Temporary provision has been made for drivers aged 45 or over whose vocational licences expire to renew them without the need to undergo a D4 medical examination, DVLA has announced. The relaxation will run until further notice.
The change only applies where the driver concerned does not have any existing notifiable health conditions, and to licences that have expired, or are due to expire, since 1 January.
When renewed under these circumstances, the licence will be valid for only one year. Drivers will need to submit a completed D4 form when their licence comes due for renewal 12 months later.
Drivers who have already obtained a completed D4 form can continue to submit it with their renewal application. A licence issued under those circumstances would be valid for the usual full term that applies.
Drivers with health issues that prevent them from driving safely will not have their licence renewed and all drivers must ensure that they remain medically fit to drive, DVLA continues.
“With NHS staff rightly focused on the nationwide response to coronavirus COVID-19, these temporary changes will help to protect essential supply chains and to keep the country moving at this critical time,” the Agency says.
The news follows over a week of speculation that the requirement to undertake a D4 medical would be eased after MP Robert Buckland reportedly wrote to a constituent suggesting that it would be suspended for a year. DVLA says the relaxation will apply until further notice.
Statutory guidance has been issued to drivers who need to renew their licences.
