The road to your Full Driving Licence begins here

1. Provisional Licence

When learning to drive a car or ride a motorcycle in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, you are required to hold a provisional driving licence.
With your provisional licence you are able to drive on all roads except for motorways.
You must be supervised when you are learning to drive a car. This can be by a driving instructor or someone else who meets the rules, eg family or friends, but the car you learn in must display ‘L’ plates.

To apply for a provisional driving licence online for a car, motorcycle or moped you must:

• be a resident of Great Britain – there’s a different service in Northern Ireland
• meet the minimum age requirement
• meet the minimum eyesight requirement
• not be prevented from driving for any reason
• pay £34 by MasterCard, Visa, Electron, Maestro or Delta debit or credit card
• have a valid UK passport or other form of identity
• have your National Insurance number if known
• provide addresses where you’ve lived over the last 3 years

2. The “car driver” Theory Test

Passing a “car” theory test is a mandatory requirement and a prerequisite to booking your practical driving test. The theory test consists of multiple choice questions and a hazard perception section and both are taken on the same day.
You need to pass both sections to complete the Theory Test. You’ll then receive a theory test pass certificate, which bears a unique certificate number which you will require when you book your practical test.

To apply for your “Car” theory test, you must already hold a provisional driving licence

To prepare for the multiple-choice part of the theory test you should use 3 books known as the ‘source material’. They are:

• The Highway Code
• ‘Know your traffic signs’
• the relevant book from the ‘essential skills’ range

You can buy all the publications from most high street book shops and download the ‘Know your traffic signs’ booklet