If you hold a photocard driving licence in Great Britain, you must renew it every 10 years. The photo on the card expires even though your driving entitlement does not, and the date to watch is printed in field 4b on the front of your licence. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, known as the DVLA, sends a reminder before your current licence ends, but the responsibility to renew on time still sits with you. Renewing online through GOV.UK is the cheapest and fastest route for most drivers, and this guide explains exactly how it works, what it costs, what you will need, and what to do if your circumstances are different.

The starting point is simple: a photocard licence must be renewed every 10 years. That rule applies whether you drive every day or have not driven for years, because the renewal is about the photograph and the card itself rather than a fresh test of your driving. Your new licence will be valid from the date your application is approved, not from the expiry date of your current licence, so renewing a little early does not waste the remaining time in the way some drivers fear. GOV.UK states this clearly on its renewal page, and it is worth knowing before you put the job off. The DVLA will send you a reminder before your current licence ends, and that reminder is the prompt most drivers wait for, but you do not have to wait for the letter to arrive before you act.

The cost of renewing depends on how you apply. Renewing online costs £14, and you can pay by MasterCard, Visa, Electron or Delta debit or credit card. Renewing by post costs £17, paid by cheque or postal order made payable to the DVLA. Renewing at a Post Office that deals with DVLA photocard renewal costs £21.50. The online route is therefore £3 cheaper than applying by post and £7.50 cheaper than going to a Post Office counter, for exactly the same licence at the end of the process. There is no fee if you are over 70 or if you hold a medical short period licence, and those two exceptions are covered in more detail below. Fees can change, so always check the current figures on GOV.UK before you pay, and never pay a third-party website that offers to renew your licence for you at a higher price.

To renew online, you must be a resident of Great Britain and you must not be disqualified from driving. There is a different service in Northern Ireland, so drivers there should use the nidirect service rather than the GOV.UK route described here. You will need to sign in to use the online service, and if you do not already have sign-in details you will be able to create them when you start. GOV.UK says you will be told when you sign in if you need to prove your identity, and this is done to keep your details safe. It usually involves using photo identification such as a passport or your driving licence. Once you are signed in, the service will guide you through the renewal step by step, and you will be asked to confirm your details and pay the £14 fee.

One of the reasons the online route is so straightforward is the photograph. When you renew online, GOV.UK can often reuse the photograph from your passport, which means you do not need to supply a new printed photo at all. If a new photograph is needed, the service will tell you what to do. By contrast, renewing by post means sending a recent printed passport-type photograph with your completed forms, and you must not sign the back of the photo. The postal route also requires your current photocard licence, if you still have it, and a cheque or postal order for £17. You can get a D1 pack of forms from a Post Office that deals with DVLA photocard renewal or vehicle tax, and you send the completed application to the DVLA in Swansea at SA99 1DH, making sure you pay the correct postage.

There are two situations in which you cannot renew online at all. If your name or title has changed, you cannot renew your driving licence online, and if your name or title has changed you can only apply by post. If your signature has changed, you must apply by post or at a Post Office. The same restriction applies at a Post Office counter: you cannot apply there if your name has changed, and you will need to apply by post instead. If you have changed your name, you will also need to include identity documents with your postal application. This is one of the most common reasons an online renewal is refused, so check whether any of these changes apply to you before you start, and choose the postal route from the outset if they do.

Drivers aged 70 or over follow a different renewal cycle. Once you reach 70, you must renew your licence every three years rather than every 10, and renewal is free whether you apply online or by post. GOV.UK has a separate page for renewing your licence if you are 70 or over, and the process asks you to confirm that you still meet the medical standards for driving. There is no fee at this stage of life, but the three-year cycle still matters, and driving on an expired licence after 70 carries the same risks as driving on an expired photocard at any other age. If you are approaching 70, GOV.UK advises that there is a different way to renew, so use the over-70 service rather than the standard renewal service.

A short-term medical driving licence is another special case. If you hold a medical licence that lasts for one, two, three or five years because of a health condition, you can renew it for free. GOV.UK says you can renew online if you have diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, a visual impairment, a sleep condition or a heart condition, and there is a separate service for renewing a short-term medical driving licence. If your condition is not on that list, or if your medical details need to be checked, the process may take longer and you may need to apply by post. You should never assume that a medical renewal will be automatic, and you should start the process in good time before your current licence expires so that any checks can be completed.

How long the renewal takes depends on the route you choose. If you apply online, your driving licence should arrive within a week. If you apply at a Post Office or by post, your licence should arrive within three weeks, although it might take longer if your medical or personal details need to be checked. When you renew online, you must send your old photocard licence to the DVLA when you get your new one, and you will be told the address to use when you finish the application. The DVLA will also send you a confirmation email once you have applied, and you may be asked to take part in research by email, although you can opt out of that.

One question drivers ask most often is whether they can keep driving while they wait for a new licence to arrive. GOV.UK states that you can continue driving while you wait for your new licence after applying at a Post Office or by post, provided you are not disqualified and your licence has not been revoked for medical reasons. The position is different if your photocard has already expired and you have not yet applied, so the safest course is always to renew before the date in field 4b. Driving with an expired photocard can lead to a fine of up to £1,000, and it can also cause problems if you need to hire a car or prove your identity. An expired photocard does not mean your driving entitlement has vanished, but it does mean the document you carry is no longer valid, and that distinction matters if you are stopped by the police or asked to show your licence.

It is also worth knowing the difference between renewing a licence and replacing one. If your licence has been lost, stolen, defaced or destroyed, you must replace it rather than renew it, and a replacement costs £20. That is a separate service from the £14 renewal, and it applies even if your photocard was nowhere near its expiry date. Similarly, changing only your address is free, whether you do it online or by post, and changing your name by post is also free. Changing your photograph alone costs £14 online or £17 by post, which is the same as a renewal, because a new photo is effectively what a renewal provides. If you are changing your photo and your address at the same time, the cost is £14 online or £17 by post, while changing your photo and your name together by post costs £17.

Finally, beware of unofficial websites. The only official place to renew your driving licence online is GOV.UK, and the official fee is £14. Some third-party sites charge far more to submit the same application on your behalf, and others collect your personal details for no good reason. If a website asks you to pay more than the GOV.UK fee, or if it does not carry the GOV.UK branding and web address, close it and start again at GOV.UK. Before you begin, check the expiry date in field 4b, make sure your name, title and signature have not changed, have a payment card ready, and allow a week for the new licence to arrive if you apply online. Done in that order, renewing your driving licence is a ten-minute job that costs £14 and removes the risk of a fine, a failed hire-car check, or an awkward conversation at the roadside. Rules and fees can change, so always confirm the current details on GOV.UK before you apply.