Driving Licences: Health
(asked on 22nd April 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average number of days taken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to reach a licensing decision was in cases where a medical condition required investigation, in each month from January 2024 to April 2026.
The table below shows the average number of days to make a licensing decision for driving licence applications where a medical condition required investigation before a licence could be issued in each month from January 2024 to March 2026. The final figures for April 2026 are not yet available.
2024 | Group 1 (car and motorcycle) | Group 2 (lorry and bus) |
January | 50.9 | 50.6 |
February | 46.3 | 49.3 |
March | 43.3 | 48.9 |
April | 41.9 | 35.0 |
May | 37.5 | 34.1 |
June | 51.1 | 46.9 |
July | 45.7 | 49.4 |
August | 43.3 | 40.1 |
September | 43.3 | 41.0 |
October | 46.1 | 47.3 |
November | 43.4 | 40.0 |
December | 45.3 | 46.7 |
2025 |
|
|
January | 46.1 | 46.3 |
February | 42.7 | 40.6 |
March | 45.5 | 40.6 |
April | 41.6 | 43.5 |
May | 42.3 | 41.5 |
June | 48.1 | 37.9 |
July | 54.4 | 39.1 |
August | 49.3 | 41.7 |
September | 52.5 | 49.0 |
October | 78.4 | 55.8 |
November | 80.3 | 47.7 |
December | 73.2 | 47.0 |
2026 |
|
|
January | 59.7 | 42.5 |
February | 71.4 | 46.3 |
March | 55.9 | 56.2 |
Driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer than applications where there is no medical condition as the DVLA is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.
The DVLA has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of medical licence applications, increasing waiting times for some customers. To improve its services, the DVLA has introduced a new casework system and launched a new medical services portal, so most customers can now apply online through the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account. Details on how to sign up for an account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account.
These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with these applications and answer telephone calls will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.