Do you need to do a medical check up before applying for a licence in the UK?

[ParusMajor123]

Hi,

I am currently 22 and was diagnosed at 18 with epilepsy after having 3 major tonic clonic seizures in 4 years (since then I have had 2 more, the last two were in 2016).I have been seizure free since then with medication. I am living in the UK for uni and would like to start learning to drive over here. Back in Luxembourg where my home is you need to be checked over by a doctor and fill in loads of forms before you can apply to drive is it the same in the UK?

Any info will be really helpful.

Thank you.

[EpilepsyAction1 Partner Epilepsy Action]

Hi

If you’re applying for your driving licence for the first time, you can apply for your provisional licence online (gov.uk/apply-first-provisio... or by completing an application form available from the Post Office. The application form will have a section about health conditions, and this is where you should provide information about your epilepsy. I believe the DVLA will then get in contact with you and ask you to provide contact details for your epilepsy specialist (if you have one) or your GP and give permission for the DVLA to contact them.

It is a good idea to check with your epilepsy specialist or your GP that they think you’re fit to drive before completing the forms. This is because the information they provide to the DVLA will form the basis of the medical assessment. But if you’ve been seizure free for over 12 months there shouldn’t be any reason why you can’t apply for your driving licence.

We have more information about the driving rules and applying for your driving licence here:

epilepsy.org.uk/info/drivin...

epilepsy.org.uk/info/drivin...

Regards

Jess

Epilepsy Action