These pages are about driving laws in the UK. If you are looking for information about driving laws in another country, please contact your local epilepsy organisation.
Informing the driving agencies that you have had a seizure
Whose responsibility is it to inform the driving agency?
It is your responsibility to inform the driving agency.
Why do I have to inform the driving agency?
You have to inform the driving agency because if you don’t you are breaking the law. Your current driving licence may not be valid. And you may find your insurance will not cover you if you make a claim.
Does anyone else have to inform the driving agency?
Although it is your responsibility to inform the driving agency, if you don’t do this and carry on driving, anyone could report this to them. Your doctor may also inform the driving agency if you carry on driving when you shouldn’t. Although doctors have a duty to protect their patients’ confidentiality, over and above this, they have a duty of care to protect the public.
What do I need to do to inform the driving agency?
You should write to, or telephone, the driving agency, telling them the date of your most recent seizure. You can enclose your driving licence with your letter. It’s a good idea to either take a photocopy of your driving licence or to make a note of your driving licence number. This information will be helpful if you reapply for your licence at a later date.
Informing the driving agencies if you are withdrawing or changing your anti-epileptic drugs
Do I need to inform the driving agency if I’m withdrawing or changing my anti-epileptic drugs?
You may need to, depending where in the UK you live. See the table below.
Rules across the UK
| Country | Withdrawing your AEDs | Changing your AEDs |
| If you live in England, Scotland or Wales | DVLA recommends that for safety, you should stop driving during the period of drug withdrawal, and for six months after withdrawal is complete. You don’t need to inform DVLA or return your licence. | Your doctor will advise you how long you may need to stop driving for. You don’t need to inform DVLA or return your licence. |
|
If you live in Northern Ireland |
You must stop driving and inform DVA when your AEDs are withdrawn. Six months after withdrawal is complete, you should apply for a medical form to DVA. DVA will advise you if you can start driving again | You must stop driving and inform DVA when your AEDs are changed. Six months after the change-over is complete, you should apply for a medical form to DVA. DVA will advise you if you can start driving again. |
What you need to do after you have informed the driving agency that you have had a seizure
If you sent your driving licence back voluntarily
You don’t have to do anything further at this stage. But remember, you can no longer legally drive.
If you didn’t send your driving licence back voluntarily
The driving agency will send you a form to complete and ask your permission to contact your doctor(s) for a medical report. In some cases they may ask for you to be examined by one of their nominated medical practitioners. The driving agency will then write and tell you whether or not your driving licence is formally withdrawn and, if so, for how long. This is known as ‘revoking’ your licence. They will also ask you to send your licence back.
We can provide references and information on the source material we use to write our epilepsy advice and information pages. Please contact our Epilepsy Helpline by email at helpline@epilepsy.org.uk.
This information has been produced under the terms of The Information Standard.
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Updated May 2011To be reviewed May 2013
Comments: read the 9 comments or add yours
Comments
do i still have to inform the dvla even if i just stop driving?
Hi Claire,
Yes, you do need to inform the Driving Agency if you have had a seizure because if not, you would be breaking the law. Also your current licence may not be valid and your insurance may not cover you. If you return your licence voluntarily, you can start the process of re-applying for your licence after 10 months of being seizure free. This is instead of having to wait until 12 months. Hope this is useful.
Cherry
Advice and Information Team
I have a similar question to Claire - after a brain operation I was told I couldn't drive for a year and after that my GP and specialist would let me know when I could start again. I wouldn't dream of driving again until they gave me the all-clear, so all the stuff about it being illegal and not covered by insurance is moot: I'm not going to do it. It would be crazy.
I'm coming to the end of that year now, and look forward to discussing the situation with the medical professionals and getting the all-clear soon. At no stage did anyone tell me I had to inform the DVLA, either to formally renounce my driving licence or formally apply to have it reinstated.
So my question is: Do I have to start that process now? It seems like a lot of pointless bureaucracy given that I am not driving and would not be even slightly tempted to drive until doctors said I was safe to do so. Especially if this process was going to take 10 months from now to complete.
my eyesight went black for 2 seconds & then came back. Mr Dr says it is mild epilepsy & not to drive. This has not happened for 3 months so when will my driving ban start from as Dr said 12 months from his phone call
Hi Jean
In answer to your question, people with epilepsy would need to be 12 months seizure free before they can drive again. So, the 12 months would start from the date of your last seizure. If this was your first seizure, here’s our information for someone who has only ever had a single seizure. For more detailed information you could refer back to our epilepsy and the driving law webpage.
You don’t say if you already have a diagnosis of epilepsy. I mention this because epilepsy is currently defined as a tendency to have recurrent seizures and you only mention the one episode. There are a number of medical conditions that can cause symptoms similar to epilepsy. So, if you don’t already have a diagnosis you could ask your doctor to refer you to an epilepsy specialist (usually a neurologist) for confirmation of this. In the meantime, you will need to continue not to drive as advised by your doctor.
If you would like to discuss any concerns you have about your diagnosis, or any other related issue with us, do give us a call on freephone number 0808 800 5050.
Regards
Rosanna
Advice and Information Team
I suffer from nocturnal epilepsy I had a seizure 2 weeks ago after being seizure free for 2 years and 10 months and sent my driving license back to the DVLA can I reapply for it in December when it will have been 3 years since my first nocturnal epilepsy attack
Hi
Yes, so long as you have not had any seizures while awake in the last year. Here is information about re-applying for your driving licence
http://tinyurl.com/dyfcwkx
Kathy
Advice and Information Team
My partner has just been diagnosed as epileptic & on medication after having two seizures this year, we have informed his insurers & cancelled his car insurance, how long will he have to be seizure free before he can drive again? Does he have to be off his medication to drive again?
Hi Annette
To reapply for his driving licence, you partner will need to be one year completely free of seizures. It doesn’t matter whether he is taking epilepsy medicines or not, if he is applying for a car licence. However, for a licence for larger vehicles, he needs to be seizure free for ten years, and off epilepsy medicine for ten years. The driving regulations for epilepsy are here.
Here is some information about concessionary fares for people with epilepsy who are not allowed to drive.
If you would like an information pack for people newly diagnosed with epilepsy, to pass on to your partner, please get back to us with your full name and address details. We will then mail one out for you.
Kathy
Advice and Information Team