Guidance

Important: Applications for the renewal of lorry and bus driving licences during the coronavirus pandemic

Updated 29 June 2021

This guidance was withdrawn on

On 24 March 2022 the temporary scheme allowing lorry and bus drivers to renew their licence at 45 or over without submitting the D4 medical report will end. From that date, lorry and bus drivers will need to follow the normal licence renewal process without exception.

Any licence renewal applications received without the D4 after this date will be rejected by DVLA and the application will need to be resubmitted.

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/applications-for-renewing-lorry-and-bus-driving-licences-at-age-45-and-over-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/important-applications-for-the-renewal-of-lorry-and-bus-driving-licences-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic

1. Applying for and renewing your lorry and bus licence with a D4 medical form

In consultation with the British Medical Association (BMA), GPs have agreed to aim to accommodate D4 medical appointments for working drivers to make sure that you are available to the transport industry.

If your lorry or bus driving licence is due to expire as normal, or if you’ve been issued a 1-year licence without a D4 medical report that is due to expire:

  1. You’ll have been sent an ‘application for renewal of lorry and bus entitlement’ form 2 months before the licence expiry date.
  2. You should arrange for an appointment for a D4 medical examination with a doctor and an optician as soon as you receive the reminder.
  3. After the examination, fill in the form and send it to the address on the form as soon as possible and before the licence expiry date.

If your lorry or bus driving licence was automatically extended by 11 months:

  1. You will not be sent another ‘application for renewal of lorry and bus entitlement’ form before your 11 month extension ends. You’ll have received a reminder letter, before the original expiry date that told you if you need to have a D4 medical examination to renew your licence.
  2. If you’ve not kept the reminder you should order a D2 pack and book an appointment with a doctor and an optician for a D4 medical examination as soon as possible but no earlier than 2 months before the automatic extension to your licence is due to expire.

Book your D4 medical examination as soon as possible

Your appointment could be in several weeks so you need to be flexible about when you can attend.

Remember to take your:

  • spectacles (when going to your optician’s appointment) if you need to wear them for driving
  • current driving licence and ‘application for renewal of lorry and bus entitlement’ form
  • take confirmation of employment or offer of employment if you’re applying for a provisional licence for a lorry or bus driving licence or its already expired

2. Temporary scheme for 1-year lorry and bus driving licences (without a D4)

The temporary scheme, put in place because of the impact of coronavirus on NHS doctors, to issue 1 year lorry and bus licences to drivers aged 45 and over without a D4 is ongoing if you are unable to get a D4 medical examination.

The D4 waiver scheme only applies under the following conditions:

  • if your lorry or bus driving licence expires after 1 January 2020
  • you have not already been issued a 1-year licence in this scheme

If your licence shows your entitlement to drive lorries and buses expired between 1 August and 31 December 2020, and was automatically extended for 11 months, you cannot apply to the D4 waiver scheme for a 1-year licence without a D4. You must renew, with a D4, when your 11 month extension is due to expire.

Only in exceptional circumstances should you apply to DVLA without the D4 medical report.

3. Further information

BMA guidance to GPs to accommodate D4 medical examinations for working drivers excludes car driving licence renewals with small lorry (C1, C1E (107)) and minibus (D1 (101) and D1 (101,119)) entitlements issued before 1997 where these entitlements are used for driving large recreational vehicles rather than for working in the transport sector. D4 appointments may be available from private sector providers but these may also be subject to delay.

You may have received a reminder letter asking you to provide a D4 medical form. If you cannot get a D4 medical appointment before you renew you can still apply for a car driving licence and reapply for the above entitlements after your D4 medical examination and application form has been filled in.

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