Renew a Lorry or Bus Licence: The DVLA Process Explained

At a glance

• Under 45: DVLA posts an 'application for renewal of lorry and bus entitlement' (D47PU) around 56 days before your entitlement runs out. No medical is required at this stage.
• 45 or over: DVLA sends two forms — the D47P renewal application and a D4 medical examination report — which a doctor (and, if needed, an optician or optometrist) must complete.
• Renewal frequency: from 45, lorry and bus (Group 2) entitlement is renewed every 5 years; from 65, renewal becomes annual.
• Cost: renewing, changing or giving up the entitlement itself is free. The only likely cost is the fee a doctor, optician or optometrist charges for completing the D4 — check with them, or GOV.UK, before booking.
• Driving while you wait: section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 lets you keep driving under specific conditions once a valid renewal application is with DVLA.
• Driver CPC is separate: the 35-hours-every-5-years Driver CPC periodic training runs independently of entitlement renewal — one doesn't replace the other.
• Form hasn't arrived? Pick up a D2 pack (D2/D4 if you're 45 or over) from a Post Office that offers DVLA services — these can no longer be ordered online.

Who this guide is for

Category C and C1 cover lorries — C1 for vehicles between 3,500kg and 7,500kg, C for anything heavier. Category D and D1 cover buses and minibuses — D1 for minibuses of no more than 16 passenger seats, D for larger buses and coaches. These "Group 2" entitlements sit on top of your ordinary car licence and carry stricter medical standards than a Category B car entitlement, because the vehicles are larger and carry more passengers or freight. See driving licence categories on GOV.UK for the full weight and passenger limits.

This guide covers renewing or changing an existing Group 2 entitlement. If you're applying for one for the first time, or want to understand the ordinary photocard renewal that everyone goes through every 10 years, see our guide on renewing your driving licence through the DVLA.

Renewing before you turn 45

If you're under 45, DVLA posts you form D47PU roughly 56 days before your lorry or bus entitlement expires. To renew:

1. Complete form D47PU.
2. Send it to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BR, along with your current licence — unless you need to keep using it soon for driver training.

No medical examination is required at this stage unless DVLA has already flagged a health condition on your record. If your licence is due to expire within 56 days of your 45th birthday, GOV.UK guidance says you should follow the 45-and-over process instead of this one.

If you'd rather stop holding lorry or bus entitlement and just keep your car and motorbike categories, fill in section 2B of the D47PU rather than the main renewal sections — this tells DVLA to remove the vocational entitlement while leaving the rest of your licence untouched.

Renewing at 45 or over: the medical examination

Once you turn 45, a medical becomes part of every renewal. DVLA sends two forms together, about 56 days before expiry:

1. D47P — the renewal application itself.
2. D4 — a medical examination report, completed by a doctor. If your doctor can't fully complete the vision assessment section, an optician or optometrist can fill that part in instead.

Send both completed forms to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BR. The doctor, optician or optometrist will normally charge for the appointment — DVLA is not responsible for that fee, including if your application is later refused on medical grounds, so it's worth checking the likely cost before you book.

The medical standards for Group 2 (lorry and bus) drivers are higher than for ordinary car licences. As a general benchmark, DVLA's guidance requires a visual acuity of at least 6/7.5 in your better eye and 6/60 in your worse eye (measured on a Snellen chart), alongside checks covering neurological conditions, diabetes, cardiac conditions, psychiatric illness, substance use and sleep disorders. If you have a relevant medical history, it's worth reading DVLA's published guidance before booking the appointment, so you know what the doctor will be assessing.

The D4 is only valid for 4 months from the date it's signed, so don't get it done too far ahead of sending your application.

What changes at 65 — and beyond

From 65, renewal of Group 2 entitlement becomes an annual event rather than every 5 years, and a fresh D4 medical is required each year. There's one further nuance: if you're 70 or over and still hold C1 or D1 entitlement that you originally gained automatically with a car licence passed before 1 January 1997, DVLA's guidance says you only need a D4 every 3 years for that particular entitlement, rather than annually. If this applies to you, it's worth confirming your exact position with DVLA, since the rule depends on when and how the entitlement was originally granted.

Driving while your application is with the DVLA

If your entitlement expires while DVLA is still processing your renewal, section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 may let you keep driving in the meantime. Broadly, the conditions are:

• you held a valid licence for the category you're renewing
• you've sent DVLA a qualifying renewal application
• you only drive under the conditions of your previous licence
• your application is less than a year old
• your last licence wasn't revoked or refused on medical grounds
• you're not currently disqualified, and weren't disqualified as a high-risk offender on or after 1 June 2013
• if you're on the medical route, no doctor or optician has told you that you should stop driving

This is a summary, not the full legal test — DVLA's own guidance leaflet (INF188/6) sets out the detail, and it's worth reading in full if your entitlement is about to lapse before your renewal comes through.

Driver CPC: a separate, ongoing requirement

If you drive lorries, buses or coaches professionally, you also need a current Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) — and this is entirely separate from entitlement renewal. Driver CPC requires 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years, and you can be fined up to £1,000 for driving professionally without it. Renewing your Category C or D entitlement doesn't renew your Driver CPC, and completing Driver CPC training doesn't renew your entitlement — you need to keep track of both deadlines independently. See Driver CPC training for qualified drivers for the current requirements.

If your renewal forms haven't arrived

If your expiry date is approaching and your D47PU, or your D47P and D4, haven't turned up in the post, don't wait. Pick up a D2 pack (or a combined D2/D4 pack if you're 45 or over) from a Post Office that offers DVLA services — these application forms are no longer available to order online. Driving a lorry or bus without valid entitlement, or outside the section 88 conditions above, is a serious offence and can also affect your insurance, so it's worth chasing this up as soon as you notice the form is overdue.

Changing your name, address or photo at renewal

If your name has changed since your entitlement was last issued, send original documentation confirming the change — a marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate or deed poll, for example. Photocopies aren't accepted. Your renewal form will tell you if a new passport-type photo is needed with your application.

Address changes are handled separately from entitlement renewal, are free either online or by post, and can be done at any time — you should let DVLA know promptly whenever you move. See our guide on updating the address on your driving licence for the full process.

If you still hold a paper-only licence without a photocard, include original identity documentation and a passport-type photo with your renewal — DVLA will issue a modern photocard as part of the process.

What to do next

1. Check when your entitlement expires and watch for DVLA's letter around 56 days beforehand.
2. Complete the right form — D47PU if you're under 45, D47P plus a D4 medical if you're 45 or over.
3. Book your medical early if you need one, bearing in mind the D4 is only valid for 4 months once signed.
4. Send everything together to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BR, including your current licence unless you need it for training in the meantime.
5. Chase a missing form at a DVLA-service Post Office rather than letting the entitlement lapse.
6. Keep Driver CPC on a separate tracker if you drive professionally — it runs on its own 5-year clock.

This guide provides general information about renewing lorry and bus entitlement in Great Britain. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The process described was accurate as at August 2026 and is subject to change — always check current GOV.UK guidance before sending an application to DVLA.