DVLA says you must stop driving. Take the next step calmly, and on time.
Revoked, refused, or still waiting months for a DVLA medical decision? This independent kit shows the order to act in, the time limit to diary, and the letters to send.
England and Wales (Scotland as a note; Northern Ireland isn’t covered). Not affiliated with DVLA, the Department for Transport, HM Courts & Tribunals Service or any government body. Not legal or medical advice.
£39 incl. VAT, one-off, charged in pounds sterling. Instant download: a 35-page guide, a deadline calculator and 9 editable letters.
Where are you now?
Choose what DVLA has told you, and where you live. You’ll see which part of the kit covers your situation, and what it doesn’t. Your answer appears as soon as you pick, and the page takes you to it. This only points you to pages: it doesn’t assess your case or work out any dates.
Choose your situation
Pick what your letter says and where you live. You’ll see the part of the kit that covers you, with its page numbers, letters and calculator tab, and anything it doesn’t cover.
Track 1 in the kit: revoked or refused
The kit treats your appeal clock as running from the date printed on your letter, so the first job is to know that date. Here’s the order it takes you through.
Start on page 6: copy the facts from your letter into the fillable form. Then work down the decision tree on page 7, in the order the kit recommends:
- A. Send further medical evidence, if there is relevant information DVLA didn’t have. Pages 8 to 17, with evidence checklists for 9 conditions. Letters 1 and 2.
- B. Reapply, up to 8 weeks before any waiting period in your letter ends. Page 18, Letter 3, and the calculator’s Reapply planner tab.
- C. Appeal, as a last resort. Pages 19 to 21, with the costs warning on page 20. Letters 4 and 5, and the calculator’s Appeal deadline tab.
To see the reports DVLA relied on: page 22 and Letter 6, a free subject access request.
Driving in the meantime: DVLA’s leaflet INF188/6 says that after a licence is revoked or refused for medical reasons, you must wait for DVLA to issue a new licence before you drive again. Read INF188/6 on GOV.UK.
This is the part of the kit you’d start with.
A short-period licence: only partly covered
You still hold a licence, so only some parts of the kit apply to you.
The kit’s Track 1 (revoked or refused) doesn’t apply to you. The kit has no separate track for a short-period licence, and it doesn’t cover challenging how long one lasts.
What in the kit can still help:
- the evidence checklist for your condition (pages 10 to 17) and Letter 2, to ask your doctor for facts well before renewal;
- Letter 6, a free subject access request, to see the reports DVLA relied on;
- Track 2 (pages 23 to 26) if a renewal decision is slow: the section 88 tree, the complete-file checklist, the 50-working-day tracker and Letters 7 to 9.
GOV.UK says DVLA can decide you can have a shorter licence, for 1, 2, 3 or 5 years, and that it sends a renewal letter 90 days before the licence is due to expire. Source: GOV.UK: Medical conditions, disabilities and driving. If that is all you need, the free GOV.UK pages may be enough.
These are the parts of the kit that would help you.
Track 2 in the kit: waiting on a decision
While you wait, the kit starts with whether you can drive, then gets your file complete and your case moving.
Start with the section 88 tree on page 23 before anyone drives. Then:
- the complete-file checklist (page 24), because every gap in your file is waiting time;
- the 50-working-day tracker (page 25) and the calculator’s Wait tracker tab;
- the escalation ladder (page 26): a complaint, the Head of Complaints and the ICA, then your MP, with Letters 7, 8 and 9;
- Letter 6, a subject access request, to see what DVLA holds.
DVLA’s target for 2025-26 was an average of 50 working days to make a licensing decision on medical cases. The average achieved was 56.66 days: an average, not a promise for any one case. Source: DVLA Annual Report and Accounts 2025 to 2026.
Section 88 can let you drive while an application is with DVLA, but only if you meet every condition, and not if your last licence was revoked or refused for medical reasons. The kit doesn’t decide whether it covers you: INF188/6 says you and your doctor are best placed to consider that. Source: DVLA leaflet INF188/6.
This is the part of the kit you’d start with.
Choose where you live to see how appeals work there, and whether the kit covers it.
England or Wales
Everything in the kit applies. If DVLA revokes or refuses a licence, GOV.UK says you can appeal by contacting your local magistrates’ court within 6 months, and you must tell DVLA in writing that you’re appealing. Source: GOV.UK, What DVLA will decide. The kit counts the 6 months from the date printed on your letter, the earliest date that could apply. Free guide: how to appeal a DVLA medical decision.
Scotland
Tracks 1 and 2 apply, but appeals are different. GOV.UK says you appeal by contacting your local sheriff court within 21 days, and you must also tell DVLA you’re appealing within 21 days. Source: GOV.UK, What DVLA will decide. The kit gives this as a note only (page 21), not Scottish court procedure, so take advice quickly if you’re thinking of appealing. Free guide: appealing in Scotland.
Northern Ireland: not covered
Licensing in Northern Ireland is handled by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), a separate body with its own process. This kit doesn’t cover it, so please don’t buy it for a Northern Ireland licence.
Evidence first. Reapply next. Appeal last.
This order is the kit’s own recommendation, not a DVLA rule: in most cases each route is quicker, cheaper and less risky than the one after it. Whichever you try, treat the appeal clock as running. Nothing in DVLA’s published guidance says that sending further evidence pauses it.
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Send further medical evidence
For when DVLA didn’t have the whole picture: a specialist report written after its enquiries, a test result it never received, or a record showing that a date or fact in the letter is wrong. GOV.UK says further evidence must be relevant information not included in the original assessment, with proof that you meet the standard explained in your letter.
In the kit: pages 8 to 17, including evidence checklists for 9 conditions and how to ask your doctor for facts DVLA can use. Letters 1 and 2. Free guides: DVLA’s medical forms by condition and where to send each letter.
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Reapply at the right moment
If your letter sets a waiting period, GOV.UK says you can reapply up to 8 weeks before it ends. Many medical standards are time-based, so a well-timed new application, with exactly what the letter asks for, is often the direct route.
In the kit: page 18, the calculator’s Reapply planner tab and Letter 3. Free guide: reapplying after a medical revocation.
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Appeal, as a last resort
An appeal is a court case against the Secretary of State for Transport, for whom DVLA acts. When a magistrates’ court dismisses a complaint, it can order the person who brought it to pay the other side’s costs, in whatever sum it thinks just and reasonable (Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980, section 64). You pay your own costs either way, and lodging an appeal doesn’t let you drive in the meantime.
In the kit: pages 19 to 21, with a full costs warning on page 20, the calculator’s Appeal deadline tab and Letters 4 and 5. It suggests independent legal advice first, and shows where to check for legal aid. Free guide: how to appeal a DVLA medical decision.
Before any of these, you can see exactly what DVLA relied on: a subject access request is free (GOV.UK). The kit covers it on page 22, with Letter 6.
What you download
11 files, the same for every buyer, straight after payment. Current as at October 2026: every rule, date, address and figure taken from an official source was checked against GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk and DVLA’s published guidance.
- The guide
- A 35-page A4 PDF with 303 fillable fields and clickable contents: a 15-minute start, a triage page, key facts with sources, the decision tree, Options A, B and C, the costs warning, a deadline worksheet with the Scotland note, the section 88 tree, a complete-file checklist, the 50-working-day tracker, the escalation ladder, 3 worked examples and an evidence and contact log.
- Evidence checklists for 9 conditions
- Epilepsy and seizures, insulin-treated diabetes, excessive sleepiness and sleep apnoea, heart conditions, eyesight, mental health, and stroke, dementia and alcohol. Each maps DVLA’s published Group 1 standard, with notes for Group 2, to the reports and test results that address it. It gives no opinion on whether you meet it.
- The deadline calculator
- An Excel workbook with 5 tabs: Instructions, Appeal deadline, Reapply planner, Wait tracker and Bank holidays. England and Wales bank holidays are built in. Made for Excel; it can be imported into Google Sheets, where sheet protection is not kept.
- 9 editable letter templates
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Word documents with bracketed prompts, and every letter to DVLA uses the address published on GOV.UK in October 2026:
- Further medical evidence cover letter
- Request to your clinician for a factual report
- Reapplication cover letter
- Notice to DVLA of intention to appeal
- Enquiry to the magistrates’ court
- Subject access request
- Formal complaint about delay
- Head of Complaints, and ICA referral request
- Letter to your MP
Look inside
Real pages from the guide, labelled as samples. Select one to see it larger.
A worked example: Sam, a private hire driver
Fictional. Names, dates and details are invented to show the kit in use. It doesn’t predict what DVLA would decide in any real case.
Sam had his first-ever seizure, stopped driving and told DVLA and his council, which sets its own medical rules for private hire drivers. DVLA revoked his licence. The letter said he could reapply once he’d been seizure-free for 6 months if DVLA’s medical advisers decided the risk of another seizure was not high, or otherwise after a year.
The calculator showed that his appeal limit fell later than his earliest reapplication date. He didn’t dispute the seizure or DVLA’s reading of the standard, and the costs page made the risk of losing plain. So he chose Option B: a well-prepared new application.
The kit’s worked example sets out every date he entered and got back, what he gathered for the reapplication, and which form and letter he sent. There are 3 worked examples in all, including an older driver helped by his daughter, and a lorry driver still waiting on a decision.
Is it right for you?
It’s for
- Adult children and partners helping an older driver whose car licence has been revoked or refused.
- Taxi, private hire, lorry and bus drivers whose living depends on a DVLA decision.
- Anyone in England or Wales who has told DVLA about a medical condition and is still waiting months later.
It isn’t for
- Drivers in Northern Ireland, where licensing is handled by the DVA. This kit doesn’t cover it.
- Anyone who wants someone to review their case, file for them or represent them in court. This is a self-help kit; for that you’ll need a solicitor.
- Anyone looking for a medical opinion on whether they can drive. Only your doctor can advise on your health, and only DVLA decides on your licence.
- Detailed Scottish appeals: Scotland is a short note only (21‑day sheriff court appeals), without Scottish court procedure.
One price, everything included
£39 incl. VAT
One-off payment in pounds sterling, no subscription. 11 files, downloaded straight away.
Buy the kit for £39Sold through Dodo Payments, the merchant of record for your purchase: it takes the payment, charges the VAT and sends your receipt and download links.
Not sure it fits? Look at the 6 real pages above, try Where are you now?, or email us before you buy.
If a file is faulty
Instant digital download. If a file you bought is faulty (it won’t open, is corrupted or is incomplete), tell us within 24 hours of purchase and we’ll send a working copy or refund you in full. Because you agree at checkout to immediate download, we don’t offer refunds for change of mind. This doesn’t affect your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
By completing checkout you accept the Dodo Payments Buyer Terms, which record your consent to immediate download and your acknowledgement that you lose the usual 14-day right to cancel once the download begins. Our Refund and Cancellation Policy explains how to report a faulty file, and how to cancel if you haven’t started a download.
Questions
Will this get my licence back?
No product can promise that. DVLA decides on the medical evidence. This kit helps you choose the right route, send evidence that addresses the published standard, and meet your deadlines.
GOV.UK is free. Why pay £39?
GOV.UK explains each step on a separate page. The kit puts them in order for your situation: a calculator for your appeal limit and reapplication window, evidence checklists that map DVLA’s published standard for 9 conditions to the reports that answer it, and 9 letters ready to adapt. The guides on this site stay free.
I’m still waiting for a decision. Is it for me?
Yes. Track 2 covers the wait: the section 88 criteria to check with your doctor, a complete-file checklist, a 50-working-day tracker, and letters for a complaint and to your MP. Our free guide to DVLA medical delays explains DVLA’s published figures.
I gave up my licence myself. Is it for me?
Yes, in part. A voluntary surrender isn’t a revocation, so the kit sends you to its section 88 tree and its reapplication steps rather than the appeal pages. Our free guide to voluntary surrender and revocation explains the difference.
Can I keep driving while I use it?
Not if your licence was revoked or refused for medical reasons. DVLA’s leaflet INF188/6 says you must wait for a new licence. If you’re waiting on a first decision, the section 88 page takes you through DVLA’s criteria, and so does our free section 88 guide. You and your doctor decide whether you meet them.
Is this legal advice?
No. It’s general information about DVLA’s published process, with templates you adapt and send yourself. If you’re considering an appeal, the kit suggests taking legal advice and shows where to check for legal aid (see Do I need a solicitor?).
I’m helping my mum or dad. Can I use it for them?
Yes. The licence lets you use the kit for your own case or for a family member you’re helping. DVLA deals with the licence holder, so the kit tells you to have the driver sign each letter, or to include their signed authority for you to act for them.
Does it cover lorry and bus (Group 2) licences?
Yes, in part. Each condition page notes the Group 2 standard, and the reapplication and section 88 pages cover Group 2 rules. The main text is written for Group 1. Our free guide to an HGV or bus licence revoked on medical grounds sets out what’s different.
I’m in Scotland. Is it any use?
Most of it is: the further evidence, reapplication and waiting-track pages apply. Appeals are different, though. You have 21 days to go to the sheriff court, and the kit gives that as a note only (see appealing in Scotland).
What about Northern Ireland?
It isn’t covered. Licensing in Northern Ireland is handled by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), a separate body with its own process.
How up to date is it?
Everything was checked against official sources in October 2026, and every page is marked “Current as at October 2026”. Always check GOV.UK on the day you send anything.
What software do I need?
Any PDF reader that supports forms (Adobe Acrobat Reader, most browsers, or Preview on Mac) for the guide. Word for the letters: they were built and checked in Word (.docx) format, and other apps, such as LibreOffice or Google Docs, may display them differently. Excel for the calculator: it’s made for Excel, and it can be imported into Google Sheets, where sheet protection is not kept.
How do I get the files?
Straight after payment, Dodo Payments sends your receipt and download links to the email address you give at checkout. Download all 11 files and keep a copy somewhere safe.
What if a file won’t open?
Instant digital download. If a file you bought is faulty (it won’t open, is corrupted or is incomplete), tell us within 24 hours of purchase and we’ll send a working copy or refund you in full. Because you agree at checkout to immediate download, we don’t offer refunds for change of mind. This doesn’t affect your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Can someone look at my letter or my case?
No. Nobody reviews individual cases, so please don’t send medical records or case papers. The kit is written so you can do each step yourself, and it tells you when to take independent legal advice.
Is this connected to DVLA?
No. It’s an independent guide and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DVLA or any government body.
See the whole road before you choose a route.
Independent Guide to DVLA Medical Licence Decisions, by DL Guide. Edition DLG-DVLA-2026-10. A 35-page guide, a deadline calculator and 9 letters, for £39 incl. VAT.
Buy the kit for £39