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Surrendering your driving licence

If you have been informed by your doctor not to drive you can surrender your driving licence to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Surrendering your licence removes the need for the DVLA to make formal medical enquiries into your fitness to drive. If medical enquiries are made and these confirm that you cannot meet the required medical standards of fitness to drive, your licence will have to be revoked. If you wish to surrender your driving licence you can download and complete the following declaration (PDF format).

• Help with PDFs
• Download 'Declaration of voluntary surrender' (PDF, 50K)

If you want to voluntarily surrender your lorry or bus entitlement, or want this entitlement revoked for insurance purposes, you will require form VOC99, which can be download from the link below:

• Download 'VOC99/CERT' (PDF, 133K)

The completed document can then be returned to us by post, fax or email. If you choose to email the questionnaire(s) you should note that this is not a secure means of communication and that DVLA accepts no responsibility for handling your email until after it is received. You can post, fax and email your documents to the following address and numbers below:

Fax: 0845 850 0095
Email:

• eftd@dvla.gsi.gov.uk Opens new window

If you decide to return to driving after voluntary surrender

If in the future, following surrender, you apply for the restoration of your driving licence, medical enquiries will need to be made. However, whilst these enquiries are being carried out the law provides cover to drive under Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act, 1988. This means that as soon as your application is received at DVLA (following voluntary surrender) you may resume driving provided you meet the following criteria:

• a valid application is held at the DVLA
• you have not or would not be refused or revoked a licence for medical reasons and you are able to meet the medical standards of fitness to drive. These standards are set down in "At a glance guide to the current standards of fitness to drive". All medical practitioners have access to this publication, therefore if you are in any doubt about your ability to meet these standards, you should check with you doctor before you resume driving
• you must have held a GB or Northern Ireland licence issued since 1 January 1976 or another exchangeable licence
• you keep to any special conditions which may apply to you, and to your licence
• you are not disqualified from driving