UK driving licence reapplication after fit

[GrumpyYorkshireman]

Hello All.I suffer from severe coronary heart disease and hypertension. After a change in my medication in Jan this year I had a fit and blacked out. I have been OK since I was taken off the new medication but my driving licence was officially revoked this week by the DVLA.

As it was my first fit I am eligible to reapply after six months but on filling out the forms on the D1 licence application form it asks why you are renewing your licence for which I ticked medical reasons and that it was revoked. The rear of the D1 form states you have to pay a £50 fee if your licence was revoked under the new drivers act (which it wasnt) but gives no indication if you have to pay a fee for licence applications following revocation for medical reasons.

Sorry if this has been asked before but does anyone know if you have to pay a fee for a UK licence renewal following medical revocation?

Thanks.

[busylife]

Aged 62 I had my 1st tonic clonic seizure in my sleep in September 2020. I was advised that everyone “gets 1 free seizure” and told not to drive for 6 months. They referred me 2 c a neurologist as an outpatient & also 2 get an EEG. It took 5 months for the EEG appointment which happened on 14 Feb 2021 & 10 days later my GP phoned to say the EEG showed ‘slight seizure activity.’ That was me then officially diagnosed as having epilepsy: he wanted me to go on a low dose of medication & not drive until a year seizure-free. At that point I voluntarily surrendered’ my licence. I had a 2nd similar seizure in my sleep in June 2021 as a result of which they upped the dose of medication a bit and thankfully I’ve had no seizures since. So in June 2022 I was able to apply for a medical renewal. I was told that medical renewals are free. I live in Northern Ireland so don’t know if that makes any difference. I have to reapply every year since I’m now over 65 and all medical renewals are yearly once you reach 65.

I think there’s a difference between your licence being revoked (you were convicted of drink driving for example) and it being surrendered. I wonder if yours was actually officially revoked as opposed to surrendered. Sorry if this isn’t much help.

[GrumpyYorkshireman in reply to busylife]

Hi Busylife, thank you for replying, it's really helpful to know other people's experiences as this is all very new to me and I don't know anyone else who has had a fit or seizure. Due to me having signs that could indicate epilepsy, I had to go for an MRI and am waiting to hear on the results. However, my cardiologist has told me my heart meds can make me more susceptible to fits apparently so nothing is simple! No-one told me the option of voluntary surrendering my licence though so the DVLA has revoked it. I can reapply next month when six months have passed since my fit but the NHS and DVLA wheels move very slowly so I don't think I will be getting my licence back anytime soon.I hope you remain healthy and seizure free and thanks again!

[busylife in reply to GrumpyYorkshireman]

You’re welcome, GrumpyYorkshireman.

I was told after my 1st seizure in September 2020 not to drive for 6 months. But as I explained above my EEG was done at the 5 month mark in February 2021 and it revealed ‘slight seizure activity’ which meant I’m now officially confirmed as having epilepsy and so the earliest I could think of being allowed to drive was a year later, February 2022 - that’s if I remained seizure-free for a year. But with my 2nd nocturnal seizure happening in June 2021 that reset the date so that I had to be 1 year seizure-free from June 2021. Thankfully I didn’t have any further seizures so was able to reapply for my medically assessed licence in June 2022. That meant that in total I wasn’t allowed to drive for a year and 9 months as each seizure kept pushing back the start date from which the year free of seizures could be measured.

The rules here say that I could start driving again (even without possessing an actual physical licence) as long as (a) my GP/neurologist agreed my condition was under control (b) I had been seizure-free for a year and (c) I had lodged my licence application with the DVA (which is the Northern Ireland equivalent of the DVLA) within the previous 12 months. So I applied in late June 2022 but still hadn’t received my licence by early June 2023, in spite of frequent phone calls to the DVA to ask about it. They basically use the DVLA’s medical assessment unit in England and just kept telling me there was a post-Covid backlog! In the end I had to resubmit an application so as to fit the requirement to have an application lodged within the previous 12 months! In the end I eventually received my licence at the end of July 2023, about 13 months after I had applied for it.

If there’s one thing dealing with the DVA teaches you it’s to have patience as they seem to operate on a pretty slow timetable. Maybe the post-Covid backlog will have cleared by now and hopefully you will stay well and get your licence sorted soon. Not being able to drive is a real pain, I know. I wish you all the best.

[EpilepsyAction1 Partner Epilepsy Action]

Hi

I’m glad you’ve heard from others on this platform, as sharing information and experiences can be a good idea.

It is possible to have your licence revoked on medical grounds as opposed to surrendering it. It depends on how you told the DVLA about your medical condition. You can read more about that here: epilepsy.org.uk/living/driving/stopping-driving

But regardless of whether you surrendered your licence or had it revoked you shouldn’t need to pay when you reapply on medical grounds.

Can I just check you also know about our other services?

We have our Talk and Support groups (epilepsy.org.uk/support-for-you/talk-and-support-virtual-groups) and befriending service (epilepsy.org.uk/support-for-you/epilepsy-befriending).

We also have a membership offer which is designed to help people stay up to date with all the latest epilepsy news, views and research: epilepsy.org.uk/involved/join

Finally, if you think it may be helpful to speak to one of our advisers in more detail you can contact us by live chat or the Epilepsy Action Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050. Our helpline is open Monday to Friday 8.30am until 5.00pm and Saturday 10.00am until 4.00pm: epilepsy.org.uk/support-for-you/the-epilepsy-action-helpline

Regards

Jess

Epilepsy Action Helpline Team

[GrumpyYorkshireman in reply to EpilepsyAction1]

Hi! Thank you for confirming I don't need to pay for a renewal, that's really helpful!

[Redamberg in reply to GrumpyYorkshireman]

My son is in the same situation that you found yourself in. So did you manage to get it renewed? For free?

[GrumpyYorkshireman in reply to Redamberg]

Sorry to hear about your son, I hope he's OK.

I didn't need to pay to get my licence back thankfully. I was told I could re-apply for my licence up to 8 weeks before my 6 month suspension was over. On the DVLA D1 form I ticked I was reapplying for medical reasons and it all went through OK.

[Redamberg]

oh good, thanks for that info!