Do you have to renew your licence at 70?
Yes, if you want to keep driving. In Great Britain your driving licence runs out when you turn 70, and after that you renew it every three years.
It's free. You can do it online, or by post on the D46P form that DVLA (the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) sends you.
There's no driving test for a car licence, and no routine medical or eye test. You sign a declaration that your eyesight meets the standard for driving, and you say whether you have a medical condition DVLA needs to know about.
There's no legal age at which you have to stop driving. If you decide to, gov.uk explains how to give up your licence.
Part of our guide to laws and fines.
When to renew, and what DVLA sends you
DVLA posts you the D46P form 90 days before your 70th birthday. You can also renew online from 90 days before you turn 70, without waiting for it.
If the form doesn't turn up, renew online, which needs no form. Or pick up the D1 application for a driving licence form at most Post Offices and send that.
After 70 you renew every three years, and DVLA sends the form again before each licence runs out. It'll be sooner if DVLA has given you a shorter licence because of a medical condition.
How to renew online or by post
Online, start at gov.uk's renew your driving licence at 70 page. You sign in, or create sign-in details if you don't have any. You may then be asked to prove who you are, usually with photo ID such as a passport or driving licence.
If you're asked to use the GOV.UK One Login app for that, it accepts a DVLA driving licence that ran out in the last 90 days. It doesn't accept an expired passport.
If you're helping a parent renew online, the sign-in should be theirs. You can lend them your phone or computer, but don't type in their password or security codes for them.
You can change the photo on your licence at the same time. You'll need to upload a new one if you do, or if the photo on your licence has already expired. If you have a valid UK passport, DVLA may be able to use your passport photo.
You can use the online service if:
- you're 70 or over, or will be in the next 90 days
- your licence has run out, or will in the next 90 days
- you live in Great Britain
- you meet the eyesight standard for driving
- you're not prevented from driving for any reason
To renew by post, fill in the D46P and send it to DVLA with the correct postage. If you haven't got a D46P, use the D1 application form instead. A licence renewed by post should arrive in 3 weeks. It might take longer if DVLA needs to check your medical or personal details.
Both routes are free. Some websites that look official charge for things that are free on gov.uk. In 2021 DVLA warned drivers aged 70 and over about sites that charge a fee to pass an application on. Start from the gov.uk page linked above.
Northern Ireland has its own renewal, run by the DVA (Driver & Vehicle Agency). It sends a renewal notice about two months before your licence runs out, and nidirect has the steps.
What DVLA asks about your eyesight and health
When you renew, you declare that your eyesight meets the standard for driving. That means you can read a car number plate from 20 metres away, about the length of five parked cars.
Glasses or contact lenses are fine. But if you need them to meet the standard, you must wear them every time you drive.
The eyesight rules also set how sharp your sight has to be on an optician's chart, and you need an adequate field of vision. An optician can check both.
Nobody tests your eyes when you renew, so try the number plate yourself. If you're not sure, see an optician before you sign.
In England and Wales, NHS sight tests are free once you're 60. In Scotland, NHS eye tests are free for everyone who usually lives in the UK.
Then you say whether you have a medical condition DVLA needs to know about. You don't need to report being short-sighted, long-sighted or colour blind.
Our guide to reporting a medical condition to DVLA covers which conditions count and how to report one.
Driving on a licence you got with a declaration you knew was false is an offence.
Can you drive while DVLA has your application?
Usually, yes. Once DVLA has received your complete application you can keep driving, even if your old licence runs out before the new one arrives. All of these have to apply:
- you meet the medical standards for driving, and no doctor or other healthcare professional has told you not to drive
- you've held a valid driving licence, such as a full British licence
- you only drive vehicles your old licence covered and you've applied to renew, and stick to any conditions on your old licence
- your application is less than a year old
- your last licence wasn't revoked or refused for medical reasons
- you're not disqualified
- you weren't disqualified as a high risk offender, which means a serious drink-driving conviction, on or after 1 June 2013
If you're not sure you meet the medical standards, ask your doctor.
You can drive from the day DVLA receives your application, so allow time for the post.
What if your licence has already run out?
You can still renew. The same free service covers a licence that has already run out, online or by post.
Don't drive until DVLA has your application. Driving without a licence is an offence, and a court can fine you up to £1,000.
If you'd simply let your licence run out and could have renewed it, it's the fine on its own. Penalty points come in only if the law wouldn't have let you have a licence for that driving at all.
Once DVLA has your complete application, you can drive again if you meet the conditions above.
Minibus or motorhome licence over 70
You need C1 on your licence to drive a motorhome with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes. MAM is the vehicle's weight plus the most it can carry. A lighter motorhome doesn't need C1.
D1 on your licence is the minibus category.
You can't renew C1 or D1 online. Both have to be renewed by post.
For D1 (minibus), that means a D2 application form and a D4 medical report, which a doctor has to fill in. You can get both forms from a Post Office that offers DVLA services.
Are compulsory eye tests coming at 70?
Not at the moment. It's a proposal.
The government consulted between January and May 2026 on bringing in compulsory eyesight tests for drivers aged 70 and over when they renew. They'd replace the eyesight part of the declaration you sign now.
As of November 2026 it hasn't published a decision. There's no start date, and you renew the way this page describes. Our round-up of new driving laws for 2027 covers what else is on the way.
Renewing at 70: common questions
Do I need a medical or an eye test to renew at 70?
No, not for a car licence. You declare that your eyesight meets the standard, and you say whether you have a medical condition to report.
If you report a condition that affects your vision, DVLA may send you for an eyesight test with its own optician. You don't pay for that test. Renewing a minibus licence does need a medical report from a doctor.
How often do I renew my licence after 70?
Every three years. It can be sooner if DVLA has given you a shorter licence because of a medical condition.
Can I keep driving if my licence runs out before the new one arrives?
Usually yes, once DVLA has received your complete application. You have to meet all the conditions. One is that you meet the medical standards for driving, and no doctor or other healthcare professional has told you not to drive.
I didn't get a D46P form. What do I do?
Renew online, which needs no form. Or pick up the D1 application for a driving licence form at most Post Offices and post that to DVLA.
My photocard runs out just before I turn 70. Do I pay £14?
Not if you're within 90 days of your 70th birthday. From then you can use the free renewal at 70, and it covers a licence that's about to run out. The £14 fee is for the ordinary 10-year photocard renewal, which is a separate service.