What is a DVLA check code?
A DVLA check code lets a car hire desk, employer or insurer see the vehicles you can drive and any penalty points. It lasts 21 days, works once, and is not the codes printed on your photocard.
· Updated 14 September 2026
A DVLA check code is for a car hire desk, an employer, or an insurer. You generate it, then they use it to see the vehicles you are allowed to drive and whether you have penalty points. They redeem it on GOV.UK with the last 8 characters of your driving licence number.
The code lasts 21 days and can be used once. After it is redeemed it dies, even if days are left on the clock. It shows entitlements, penalty points and licence status. It does not show your address or National Insurance number, and it is not the restriction codes printed on the back of your photocard.
This page is the definition and the decision. For the tap-by-tap path, use how to generate a DVLA check code.
DVLA check code at a glance
| Check code | Restriction codes on the card | Employer mandate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | One-use share code from DVLA | Conditions printed on the photocard (01, 78, 96) | Ongoing permission for a company to re-check you |
| Lasts | 21 days, then unused codes expire | Until DVLA changes your licence | Up to 3 years with Driver Codes |
| Who uses it | Hire desks, one-off employers, insurers | You, when you look at what you may drive | Fleets and transport managers |
| Best for | A single proof of your record | Understanding glasses, automatics, trailers | Regular workplace checks |
| Official path | GOV.UK View driving licence | The back of your photocard | Driver Codes for business |
How do I get a DVLA check code?
You generate it yourself. Nobody else can pull a valid code for your licence without your details.
On GOV.UK you need your driving licence number, your National Insurance number, and the postcode printed on your licence. The official service is View or share your driving licence information. That page is for licences issued in England, Wales or Scotland. You can also create a code through your driver and vehicles account.
In the Driver Codes app you open Check codes, generate a fresh code, then share a link, a QR code, or the full-screen code at a desk. The app walkthrough is in how to generate a check code.
GOV.UK does not charge for a check code. If a website asks you to pay to create one, it is not the official service.
How to get a share code for DVLA?
Share code and check code are the same consumer code. Drivers, hire desks and fleet admins mix the names. You still generate one code and hand over two things:
- The check code
- The last 8 characters of your driving licence number
The requester redeems both at Check someone's driving licence information. A code on its own is useless. The last 8 characters on their own are useless. Both are required, and GOV.UK states the code can only be used once.
If your employer asks every month, a fresh share code each time is the official consumer path. Fleets can instead use a mandate: you authorise once in the app, then the company re-checks you on a schedule. That is £1 per app linked check (£1.60 if ADD based), no driver fees, no lock-in. Drivers never pay. See Driver Codes for business.
What can a DVLA check code be used for?
Hire companies ask for one at the collection desk when they need points and entitlements, not just the photocard. Employers ask when you start a driving job or when they run a periodic check. Insurers sometimes ask when they set up or review a policy. Some agencies ask before they put you in a van or an HGV.
The checker sees:
- The categories of vehicle you may drive
- Penalty points and disqualifications
- Whether the licence is valid
They do not see your address or National Insurance number. That is why a check code replaced handing over a photocopy of the old paper counterpart, which DVLA abolished in June 2015.
You can generate more than one unused code if two organisations need a check in the same week. Each recipient still needs their own unused code, because each redemption burns that code.
How long does a DVLA check code last?
21 days from the moment you create it, according to GOV.UK View or share your driving licence information. GOV.UK Check someone's driving licence adds the second rule: you must use the code within those 21 days, and you can only use it once.
The failure mode at a hire desk is almost always one of these:
- You generated the code last month and it has expired
- You already gave the same code to an insurer, so it is spent
- The desk typed the last 8 characters of the licence number incorrectly
- You are holding a Northern Ireland licence and used the Great Britain service
Generate a spare unused code before you travel if the hire company has said they will ask. Keep an unused one in the Driver Codes app so you are not logging into GOV.UK on airport Wi-Fi.
What are DVLA codes?
Three different things share that search.
Check codes are the temporary share codes this page is about. They are not printed on the card.
Restriction codes such as 01 (glasses or contact lenses), 78 (automatic only) and 96 (certain trailer weights) are printed on the photocard. Those are explained in what the codes on a driving licence mean.
Endorsement codes such as speeding or mobile-phone offences live on your digital record with the points. They are not on the photocard. See how to check points on your licence.
If a hire desk asks for "your DVLA code", they almost always mean a check code plus the last 8 characters of the licence number.
What is a DVA check code?
A DVA check code is the Northern Ireland version. The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), not DVLA, issues licences in Northern Ireland. The GOV.UK check-code service states it is for licences issued in England, Wales or Scotland.
If your photocard was issued in Northern Ireland, use the DVA / nidirect licence check-code service instead of GOV.UK. Driver Codes is built around DVLA records for Great Britain.
Is a DVLA check code safe?
Yes, with two limits you should treat as hard rules.
The code is read-only. Nobody can change your address, add points, or renew your licence with it. It is time-limited and one-use, which is why GOV.UK built it that way after the paper counterpart disappeared.
It is still your driving record. Only share a code with an organisation you asked to check you. GOV.UK states it is a criminal offence to obtain someone else's personal information without their permission. An employer cannot legally pull your record because they know your name.
If you generate a code and then change your mind, do not send it. Generate a new one later if you still want the check to happen.
Do I need a DVLA check code every time?
For hire desks and one-off insurers, yes. Each organisation needs its own unused, unexpired code.
For a workplace that checks you on a timetable, repeating share codes is the bit that breaks. Drivers forget. Codes expire in the inbox. Someone pastes a spent code on Monday morning. That is why operators move drivers onto a mandate instead of collecting codes.
For regular workplace checks, the driver authorises once in the Driver Codes app. The company then runs app-linked checks at £1 each, or £1.60 if the check has to go via DVLA Access to Driver Data (ADD). No driver fees. No lock-in. You can still generate a normal check code in the app whenever a hire desk asks.
When a check code is the wrong tool
Skip a check code if you only want to see your own points or entitlements. Use check my driving licence or the GOV.UK view service. You do not need to share anything with yourself.
Skip it if you hold a Northern Ireland licence and you are on the Great Britain GOV.UK page. Use DVA.
Skip a monthly share-code ritual if you drive for a fleet that will check you all year. A mandate is less work for you and cleaner for them. A one-van tradesperson who checks a mate once a year should stay on free GOV.UK codes.
What to do next
Need a code in the next few minutes? Follow how to generate a DVLA check code.
Need an employer to stop asking you for a new code every time? Send them Driver Codes for business.
