at in the last three years. It usually takes between one and three weeks for provisional licences to arrive but will usually arrive sooner if you apply for it online.
Ways of applying
You can apply for a provisional licence online by visiting the Gov.UK website. Alternatively you can apply by completing the D1 application form which can be picked up at your local Post Office. If you are sending your application via the post, you will need to make sure you include original documentation that confirms your identity, a colour passport photograph, a cheque or postal order for £43 and the completed application. The address is DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AD.
The two part driving license UK
If your provisional driving licence application is accepted you will be sent a green photo card. This photo card is important and will be needed in the future, so keep it in a safe place. You will need to take photo card of your driving licence to both your driving theory test and your practical test. Once you have passed your practical driving test, your green photo card will be sent off and replaced with a pink full driving licence photo card.
Rules for provisional drivers
Provisional drivers must have someone supervising them whilst they are driving. The person must sit in the front passenger seat and be fit to drive the vehicle. They should be aged over twenty one and have held a full driving licence for at last three years. Learners must display an ‘L’ plate on the front and back of their vehicles and they are forbidden from driving on a motorway.
The theory test
Before you can take your practical test you will need to pass the driving theory test. Once you are ready to take your theory test you can apply online. You will need your provisional driving licence number, an email address to get your booking confirmation and your debit or credit card. It costs £23 to book a car theory test on the www.gov.uk website.