D27 Renewal Form: Getting Your Licence Back After a Ban

What is the D27 form and when does it arrive?

The D27 is the driving-licence renewal application the DVLA sends to drivers reaching the end of a disqualification, so they can get their licence back. For a standard drink-driving ban it is posted about 56 days before the ban ends; if you are classed as a high-risk offender it comes 90 days before, because those drivers must also pass a DVLA medical before the licence can be returned. You fill in the form, provide a new passport-style photograph if asked, and the DVLA reissues your licence with effect from the day your disqualification expires — not the day you send the form back.

If the D27 does not arrive, you are not stuck: a car or motorcycle licence holder can complete an “Application for a driving licence” (D1), available from Post Offices that offer DVLA services, and send that instead. Getting the licence back after a standard ban is free; the only charge that commonly applies is the high-risk medical (the examining doctor’s fee). Crucially, none of this restores your right to drive early — you remain disqualified until the ban’s end date. For what happens to your premium afterwards, see cheap car insurance for drink-drivers and car insurance after a drink-driving ban.

High-risk vs non-high-risk offenders

Whether you get the D27 at 56 or 90 days — and whether you face a medical — depends on which category the court and DVLA place you in.

Non-high-risk offenders are the majority of drink-driving bans. The DVLA sends the D27 about 56 days before the ban ends, you complete and return it, and the licence is reissued for the ban’s expiry date with no medical required.

High-risk offenders (HROs) get the form 90 days early and must pass a DVLA medical examination, arranged through a DVLA-appointed doctor, that checks for alcohol dependency before the licence is returned. You are a high-risk offender if any of the following applied to your case:

• you were 2.5 times the legal limit or more — 87.5 microgrammes per 100ml of breath, 200mg per 100ml of blood, or 267.5mg per 100ml of urine;
• you were disqualified for drink-driving twice within 10 years; or
• you refused or failed to provide a specimen for testing without a reasonable excuse.

The medical is why HROs get the earlier 90-day window: it takes time to book, and if the doctor is not satisfied the DVLA can refuse to return the licence until you can demonstrate you are fit to drive. See banned-driver insurance for cover once you are back.

D27 renewal form: FAQs