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If you are learning to drive in Great Britain with a health condition or disability, you declare any notifiable condition on your first provisional licence application, and the DVLA then decides whether you can have a licence and on what terms. Plenty of conditions never need reporting for a car licence, including colour blindness, dyslexia, deafness and mild to moderate anxiety. This hub explains how the system works for learners in England, Scotland and Wales and points you to a separate guide for each condition.
Key facts (as of November 2026)
- Notifiable condition: GOV.UK defines it as anything that could affect your ability to drive safely.
- First licence: the health questions are on the application form, so you do not contact the DVLA separately.
- Penalty: a fine of up to £1,000 if you do not tell the DVLA about a condition that might affect safe driving, and possible prosecution if you have an accident.
- Northern Ireland: you tell the DVA, not the DVLA. See the Northern Ireland guide.
Do you need to tell the DVLA? Car learners at a glance
These are the headline rules for a car licence (Group 1) from the DVLA’s “Assessing fitness to drive” guidance. Each linked guide gives the detail and the exceptions.
| Condition | Car licence rule | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| Epilepsy or any seizure | Stop driving and tell the DVLA. Usually 12 months seizure-free; shorter or different rules for some seizure types. | Epilepsy |
| Diabetes treated with insulin | Tell the DVLA if insulin lasts, or will last, more than 3 months. | Type 1 diabetes |
| ADHD or autism | Tell the DVLA only if it affects safe driving. | ADHD, autism, dyslexia |
| Dyslexia or dyscalculia | No need to tell the DVLA. | ADHD, autism, dyslexia |
| Mild to moderate anxiety or depression | No need to tell the DVLA. Severe illness is different. | Mental health |
| Pacemaker or ICD | Tell the DVLA, and do not drive for a set period after it is fitted. | Heart, fainting, stroke |
| One simple faint, not while driving | No need to tell the DVLA. | Heart, fainting, stroke |
| Moderate or severe sleep apnoea with sleepiness | Do not drive, and tell the DVLA. | Sleep conditions |
| Sight in one eye | Tell the DVLA only if you do not meet the eyesight standard. | One eye and visual field |
| Colour blindness | No need to tell the DVLA. | One eye and visual field |
| Deafness | No need to tell the DVLA for a car licence. | Deaf learners |
If you are unsure whether your condition affects your driving, ask your doctor. The table is a summary of the rules, not medical advice.
How declaring a condition works when you apply
- Look up the condition in the GOV.UK A to Z (“Check if a health condition affects your driving”).
- Answer the health questions honestly on your provisional licence application. That counts as telling the DVLA.
- The DVLA may ask for more. It can contact your doctor or consultant, arrange an examination, or ask you to take a driving assessment, an eyesight test or a driving test.
- Expect it to take longer than a standard application if your case is referred to a doctor. GOV.UK does not publish a fixed timescale, so apply well before you want to start lessons.
- You get the decision by letter.
If a condition starts or gets worse after your provisional licence arrives, you report it yourself. Car licence holders can report online when they look up the condition on GOV.UK, or send the paper form for that condition.
What the DVLA can decide
- You need a new licence (for example, one showing a condition).
- You can have a shorter licence, for 1, 2, 3 or 5 years, so your health is reviewed.
- You must adapt your car by fitting special controls. These appear as codes on your licence: see UK licence codes.
- You must stop driving and give up your licence.
In England and Wales you can appeal a decision through your local magistrates’ court within 6 months. In Scotland, check the appeal route on GOV.UK.
Can you drive while the DVLA is deciding?
Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 can let some drivers keep driving while an application is with the DVLA. The DVLA leaflet INF188/6 says you must meet all of these:
- you meet the medical standards, and no doctor or healthcare professional has told you not to drive
- you have held a valid licence (a GB provisional licence counts) and you only drive vehicles you were entitled to on it and have applied for again
- the DVLA received your correct and complete application within the last 12 months
- your last licence was not revoked or refused for medical reasons
- you are not disqualified by a court
Two points matter for learners. First, if you have never held any licence, section 88 does not apply: you cannot drive as a learner until your first provisional licence arrives. Second, while the DVLA is carrying out medical enquiries it cannot tell you whether section 88 covers you. The leaflet says you and your doctor are best placed to decide.
Disability, adapted cars and test day
- The age-16 route for higher-rate PIP mobility, DVSA test adjustments, Motability help and testing in your own adapted car: learning to drive with a disability in GB.
- Pedal, hand and seat adaptations: driving with limb differences, short stature or from a wheelchair.
- Theory test extra time, voiceover and BSL: extra support for the theory and driving tests and theory test languages and support.
- Parking: Blue Badge for new drivers.
- Medicines and drug-driving limits: prescription medicines and medical cannabis.
- Pregnancy, seat belts and test timing: pregnancy and learning to drive.
Eyesight
Every learner must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres and meet the 6/12 acuity standard, with glasses or contact lenses if needed. The rules and the test-day check are in driving eyesight rules. For one eye or a visual field problem, see learning to drive with sight in one eye. Bioptic telescopes are not accepted in GB: see bioptic telescopes in the UK and Ireland.
Want to practise the eyesight check? Our sister site Driving Eyesight Test has a free 20-metre number plate practice on drivingeyesighttest.com. It is a practice screen, not an eye test.
The full set of GB guides
- Fitness to drive: medical conditions, tiredness and telling the DVLA
- Epilepsy and learning to drive
- Type 1 diabetes and learning to drive
- ADHD, autism and dyslexia
- Anxiety, depression and mental health
- Heart conditions, fainting and stroke
- Sleep apnoea, narcolepsy and tiredness
- Prescription medicines and medical cannabis
- Sight in one eye or a visual field problem
- Deaf learner drivers
- Blue Badge for new drivers
- Licence codes for medical conditions and adapted cars
- Limb differences, short stature and wheelchair users
- Bioptic telescopes in the UK and Ireland
- Pregnancy and learning to drive
- Learning to drive with a disability
Back to the main guide to learning to drive in Great Britain.
Sources
- GOV.UK, “Medical conditions, disabilities and driving” (gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, “Medical conditions, disabilities and driving: what happens after you tell DVLA” (gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, “Medical conditions, disabilities and driving: what DVLA will decide” (gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, “Health conditions and driving” (gov.uk)
- DVLA, “Assessing fitness to drive: a guide for medical professionals”, updated 7 November 2025 (gov.uk)
- DVLA, “INF188/6: Can I drive while my application is with DVLA?”, updated August 2023 (gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, “Driving eyesight rules” (gov.uk)