DVLA medical conditions: full list and how to report

Safety is one of the most important factors to consider when driving, which is why new cars are now legally required to be crammed with active and passive safety features to help keep you safe, as well as mitigate the risk of an accident.

It’s equally important to ensure drivers are safe to drive, too. Indeed, if you’re unwell or feel unfit to drive, it’s recommended that you hand your keys to someone who is fit to drive. Acute conditions, such as a migraine or asthma attack, can crop up at any time, but it’s essential you notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if you suffer from any one of its prescribed list of medical conditions, which we’ve listed below.

Why do I need to notify the DVLA of a medical condition?

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), illnesses or disabilities – mental or physical – are reported as a contributory factor in around 6% of reported fatal road accidents, 3% of reported serious road accidents and 2% of all reported road accidents*. So it’s clear to see the importance of reporting any medical conditions for the safety of drivers, passengers and road users.

There are a number of codes that will be added to the back of your driving licence denoting any restrictions on your licence due to medical conditions and if you require any adpatations made to a vehicle so you can drive it safely. 

There is a penalty to pay if you don’t inform the DVLA of a medical condition that can affect your ability to drive safely: you can be fined up to £1000. What’s more, if you have an accident and medical evidence shows you were unfit to drive for some time beforehand, you can be prosecuted.

When do I need to tell the DVLA about a medical condition?

You’ll need to tell the DVLA as soon as you’ve been diagnosed with any notifiable medical condition or disability. If a condition has got worse since you got your licence, you must also inform the DVLA.

What will the DVLA decide?

The DVLA will assess your medical condition or disability and decide if:

• You need to get a new driving licence
• You can have a shorter licence (for one, two, three or five years)
• You need to adapt your car by fitting special controls
• You must stop driving and give up your licence

Can I voluntarily give up my driving licence because of a medical condition?

Yes. If you no longer want to drive because of a medical condition, or you don’t feel like you can drive safely, you can voluntarily give up your licence. You can choose to do this if:

• Your doctor tells you to stop driving for three months or more
• Your medical condition affects your ability to drive safely and lasts for three months or more

• You do not meet the required medical standards for safe driving because of your medical condition

If you choose to give up your licence, the DVLA will carry out medical checks to decide if it’s safe for you to continue driving. You may be able to continue driving while they do this. 

If you meet the required medical standards of fitness at some point after giving up your driving licence, you may be able to get your licence back.

The DVLA will send you a letter if your licence has been taken away, or if your application for a driving licence is refused. This letter will then tell you if there’s a period of time you need to wait before getting a new licence. You can then reapply eight weeks before the end of this period.

To reapply for a driving licence, you can fill in a D1 application form and the form for your medical condition (with evidence of your fitness to drive), and send them to the DVLA. You can select your medical condition and find the right form via a dedicated Government website.

Alternatively, you can order a D1 pack, which has everything you need to make an application.

You can send your completed application to Drivers Medical Group by fax or by post. The address for this is:

Drivers Medical Group, DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1TU
Fax: 0845 850 0095

How do I report a medical condition to the DVLA?

If you have a car or motorcycle licence, you can check if a medical condition needs to be reported via the Gov.uk website. 

The website includes an A to Z list of conditions. It allows you to click on a specific condition, and fill out a form to report it to the DVLA online.

Alternatively, you can contact the DVLA by email, webchat, phone or post.

The address for the DVLA is:

DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AB

If you live in Northern Ireland, there’s a separate DVA website for reporting medical conditions. You can also do this via email or phone.

What happens after you tell the DVLA about a medical condition?

After you've submitted your details and the information has been finalised, you’ll get a decision letter in the post. In some instances, your application may require further information. When this happens, the DVLA might contact your doctor or consultant, arrange for you to be examined, or ask for you to take a driving assessment (which can include an eyesight test or driving test). If this happens, your application may take longer than usual.

How long does it take to hear back from the DVLA after you've told them about a medical condition?

After you've submitted a form to the DVLA, it can take up to 15 working days before you hear back from them. This could extend to 90 days if you are asked to provide further information.

Do I have to declare medical conditions to my insurance company?

In most cases, you must also declare any medical condition you develop – whether it has been reported to the DVLA or not – to your insurance company. When renewing your insurance, your provider will ask you if you have reported any medical conditions to the DVLA. If you make a claim on your car insurance and you're found to have a condition that impacts your ability to drive safely, it could invalidate your claim.

DVLA reportable medical conditions: full list

Notifiable conditions are anything that can affect your ability to drive safely. These conditions include:

A

Absence seizures
Acoustic neuroma
Addison’s disease
Agoraphobia
Alcohol problems
Alzheimer’s disease
Amaurosis fugax
Amputations
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Angina
Angioplasty
Ankylosing spondylitis
Anorexia nervosa
Anxiety
Aortic aneurysm
Arachnoid cyst
Arrhythmia
Atrial defibrillator
Arteriovenous malformation
Arthritis
Asperger syndrome
Ataxia
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Autistic spectrum condition

B

Balloon angioplasty (leg)
Bipolar disorder
Blackouts
Blepharospasm
Blood clots
Blood pressure
Brachial plexus injury
Brain abscess, cyst or encephalitis
Brain aneurysm
Brain angioma
Brain haemorrhage
Brain injury (traumatic)
Brain tumours
Broken limbs
Brugada syndrome
Burr hole surgery

C

Caesarean section
Cancer
Cataracts
Catheter ablation
Cardiac problems
Carotid artery stenosis
Cataplexy
Cavernoma
Central venous thrombosis
Cerebral palsy
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
Chiari malformation
Chronic aortic dissection
Cognitive problems
Congenital heart disease
Convulsions
Coronary artery bypass or disease
Coronary angioplasty
Cranial nerve palsy (with double vision)
Cystic fibrosis

D

Deafness
Defibrillator
Déjà vu
Dementia
Depression
Diabetes
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Diplopia (double vision)
Dizziness
Drug misuse

E

Eating disorders
Empyema (brain)
Epilepsy
Essential tremor
Eye conditions

F

Fainting
Fits
Fractured skull
Friedriech’s ataxia

G

Glaucoma
Global amnesia
Grand mal seizures
Guillain-Barré syndrome

H

Head injury
Heart attack
Heart arrhythmia
Heart failure
Heart murmurs
Heart palpitations
Heart valve disease or replacement valve
High blood pressure
HIV or AIDS
Hodgkin's lymphoma
Huntington’s disease
Hydrocephalus
Hypertension
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Hypoglycaemia
Hypoxic brain damage
Hysterectomy

I

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator
Intracerebral haemorrhage
Ischaemic heart disease

K

Kidney dialysis
Kidney problems
Korsakoff’s syndrome

L

Labyrinthitis
Learning difficulties
Left bundle branch block
Leukaemia
Lewy body dementia
Limb disability
Long QT syndrome
Loss of an eye
Low blood sugar
Lumboperitoneal shunt
Lung cancer
Lymphoma

M

Macular degeneration
Malignant brain tumours
Malignant melanoma
Manic depressive psychosis
Marfan’s syndrome
Medulloblastoma
Memory problems (severe)
Meningioma
Mini-stroke
Monocular vision (sight in one eye only)
Motor neurone disease
Multiple sclerosis
Muscular dystrophy
Myasthenia gravis
Myocardial infarction
Myoclonus

N

Narcolepsy
Night blindness

O

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Obstructive sleep apnoea
Ocular myasthenia gravis (with double vision)
Ophthalmoplegia (with double vision)

P

Pacemakers
Palpitations
Paranoia
Paranoid schizophrenia
Paraplegia
Parkinson’s disease
Peripheral arterial disease
Peripheral neuropathy
Personality disorder
Petit mal seizures
Pituitary tumour
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Psychosis
Psychotic depression
Pulmonary arterial hypertension 

R

Renal dialysis
Retinal artery fugax
Retinitis pigmentosa
Retinopathy (with laser treatment)

S

Schizo-affective disorder
Schizophrenia
Scotoma
Seizures
Severe communication disorders
Severe depression
Sight in one eye only
Sleep apnoea
Sleepiness (excessive)
Spinal problems and injuries
Stroke
Subarachnoid haemorrhage
Surgery
Syncope

T

Tachycardia
Temporal lobe epilepsy
Tonic clonic fits
Tourette’s syndrome
Transient global amnesia
Transient ischaemic attack
Tunnel vision

U

Usher syndrome

V

Valve disease or replacement valve
Ventricular defibrillator
Vertigo
Vision in one eye only
Visual acuity (reduced)
Visual field defect
VP shunts

W

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

You can find an A to Z list of conditions on the dedicated Government website. If you have a condition that is not quoted on the official list or the list above, you can contact the DVLA to check if it is a notifiable condition.

Source: RoSPA

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