Once you reach 70, you must renew your driving licence every 3 years. If you’re 70 or over, or will be 70 in the next 3 months, you can easily renew your licence online.
DVLA online service is convenient, quick and secure. According to figures released last year, more than 60% of customers over the age of 70 chose to renew their licence online. So why not join them?
Here’s why you should renew online, and how to do it…
Why should I renew my driving licence online?
Renewing online is easier and quicker than paper – there’s no fiddling about with forms or postage. If you apply online, your licence should arrive within one week.
It’s also free! That’s right – there’s no charge to use the ‘Renew at 70’ service on GOV.UK. So avoid any third-party websites that charge premiums for DVLA services. These sites charge a fee to pass a driver’s application to DVLA, but they are not affiliated with DVLA and often charge for services which are cheaper or free on GOV.UK.
So always use GOV.UK to renew your licence – it’s the quickest, easiest and most secure way.
The online service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Three months before your licence is due to expire, DVLA will send you a reminder to renew. If you want to change your licence photo, you can do this at the same time as renewing your licence online, if you have a valid UK passport.
How to renew your driving licence at 70
To renew online, you need:
an email address
a valid UK passport (if you want to change the licence photo)
to be a resident of Great Britain – there’s a different service in Northern Ireland
addresses of where you’ve lived over the last 3 years
your National Insurance number (if you know it)
to not be disqualified from driving
Once you have everything you need, simply:
Visit www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence-at-70 or, if you wish to use the Welsh service, visit www.gov.uk/adnewyddu-trwydded-yrru-yn-70-oed.
Read the information on the page and click ‘Start now’.
Complete each stage of the application process – reading the information on each page and filling in your details where required.
Check your details are correct and click ‘Submit now’.
Once you’ve completed your application, you will receive an email to confirm it has been submitted. Make a note of your application reference number, which you can use to track the progress of your application online.
You may be able to continue driving while the DVLA process your application if you meet certain criteria. Read the guidance leaflet ‘Can I drive while my application is with DVLA?’ to check if you can continue driving.
If you want to renew a C1 (medium-sized vehicles) or D1 (minibus) entitlement, you must do this by post.
