Getting a UK Provisional Driving License: How long does it take and how much does it cost?

Hi everyone and welcome,

Today, I have officially received my provisional driving license and so I decided to give you some extra information on the whole process up to this point.

I have applied for this licence on the 3rd of December, this was one day after my 18 birthday and I know you can get it from the age of 17 but I decided to wait until I felt more ready and comfortable about it. I did an online application which involved just writing all of the necessary, usual details and giving a payment. [This is for the UK driving licence and if you want to apply press HERE and it will take you straight to the appellation website.] The payment I made was £34, when applying through the post this payment is higher (so I would recommend applying online for both the payment and the convenience).

On the 9th, I received a letter from DVLA (Driver andVehicle Licensing Agency), so it came in just under a week. In the letter was a form which consisted of three very basic sections. Due to the fact that I do not have a British passport, I had to compete a separate section which involved me having to send my passport to DVLA. The other parts were just giving your signature and a picture of yourself (an appropriate ID picture). I completed this form and sent it along with my passport on the 12th. In order to send it,I went to the post office, weighed the letter and asked for appropriate postage considering that I have an important document in there. The letter weighed quite a bit due to my passport and I got first class trackable postage which costed an extra £6.45.

Today, the 22nd, I have received my driving licence. 10 days after posting my photo and under 3 weeks from original application and with just over £40 I'm finally here. I have not yet received my passport back as that comes in a separate letter, but I will update you all on when I receive this.

UPDATE: It's been a day since I received my provisional and now I have gotten my passport back (:

Many thanks for reading and follow to get notified when I post my next driving blog post,
Anna.xo