Every Driver With a Medical Condition Waits 62.3 Working Days for DVLA Decision

• The DVLA is taking an average of 62.3 working days to reach a licensing decision in medical cases so far in 2026/27, the Department for Transport told Parliament on 14 October 2026.
• The DVLA’s own target for medical cases is 50 days, a figure quoted in a Commons debate on 23 April 2026, when the minister apologised to drivers affected by delays.
• Only 49.1% of people who told the DVLA about a medical condition said they were satisfied with the time taken to get a decision, against 91.79% satisfaction across all DVLA services.

DVLA Takes 62.3 Working Days on Medical Licence Decisions, Against a 50 Day Target

A written answer from the Department for Transport has put a number on something thousands of drivers already know from experience. The average time the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is taking to reach a licensing decision in medical cases is 62.3 working days, measured across the 2026/27 financial year so far.

The figure came from Justin Madders, a Transport minister, in reply to a question from Ben Maguire, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall. Mr Maguire tabled the question on 9 October 2026 and asked for the current average wait between submitting a medical driving licence application and getting the licence back. The answer was published on 14 October 2026.

Sixty-two working days is more than twelve working weeks. In calendar terms it runs to roughly three months, and that is an average. Some drivers will have waited less, and some will have waited more, as the DVLA says cases that need information from doctors or other healthcare professionals take longer than cases it can settle from the application alone.

The answer also explained why the agency says waits have grown. The DVLA told ministers it has seen a sustained rise in both the number and the complexity of applications from people with medical conditions, and that this has meant longer waiting times for some customers. The answer did not give a backlog figure or a count of applications.

A medical case covers any driver who has told the DVLA about a condition that affects fitness to drive, or who is renewing a licence that carries a medical condition. Drivers on short-period medical licences face a fresh review each time the licence runs out, so the same person can go through the process more than once.

The DVLA’s target for these cases came up in the Commons on 23 April 2026, in a debate on reform of the agency led by Vikki Slade, the Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole. MPs and the minister quoted a 50 day target for medical cases. Set against that target, the 62.3 working days now being reported is about 12 working days over.

How the Medical Licence Wait Has Moved Over the Past Year

The April debate gave a month by month account of how the wait has changed. According to the figures MPs and the minister read out, the average passed 78 days in October 2025 and went over 80 days in November 2025. The average for the whole of 2025/26 was over 56 days. In February 2026 it stood at 71.4 working days, and by the time of the debate the minister put the April 2026 figure at 56.6 working days.

Read together with the October answer, the pattern is a wait that topped 80 days in late 2025, eased in the spring and then climbed again to 62.3 working days. The figures come from different parliamentary exchanges and the DVLA has not published a single monthly series, so the comparison is a rough one. What it does show is that the average has not got back to the 50 day target at any point in those readings.

The volumes behind the wait are large. In a written answer on 26 February 2026, Simon Lightwood, another Transport minister, said the DVLA made more than 830,000 medical licensing decisions in 2024/25 and forecast more than 925,000 medical applications and notifications for 2025/26. In the April debate MPs said medical licence reviews had risen by 16% to more than 850,000 in the latest year.

The same debate heard that a standard non-medical licence application is typically processed in two to three days and that 84% of transactions are now made online. The gap between those two experiences is the heart of the complaint: a driver with no health issue gets a licence in days, and a driver with a medical condition can wait for months.

The minister, Simon Lightwood, told MPs: “I am sorry to all those who have been impacted by the delays.” He said a new digital medical services platform launched on 31 March 2026 and that initial case actions can now be taken within 24 hours. He added that 43 extra medical caseworkers were in training, with 22 more joining.

The October answer repeated the same list of fixes: a new casework system, a digital medical services portal covering about 1,600 medical conditions, a trial of text message updates for drivers who have agreed to receive them, and more staff. None of those measures has yet brought the average under the 50 day target.

What Drivers Told the DVLA About the Medical Service

The DVLA publishes its own survey of how customers rate its services. The 2025 to 2026 edition went on GOV.UK on 9 September 2026. The agency sent 66,415 surveys and received 6,470 responses, a response rate of 10%.

Across all services the DVLA scored 91.79% for overall customer satisfaction. The medical service scored far lower. Among drivers who had notified the DVLA of a medical condition, overall satisfaction was 64%.

The breakdown is sharper still on the two things that frustrate people most. Asked about the time taken to make a decision, 49.1% were satisfied, which is 798 of 1,625 people who answered that question. Asked about the time taken to get through to staff by phone, 45.1% were satisfied, which is 556 of 1,234 people. On the other side of the ledger, 62.5% said the service met their expectations and 11.6% said it exceeded them.

The survey sample for medical notifications was 1,000 records out of a total sample base of 5,600 records, alongside samples for licence renewals, vehicle tax and V5C changes. The published document does not break results down by age, so it cannot say how drivers aged 70 and over rated the service. The April debate noted that customer satisfaction falls by 20 points for medical licences compared with the 92% overall score.

For older drivers the issue has a particular edge. The age 70 renewal is a standing requirement, with a reminder sent 90 days before expiry, and anyone who also has a medical condition on record can find the renewal and the review landing together. The DVLA says reminders go out 90 days ahead for drivers renewing at 70 and for short-period medical licences, compared with 56 days for vocational licences and ten-year photocard renewals. With the medical average now above 62 working days, a 90 day reminder leaves little room for a delay.

Can You Keep Driving While the DVLA Decides?

For many drivers, yes, but the rule has conditions. Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 allows a person to keep driving a class of vehicle after sending in a qualifying licence application, provided they already held a licence for that class and any conditions on it are met. The DVLA made the same point to MPs, noting that drivers renewing a licence can sometimes carry on driving while the application is pending if they meet set criteria.

The detail is in the wording. Under section 88(1A), the application has to meet the initial evidence requirements in section 97(1), and the health declaration under section 92(1) must not indicate a relevant disability. A declaration that shows a relevant disability means the application is not a qualifying one, and the section 88 allowance does not apply. The legislation.gov.uk page for the section is up to date with changes in force on or before 28 October 2026.

There is also a time limit. Under section 88(2) the allowance ends when a licence is granted, or one year after the application if no licence is granted, or earlier if a shorter period is prescribed. If the DVLA refuses the licence under section 92(3), the allowance ends on the day the applicant receives notice of the refusal.

The allowance depends on the DVLA having received a qualifying application, which is why the date you send it in is worth recording.

What to Do Before Your Licence Runs Out

Start earlier than the reminder suggests. The DVLA’s reminder arrives 90 days before expiry for age 70 renewals and for short-period medical licences. With an average of 62.3 working days to reach a decision, a driver who waits for the reminder and then sends the paperwork can find the licence expiring before the answer arrives. Working days exclude weekends and bank holidays, so 62.3 working days is about 12 and a half weeks.

Send a complete application first time. The DVLA says medical cases slow down when it has to wait for information from doctors and other healthcare professionals. Having the details of your doctor or specialist ready and replying quickly to any request for more information removes one source of delay that is within your control.

Keep proof that you sent the application and the date you did so. Section 88 turns on the DVLA having received a qualifying application, so a dated record is worth keeping if anyone, including an insurer, asks about your entitlement to drive.

Tell your insurer if the licence position changes. A refusal, a revocation or a licence with new restrictions is something an insurer will want to hear about.

If the wait runs well past the average, a complaint to the DVLA is the first formal step, and an MP can raise the case with the Department for Transport. The figure of 62.3 working days is now on the parliamentary record for anyone who needs to cite it.

The Department for Transport has not set a date by which it expects the average to fall back to 50 days. Until it does, drivers with a medical condition on their licence record are the group most likely to feel the wait.

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Sources:

• UK Parliament: Written questions and answers – Written questions, answers and statements – UK Parliament
• GOV.UK: DVLA customer satisfaction 2025 to 2026
• legislation.gov.uk: Road Traffic Act 1988