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A provisional licence is the legal starting point for every learner car driver, but the rules differ across the UK. In England, Scotland and Wales the licence comes from the DVLA and the learner rules are published by GOV.UK. In Northern Ireland it comes from the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) and the rules are published on nidirect. This guide keeps the two systems separate, because mixing them up can mean an invalid test booking or a fine.

Applying in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)

GOV.UK says you can apply from 15 years and 9 months old, although you can usually start driving a car at 17. To apply for a first provisional licence from DVLA you must:

• be able to read a number plate from 20 metres away
• have permission to live in Great Britain for at least 185 days
• sign in to the GOV.UK service, and prove your identity if asked, usually with photo ID such as a passport

The online fee is £34, and the licence should arrive within one week, or longer if DVLA needs extra checks. A postal application uses form D1 from most Post Offices and costs £43. If you already have a provisional licence, the same GOV.UK page covers renewing, replacing and changing the address.

Applying in Northern Ireland

The DVA accepts applications online or by post on form DL1. The postal route needs original identity documents and a passport-style photograph, and nidirect says the online route is much quicker. A provisional car licence normally becomes valid on the 17th birthday, and an application can be made up to two months earlier. Someone receiving Personal Independence Payment at the enhanced rate can apply three months before their 16th birthday, with the licence taking effect on the 16th birthday.

A Great Britain provisional licence is accepted for lessons in Northern Ireland, and the reverse is true: GOV.UK says a provisional licence for Great Britain or Northern Ireland is needed for learning. Since 1 October 2026, though, a GB provisional licence cannot be used to book a car theory or practical test in Northern Ireland. The guide to Northern Ireland’s new learner system covers that change.

Who can supervise you

In Great Britain, anyone you practise with without paying them must:

• be over 21
• be qualified to drive the type of vehicle you are learning in, so a manual licence for a manual car
• have held a full licence for three years (from the UK, EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein)

The supervisor must not use a mobile phone while supervising. Driving without the right supervision can bring a fine of up to £1,000 and up to six penalty points on the provisional licence. Anyone paid to teach you must be a qualified approved driving instructor or a registered trainee, who displays a green or pink badge respectively.

In Northern Ireland, nidirect defines a qualified driver as someone who is 21 or over, has held a full car licence for at least three years, and holds a licence from Northern Ireland, Great Britain or an EU country.

Insurance and L plates

Learner insurance depends on whose car is used. GOV.UK says that in your own car you need your own learner insurance, and in someone else’s you need to be covered by their policy or take out your own. Some insurers require the supervisor to be over 25. Driving without insurance can lead to an unlimited fine, a ban and up to eight penalty points.

In Great Britain, L plates must go on the front and back, with a red L on a white background and the right size. Welsh learners may use D plates instead. Missing or wrongly sized plates can bring up to six penalty points, and they should come off the car when a learner is not driving. Northern Ireland also requires L plates at the front and rear. nidirect’s learner page describes a 45 mph maximum for vehicles displaying them, while the Graduated Driver Licensing pages describe changes for newer learners, so check the DVA’s current wording before relying on a speed figure.

Frequently asked questions

Can an instructor book my test for me?

No. GOV.UK says the learner must book, change or cancel a car test personally. See the practical test guide for booking rules.

Do I need a provisional licence to book the theory test?

Yes. GOV.UK says a provisional licence is needed to book the theory test, and nidirect says the same for Northern Ireland once the licence is valid. The documents guide covers the paperwork.

Can I drive on a motorway as a learner?

Only in Great Britain, and only with an approved instructor in a dual-control car.

Where can I find an instructor?

Learners in Great Britain can compare driving instructors on Compare Driving Instructors, our sister site. Northern Ireland has different instructor-choice rules.

The bottom line

The licence, the supervisor rules and the plates are straightforward once the jurisdiction is clear: DVLA and GOV.UK for England, Scotland and Wales; DVA and nidirect for Northern Ireland. Check the supervisor’s licence history before the first drive, make sure the insurance covers learners, and keep the plates on only while a learner is at the wheel. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

• Apply for your first provisional driving licence (gov.uk)
• Driving lessons and learning to drive (gov.uk)
• Legal obligations of drivers and riders (gov.uk)
• Applying for a provisional driving licence (nidirect.gov.uk)
• Minimum ages and rules for learner drivers and riders (nidirect.gov.uk)
• A guide to booking your practical driving test (nidirect.gov.uk)

Northern Ireland changed how people learn to drive and how new drivers are restricted on 1 October 2026, when Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) began. The rules below apply in Northern Ireland, where the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) runs testing and licensing. England, Scotland and Wales are covered by different DVSA and DVLA rules, so the differences are flagged in each section.

Why Northern Ireland introduced GDL

The Department for Infrastructure says that in 2024 drivers aged 17 to 23 were responsible for 24% of fatal or serious injury collisions in Northern Ireland while holding 8% of driving licences. Its stated aim is to let new drivers gain experience gradually and limit exposure to the highest-risk situations early on. The Department describes the package as the most significant reform of driver licensing and testing in almost 70 years.

What changes for learner drivers (Northern Ireland)

For learners whose provisional car entitlement began on or after 1 October 2026, three requirements now sit between the provisional licence and the practical test:

• A mandatory minimum learning period of six months. A learner cannot sit the practical car test until at least six months after the date the provisional car entitlement became valid, which is normally the 17th birthday. Earlier tractor or moped entitlement does not count towards the six months.
• A Programme of Training and Logbook, delivered through a GDL app (also available in a web browser) and completed before the test. The Department says the app costs the learner £17. A supervising driver or an approved instructor can sign it off.
• The existing theory test, which must still be passed.

Learners who can evidence an entitlement to Carer’s Allowance are exempt from the six-month period but must still finish the Programme of Training and Logbook. A supervising driver must be at least 21 and must have held a full licence for at least three years. According to the Department, learner drivers may use a motorway when accompanied by an approved driving instructor.

The transition rules

The timing depends on when the provisional car entitlement began:

• Provisional entitlement that began before 1 October 2026: learning continues under the old system, and the current practical test can be taken up to and including 31 March 2027. From 1 April 2027 these learners must also have completed the Logbook before they can book.
• Provisional entitlement that began on or after 1 October 2026: GDL applies in full.
• Passing before 1 April 2027 under the old route means the amber R plate and the 45 mph limit for 12 months. Passing after that date brings the new rules.

The Department also says a revised practical test starts on 1 April 2027, with a longer independent driving section of about 20 minutes, sat nav use, and “show me, tell me” questions asked on the move. The pass standard is unchanged.

After you pass: R plates and passenger limits (Northern Ireland)

Drivers under GDL display an R plate for two years. For the first six months it is a blue R on a white background, and for the remaining 18 months a white R on a blue background. GDL does not set a speed restriction on newly qualified drivers.

During the first six months, a new driver under 24 may carry no more than one passenger aged 14 to 20 between 11pm and 6am. The limit does not apply to immediate family members, or where a front-seat passenger is 21 or over and has held a full licence for three years. Breaching a restriction, or not displaying the R plate, can mean a fine of up to £1,000 and three penalty points.

The two-year probationary period also remains: six or more penalty points in that time leads to revocation and a retest.

How Great Britain differs

GOV.UK states there is no minimum number of lessons or hours of practice for learners in England, Scotland and Wales, and no six-month waiting period appears in its learner guidance. P plates are optional after passing, and learners in Great Britain may drive on motorways only with an approved instructor in a dual-control car. GB new drivers also lose their licence on six points within two years of passing. Some GOV.UK pages still describe a one-year R plate period for Northern Ireland, so for Northern Ireland the DVA and nidirect pages are the reference. From 1 October 2026, holders of a Great Britain provisional licence cannot book or take Category B (car) theory or practical tests in Northern Ireland; a Northern Ireland provisional licence is needed.

Frequently asked questions

Does the six-month rule apply to learners in England, Scotland or Wales?

No. It is a Northern Ireland measure. The GOV.UK learner guide sets no minimum learning period.

Can I still practise with a parent in Northern Ireland?

Yes. The Department says learners can use a supervising driver, an approved instructor, or both.

Where can I practise for the written side of the test?

Use the practice section, the theory test guide and the hazard perception guide. For test-day detail in Great Britain, see the practical test guide.

The bottom line

Northern Ireland learners now face a six-month minimum learning period, a logbook and, afterwards, two years of R plates with a night-time passenger limit, while Great Britain keeps its own, lighter learner rules. Anyone with a provisional licence issued before 1 October 2026 should check the transition dates on nidirect. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

• Graduated Driver Licensing for newly qualified drivers (nidirect.gov.uk)
• Graduated Driver Licensing: FAQs (infrastructure-ni.gov.uk)
• Why Graduated Driver Licensing has been introduced in NI (nidirect.gov.uk)
• Guidance for parents and supervising drivers (nidirect.gov.uk)
• Minimum ages and rules for learner drivers and riders (nidirect.gov.uk)
• A guide to booking your practical driving test (nidirect.gov.uk)
• Graduated Driver Licensing to be introduced in 2026 (infrastructure-ni.gov.uk)
• Driving lessons and learning to drive (gov.uk)
• Penalty points (endorsements): new drivers (gov.uk)