How do you check a driver's licence as an employer?

Ask the driver for a check code from GOV.UK's View or share your driving licence service, then enter it with the last 8 characters of their licence number on Check someone's driving licence information. The code lasts 21 days and works once. The result shows the categories they can drive, penalty points and disqualifications.

Last checked 26 October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.

Step by step

Get consent. GOV.UK warns that obtaining someone else's driving licence information without permission is a criminal offence. Put the consent in your registration paperwork.
The driver makes a check code on View or share your driving licence information, or through their driver and vehicles account.
You enter the code with the last 8 characters of their licence number on Check someone's driving licence information. Use it within 21 days. Each code works once, so a later check needs a new code.
Save a dated record of the result on the candidate's file.
See the photocard in person too: the photo should match the person and the card should be in date.

For larger fleets, licence-checking companies use DVLA's Access to Driver Data service, which needs a signed data protection declaration from each driver. DVLA recommends its standard D906 form.

Reading the categories

Category definitions from GOV.UK. MAM is maximum authorised mass.
Category	What it covers
B	Vehicles up to 3,500kg MAM with up to 8 passenger seats (4,250kg for zero-emission vehicles). Trailer up to 3,500kg, combination up to 7,000kg
C1	Vehicles between 3,500kg and 7,500kg MAM, with a trailer up to 750kg
C1E	C1 vehicles with a trailer over 750kg; combination up to 12,000kg
C	Vehicles over 3,500kg MAM, with a trailer up to 750kg
CE (often written C+E)	C vehicles with a trailer over 750kg: articulated and drawbar lorries
D1	Minibuses with no more than 16 passenger seats and up to 8 metres long, trailer up to 750kg
D	Buses with more than 8 passenger seats, trailer up to 750kg
DE	D vehicles with a trailer over 750kg

Drivers who passed a car test before 1 January 1997 usually have wider towing entitlement, typically a combination up to 8,250kg. Read the entitlement on their record rather than assume. Make sure the category is a full entitlement, not provisional, and look for restriction codes.

Penalty points and endorsements

Endorsements stay on the record for 4 or 11 years depending on the offence, and a driver can be disqualified for 12 or more points within 3 years. The code tells you what the offence was.

Examples from GOV.UK's endorsement codes page.
Code	Offence	Points	Stays on the record
SP30	Exceeding the statutory speed limit on a public road	3 to 6	4 years from the offence
CU80	Breach of requirements on control of the vehicle, such as using a mobile phone	3 to 6	4 years from the offence
IN10	Using a vehicle without third-party insurance	6 to 8	4 years from the offence
MS90	Failing to give information about the driver's identity	6	4 years from the offence
DR10	Driving or attempting to drive with alcohol above the limit	3 to 11	11 years from the conviction

Your client or its insurer may set its own limits on points or particular codes. Ask before you put a driver forward.

Lorry and bus drivers need more than a licence

For C1, C, CE, D1 and D work, the driving licence is one of three separate documents:

Driver CPC card, needed to drive a lorry, bus or coach professionally unless an exemption applies. See our guide on how to check a CPC card.
Digital tachograph driver card, applied for from DVLA. It records driving time on the vehicle's tachograph. It is not a CPC card and does not prove CPC training.
The vocational entitlement itself, which drivers renew every 5 years from age 45 and every year from age 65.

How often to recheck

GOV.UK does not set a frequency for employer checks. Set your own policy, check at registration, and check again before a new client or a change of vehicle class. Drivers with more points or older checks deserve an earlier look. Ask your client what its insurer expects. Tempbench, the CRM for UK temp agencies, records the licence and a check date with an expiry warning, so the next check comes round on time. It does not connect to DVLA.

Questions people ask

Can I check a driving licence without the driver's permission?

No. You need the driver to create a check code and give it to you, and GOV.UK says it is a criminal offence to obtain someone else's driving licence information without their permission. Licence-checking companies using DVLA's Access to Driver Data service also need a signed declaration from each driver before they check.

How long does a DVLA check code last?

A check code must be used within 21 days of the driver creating it, and it can only be used once. If you need to check again later, or the code has expired, ask the driver to create a new one. You enter it with the last 8 characters of their driving licence number.

What is the difference between C and C+E?

Category C covers lorries over 3,500kg with a trailer up to 750kg, so rigid lorries. Category CE, often written C+E, adds a trailer over 750kg, which covers articulated and drawbar lorries. A driver with only C cannot legally drive an artic. The licence and the DVLA record show the category as CE.

Is a tachograph card the same as a Driver CPC card?

No. The digital tachograph driver card is applied for from DVLA and records the driver's activity in the vehicle's tachograph. The Driver CPC card shows the driver holds the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence and gives the deadline for their next periodic training. A lorry driver usually needs both, plus the licence.

Sources

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