Change Your Name on Your Driving Licence: DVLA Guide
If you've changed your name, whether after marriage, divorce, or by deed poll, you're legally required to update your driving licence to match. Driving with a licence that shows the wrong name can result in a fine of up to £1,000, so it's worth doing as soon as your new name is official. Unlike an address change, a DVLA name change can't currently be done online. It has to go by post, along with your original identity documents. Here's exactly how.
Table of Contents
How to change your name on your driving licence
Step 1: Get the right form
You’ll need form D1 if you hold a car or motorcycle licence, or form D2 for a bus or lorry licence. Both are available from the DVLA forms section on GOV.UK, or from most Post Office branches, which is usually quicker.
Step 2: Fill out the form
Use black ink only. In the “What are you applying for?” section, mark the box for “To change my name on my licence.” If you’re also moving house, mark “To change my address on my licence” at the same time, so you only need to submit one application.
In the “Your details” section, write your new name in capital letters, along with your date of birth and current address. Mark “Yes” where the form asks whether your name or address has changed since your last licence was issued, and include your old address too if you’re updating both.
In “Your proof of identity,” include your passport (or an EC/EEA identity card if you’re a citizen of an EU member state) and its serial number. Then provide evidence of your name change:
- Marriage certificate, if you’re changing your name after marriage
- Divorce certificate, if you’re reverting to a previous name
- Deed poll or statutory declaration, if you’ve changed your name without marrying or divorcing
You can skip the “signing a photo” section if you’re enclosing a current passport or EC/EEA identity card.
Step 3: Post the form with your documents
Send the completed form with all original documents to DVLA, Swansea. Because you’re sending original identity documents, it’s worth paying for tracked postage and including a pre-paid, first-class return envelope, so the DVLA can send everything back to you securely.
What documents you need
Here’s what to include with your application:
- The correct application form — D1 for car and motorcycle licences, D2 for bus or lorry licences
- Your current photocard or paper licence
- Your passport, or an EC/EEA identity card
- Your original marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate, divorce certificate, deed poll or statutory declaration
- A passport-style photo, if you’re sending an old paper licence
The DVLA only accepts original documents, not photocopies or certified copies, so make sure everything you send is genuine before you post it.
How much it costs
Changing your name on your driving licence is free. You’ll only pay a fee if you’re replacing a lost, stolen or damaged licence rather than updating your name.
How long it takes
Applications are typically processed within three weeks, though it can take longer during busier periods. Your original documents are usually returned before your new licence arrives, and you can keep driving on your current licence while you wait. It’s worth photocopying your licence before you send it off, just to have a record.
Updating your address at the same time
If you’re also moving home, you can update your address on the same D1 or D2 form as your name change, so there’s no need to submit two separate applications to the DVLA.
Once your name has changed, it’s worth updating it everywhere else too, not just with the DVLA. SlothMove can update your address with hundreds of other organisations in one go, so that’s one less thing to chase individually while your new licence is in the post.
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FAQs
Can I change my name on my driving licence online?
No. Unlike an address change, a name change on a UK driving licence can only be done by post, using a D1 or D2 form and original identity documents.
How much does it cost to change your name with the DVLA?
Nothing. Changing your name on your driving licence is free. You’d only pay a fee if you were also replacing a lost, stolen or damaged licence.
How long does a DVLA name change take?
Usually around three weeks from when DVLA receives your application, though it can take longer during busy periods.
What documents do I need to change my name on my driving licence?
Your current photocard or paper licence, your passport or EC/EEA identity card, and original proof of your name change, such as a marriage certificate, divorce certificate, deed poll or statutory declaration.
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