118 health conditions you must declare to the DVLA

Did you know that there are now 118 medical conditions you need to declare to the DVLA? And that failing to do so could risk a £1,000 fine? As reported across a wide range of news channels recently, we wanted to make sure that our community is fully aware of what these are and how you can notify the DVLA.

The good news is that the DVLA listened to previous feedback and have now made it much easier for people applying for, or renewing a licence, to declare health conditions. Now, instead of requiring your GP to do this, nurses and opticians are able to support the application.

While it can be worrying to report one or several of these conditions, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have to surrender your licence. You may have to get a new driving licence, which could have a shorter expiry date, or you may need to fit your car with special controls to accommodate your condition.

The important thing is to keep you safe and on the right side of the law.

The A-Z of conditions you need to tell the DVLA about

1. Absence seizures – you will be required to stop driving immediately!
2. Acoustic neuroma – if you experience sudden and disabling dizziness.
3. Agoraphobia – ask your doctor if you’re unsure if this affects your ability to drive.
4. Alcohol problems – you are obliged to tell the DVLA if you have alcohol problems.
5. Alzheimer’s disease – it’s important to let the DVLA know.
6. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – also known as motor neurone disease.
7. Amaurosis fugax – you must stop driving for at least one month after a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or mini-stroke.
8. Amputations – you must tell DVLA if you’ve had a limb amputated.
9. Angiomas or cavernomas – a cavernoma is a cluster of abnormal blood vessels usually found in the brain and spinal cord.
10. Ankylosing spondylitis – Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a long-term condition in which could affect your ability to drive.
11. Anxiety – Ask your doctor if you’re not sure if your anxiety will affect your driving.
12. Aortic aneurysm – you must tell DVLA if your aortic aneurysm is 6 centimetres or more in diameter despite treatment. You must not drive if your aortic aneurysm is 6.5 centimetres or more in diameter.
13. Arachnoid cyst – these are the most common types of brain cyst.
14. Arrhythmia – you must tell DVLA if you have distracting or disabling symptoms
15. Arteriovenous malformation – you are obliged to report an arteriovenous malformation.
16. Arthritis – you must tell the DVLA if you use special controls for driving.
17. Asperger syndrome – you must tell DVLA if your autistic spectrum condition (ASC) affects your ability to drive safely.
18. Ataxia – you must tell DVLA if you have ataxia, including Friedrich’s ataxia.
19. ADHD – if your attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or your ADHD medication affects your ability to drive safely, you must declare it.
20. AIDS – you must tell DVLA if you have AIDS.
21. Bipolar disorder (manic depression) – You must tell DVLA if you have bipolar disorder.
22. Blackouts – ask your doctor if your blackouts, fainting (syncope) or loss of consciousness affects your ability behind the wheel.
23. Blood clots – you must tell DVLA if you have a blood clot in the brain but you don’t have to tell DVLA if you have a blood clot in your lung.
24. Blood pressure – ask your doctor if you’re not sure if your blood pressure treatment will affect your driving.
25. Brachial plexus injury – you must tell DVLA if you have a brachial plexus injury.
26. Brain abscess, cyst or encephalitis – you must tell DVLA if you have a brain abscess, cyst or encephalitis.
27. Brain aneurysm – you must tell DVLA if you have a brain aneurysm.
28. Brain haemorrhage – you must tell DVLA if you have a brain haemorrhage.
29. Traumatic brain injury – you must tell DVLA if you have a traumatic brain injury.
30. Brain tumour – you must tell DVLA if you have a brain tumour and your doctor will advise you to surrender your licence.
31. Broken limbs – you must tell DVLA if you’ll be unable to drive for more than 3 months because of a broken limb.
32. Brugada syndrome – you must declare this as it affects the way electrical signals pass through the heart.
33. Burr hole surgery – you must tell DVLA if you’ve had burr hole surgery to remove a clot from around your brain.
34. Cancer – you only need to report this if you develop problems with your brain or nervous system, your doctor says you might not be fit to drive, you’re restricted to certain types of vehicles or vehicles that have been adapted for you and/or your medication causes side effects which could affect your driving.
35. Cataracts – report this if it affects both of your eyes or if you only have sight in one eye.
36. Cataplexy – you must tell DVLA if you experience cataplexy.
37. Central venous thrombosis – you only need to tell DVLA if you’re still having problems 1 month after a central venous thrombosis.
38. Cerebral palsy – you must tell DVLA if you have cerebral palsy.
39. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) – as this inherited condition affects the peripheral nerves you must declare it.
40. Cognitive problems – you must report cognitive problems.
41. Congenital heart disease – you must tell DVLA if you have symptoms that affect safe driving.
42. Fits, seizures or convulsions – this must be reported toDVLA.
43. Déjà vu – you must tell DVLA if you have seizures or epilepsy that causes déjà vu. Déjà vu is a neurological anomaly related to epileptic electrical discharge in the brain, creating a strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has already been experienced in the past. You should talk to your doctor if you’re not sure if your déjà vu is related to seizures or epilepsy.
44. Defibrillators – you must tell DVLA if you have an implanted defibrillator.
45. Dementia – Alzheimer’s is the most common form, but the umbrella term refers to a number of conditions that affect the brain.
46. Depression – you must tell DVLA if your depression affects your ability to drive safely.
47. Diabetes – declare this if your insulin treatment lasts (or will last) over 3 months, you had gestational diabetes (diabetes associated with pregnancy) and your insulin treatment lasts over three months after the birth, or you get disabling hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar).
48. Diplopia (double vision) – you must tell DVLA if you have double vision.
49. Dizziness or vertigo – Report any dizziness that is sudden, disabling or recurrent.
50. Drug use – you must tell DVLA if you’ve used illegal drugs or misused prescription drugs.
51. Eating disorder – ask your doctor if you’re not sure if your eating disorder will affect your driving.
52. Empyema (brain) – you must tell DVLA if you have a brain empyema.
53. Essential tremor – you must tell DVLA if it affects your ability to drive safely.
54. Eye conditions – there are dozens of eye conditions that must be declared to DVLA, check the government’s website to see if yours falls under the list.
55. Guillain Barré syndrome – you must tell DVLA if you have Guillain Barré syndrome.
56. Head injury – you must tell DVLA if you have a serious head injury.
57. Heart attacks – you don’t need to report if you’ve had a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or a heart, cardiac or coronary angioplasty however you must stop driving following surgery.
58. Heart failure – you need to tell DVLA if you have symptoms which affect your ability to drive safely, distract you when driving or they happen when you’re not doing any activity (‘at rest’).
59. Heart palpitations – if you regularly have heart palpitations, which are heartbeats that suddenly become more noticeable and may feel like pounding, fluttering, or irregular beating, the DVLA requires you to inform them.
60. Hemianopia – you must declare hemianopia, which is also called hemianopsia.
61. Hodgkin’s lymphoma: you must tell DVLA if you have Hodgkin’s lymphoma and you develop problems with your brain or nervous system, your doctor says you might not be fit to drive, you’re restricted to certain types of vehicles or vehicles that have been adapted for you or your medication causes side effects which could affect your driving.
62. Huntington’s disease – you must tell DVLA if it causes any symptoms.
63. Hydrocephalus – if you have hydrocephalus without symptoms, you do not need to tell DVLA.
64. Hypoglycaemia – you must tell DVLA if you have hypoglycaemia.
65. Hypoxic brain damage – you will need to declare this to DVLA.
66. Intracerebral haemorrhage – you must tell DVLA if you’re still having problems a month after an intracerebral haemorrhage.
67. Korsakoff’s syndrome – you must tell DVLA if you have Korsakoff’s syndrome.
68. Labyrinthitis – tell DVLA if you have symptoms for 3 months or more.
69. Learning disabilities – tell DVLA if you have a learning disability, but you do not need to declare learning difficulties, for example dyslexia.
70. Lewy body dementia – you must tell DVLA if you have Lewy body dementia.
71. Limb disability – you must tell DVLA if you have a limb disability.
72. Long QT syndrome – you must tell DVLA if you have Long QT syndrome.
73. Lung cancer – you must tell DVLA if you have lung cancer and you develop problems with your brain or nervous system, your doctor says you might not be fit to drive, you’re restricted to certain types of vehicles or vehicles that have been adapted for you and/or your medication causes side effects which could affect your driving.
74. Lymphoma – declare this if you develop problems with your brain or nervous system, your doctor has expressed concerns about your fitness to drive, you can only drive a specially adapted vehicle and/or your medication causes side effects that might make it unsafe for you to drive
75. Marfan’s syndrome – you must tell DVLA if you have Marfan’s syndrome.
76. Medulloblastoma – you must tell DVLA if you have a medulloblastoma.
77. Meningioma – you are obliged to tell DVLA you have meningioma if it affects your driving. Ask your doctor if you’re not sure.
78. Motor neurone disease – you must declare this, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
79. Muscular dystrophy – you must tell DVLA if you have muscular dystrophy.
80. Myasthenia gravis – you must tell DVLA if you have myasthenia gravis.
81. Myoclonus – you must tell DVLA if you have myoclonus.
82. Narcolepsy – you must tell DVLA if you have narcolepsy.
83. Night blindness – you must tell DVLA if you have night blindness.
84. Obsessive-compulsive disorder – if your obsessive-compulsive disorder affects your driving you must declare it.
85. Excessive sleepiness – report this if you have confirmed moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), with excessive sleepiness, narcolepsy, cataplexy, or any other sleep condition that has caused excessive sleepiness for at least 3 months – including suspected or confirmed mild OSAS.You must not drive until your symptoms are under control.
86. Optic atrophy – you must tell DVLA if you have optic atrophy.
87. Pacemakers – while you need to declare a pacemaker, you don’t need to tell DVLA if you have had a pacemaker battery change.
88. Paranoid schizophrenia – you must tell DVLA if you have paranoid schizophrenia.
89. Paraplegia – you must tell DVLA if you are paraplegic.
90. Parkinson’s disease – you must declare Parkinson’s disease.
91. Peripheral neuropathy – you must tell DVLA if you have peripheral neuropathy.
92. Personality disorder – you are obliged to tell DVLA if you have a personality disorder and it affects your driving.
93. Pituitary tumour – you must tell DVLA if you have a pituitary tumour.
94. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – ask your doctor if you’re not sure if your post-traumatic stress disorder will affect your driving.
95. Psychosis – you must tell DVLA if you experience psychosis.
96. Psychotic depression – you must tell DVLA if you have psychotic depression.
97. Pulmonary arterial hypertension – you must tell DVLA if you have pulmonary arterial hypertension and you’re receiving treatment.
98. Severe memory problems – you must report this.
99. Stroke – you only need to tell DVLA if you’re still having problems 1 month after the stroke.
100. Surgery – you must tell DVLA you’re still unable to drive 3 months after surgery, including caesarean section.
101. Syncope – no matter what type of vehicle you drive, ifyou suffer from blackouts, fainting (syncope), loss of consciousness and driving, you must inform the DVLA.
102. Seizures/epilepsy – you must tell DVLA if you have seizures or epilepsy that cause déjà vu.
103. Sleep apnoea – tell DVLA about obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), narcolepsy, cataplexy, and any other sleep condition for at least three months, or if you’re taking medication that has caused excessive sleepiness for three months.
104. Schizo-affective disorder – you must tell DVLA if you have a schizo-affective disorder.
105. Schizophrenia – you must tell DVLA if you have schizophrenia.
106. Scotoma – You must tell DVLA if you have scotoma.
107. Severe communication disorders – you must tell DVLA if this affects your ability to drive safely.
108. Spinal conditions, injuries or spinal surgery – you need to tell DVLA if you have a spinal condition or an injury to your spine.
109. Subarachnoid haemorrhage – you must tell DVLA if you have suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage.
110. Tachycardia – you might need to tell DVLA if you have tachycardia so speak with your doctor about your symptoms first.
111. Tourette’s syndrome – you must tell DVLA if your Tourette’s syndrome affects your ability to drive safely.
112. Tunnel vision – you must tell DVLA if you have tunnel vision.
113. Usher syndrome – you must tell DVLA if you have Usher syndrome.
114. Reduced visual acuity – ou must tell DVLA if you have reduced visual acuity.
115. Vertigo – if you experience dizziness that is sudden, disabling, or recurrent, you must declare it.
116. Visual field defect – you must tell DVLA if you have a visual field defect.
117. VP shunts – you must tell DVLA if you’ve had a VP shunt fitted.
118. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome – you must declare this to DVLA.

Not sure whether your health condition affects your car insurance? Our friendly, helpful in branch colleagues are happy to review your cover and answer any questions that may be concerning you. Find your local branch here.

Source: DVLA: driving with medical conditions

You could also read:

• DVLA: “900,000 drivers risking £1,000 fines!”
• Driving with Disability: What to Know