Form D1
The D1 form for a change of name
Form D1 is the free paper application DVLA uses to put a new name on a car or motorbike licence. Collect the D1 pack from a Post Office that offers DVLA services, because it cannot be downloaded or ordered online. Write your new name exactly as your proof shows it, then post the form with your licence and original proof to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BN.
- Free for a new name
- Posted, never online
- Checked with GOV.UK, October 2026
One form, whatever else is changing
GOV.UK’s fee table puts a new name at no cost by post and offers no online option for it, so the D1 is the only way in. The same form carries a new photo, a replacement for a lost licence or a change of gender, so one envelope covers the lot. Lorry and bus licences use its twin, the D2.
Where to get a D1 form
From a Post Office branch that deals with DVLA. GOV.UK says the only place to get a D1, D2 or D4 pack is a Post Office branch offering DVLA services. Its own wording elsewhere is “most Post Offices”, so look your branch up on the Post Office branch finder before you set off. GOV.UK calls what you collect a D1 pack of forms, with the application itself inside.
Not online. There is nothing to download, and DVLA’s online form ordering service, which sends out many of its other forms, says it cannot be used to order a D1, D2 or D4.
The counter hands it over but cannot take it back. Branches can renew a photocard licence, yet GOV.UK’s renewal guide says you cannot apply at a Post Office once your name has changed. The finished form goes to DVLA in the post.
Licence issued in Northern Ireland? Ask instead for the DVA’s form DL1, which nidirect says main Post Office branches keep. Form DL1 and the DVA.
Getting hold of form D1
- A Post Office that offers DVLA servicesYes
- Downloading and printing itNo
- DVLA’s online form orderingNo
- Handing it in at the counterNo
Driving a lorry or bus? Ask for the D2 pack, from the same branches.
How to fill in form D1 for a change of name
GOV.UK does not publish the form, but it does say what DVLA needs from someone whose name has changed. These are the parts that matter, and what goes in each.
- Your name, as your proof spells itEvery first, middle and last name, letter for letter as on your Deed Poll or certificate. Changing only a title, say Ms to Dr, uses the same form, and GOV.UK wants evidence only for a hereditary one.
- A UK passport number, or a share codeThe 9 digits of a valid UK passport prove who you are while the passport stays at home; an expired one’s number cannot be used. A UK Visas and Immigration share code does the same job. With a Deed Poll, a passport already in your new name also counts as the document in that name.
- Your old licence, or what happened to itIf it is going in the envelope, there is nothing to add. Lost, stolen or destroyed? Say what happened on the form and include £20. A lost licence and a new name.
- A photo, only when it is neededFor an old paper licence, or a new photo you choose for £17: one recent printed passport-type photo, unsigned on the back. Do you need a new photo?
- A countersignature, only sometimesIf you prove who you are with a document rather than a passport number or share code, as paper licence holders often do, someone who knows you signs the form and photo. GOV.UK says they must hold a GB photocard licence, live in the UK, and be neither a relative nor at your address.
- Your signatureSign the way you mean to sign your new name from now on, inside any box the form gives for it.
What to send with form D1
GOV.UK asks for your licence and the original documents that confirm your new name. Photocopies and laminated certificates are refused, and certificates must be signed and dated.
Always
- Form D1Filled in and signed.
- Your current licenceThe photocard in your old name, or an old paper licence.
- Your original proof of the new nameYour Deed Poll, or a marriage or civil partnership certificate, for example. Everything DVLA accepts.
- With a Deed Poll, one document in your new nameDated in the last 12 months and after the Deed Poll, or a UK passport number in the new name, written on the form.
Only if it applies
- A new photoA printed passport-type photo and £17.
- A paper licenceA photo and proof of identity. Paper licences.
- A lost licence£20, and what happened, on the form.
- A tracked envelope backStamped, self-addressed, Special Delivery or Signed For.
Fees go by cheque or postal order, payable to DVLA, and GOV.UK warns that damaged or altered cheques are turned away. Your originals come back separately from the licence, by second class post.
Where to send form D1 for a change of name
Each kind of licence has its own address. Pay the right postage, because your licence and original proof travel inside.
Swansea
SA99 1BN
Freefor a new name
Swansea
SA99 1BR
Freefor a new name
County Hall, Castlerock Road
Waterside, Coleraine
BT51 3TB
- Consider registered post. DVLA’s services update recommends it for posting original identity documents.
- Track them home. To follow your documents back, GOV.UK suggests enclosing a stamped Special Delivery or Signed For envelope addressed to yourself.
- Note the date you post it. DVLA asks postal applicants to allow 4 weeks and not to call before then.
Addresses from GOV.UK’s name change page and, for Northern Ireland, the Department for Infrastructure, checked October 2026.
Why form D1 cannot be done online
Every one of DVLA’s licence services that might look like a shortcut turns a new name away, each in its own words on GOV.UK. None gives a reason; what the postal route has, and they lack, is your original proof in DVLA’s hands.
| The service | What GOV.UK says about a new name |
|---|---|
| Changing your address online | With a name changing at the same time, you have to apply by post. Name and address together |
| Renewing your licence online | Once your name or title has changed, you can only apply by post. |
| Changing your photo online | Not available if your name or title has changed since your current licence. |
| Swapping a paper licence online | Not after a change of name: form D1 or D2, by post. Paper licences |
| Replacing a licence by phone | Only when none of your details have changed. |
| A Post Office counter | Not once your name has changed, even though branches renew photocards. |
From GOV.UK’s pages on changing an address, renewing, changing a photo, exchanging a paper licence and replacing a licence, checked October 2026.
After you post form D1
There is nothing more to do but wait, and you can drive while you do.
3 weeks
The usual wait
GOV.UK’s time for a licence applied for by post, longer if DVLA checks your identity or medical details.
4 weeks
Then contact DVLA
If nothing has arrived. DVLA asks postal applicants not to call before this.
Drive on
While it is away
GOV.UK’s name change page says you can still drive while you wait.
Separately
Your documents
They come back on their own, by second class post, separately from the licence.
More about form D1
Where can I get a D1 form?
From a Post Office branch that offers DVLA services. GOV.UK says the D1 pack is available nowhere else: there is no download, and DVLA’s online form ordering service cannot send one. GOV.UK links to the Post Office’s branch finder to find a branch. Getting the pack.
Can I download or print form D1?
No. GOV.UK says the D1, D2 and D4 packs come only from a Post Office that offers DVLA services, and its form ordering service says plainly that it cannot be used for any of the three. A Northern Ireland licence uses a different form, the DL1.
Can the Post Office send my D1 for a change of name?
No. Branches hand out the pack and can renew a photocard, but GOV.UK says you cannot apply at a Post Office once your name has changed. Post the form to DVLA yourself, with the right postage. Where to send it.
Where do I send a D1 form for a change of name?
For a car or motorbike licence, to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BN. A lorry or bus licence goes on form D2 to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BR, and a Northern Ireland licence on form DL1 to the DVA’s Driver Licensing Division in Coleraine.
How much does a D1 cost for a change of name?
Nothing for the new name itself. A new photo at the same time costs £17, and a licence that is lost, stolen or destroyed adds £20, each paid by cheque or postal order made out to DVLA.
Can one D1 change my name and my address?
Yes. Put both on the same form and send it with original proof of your new name; GOV.UK asks for nothing to prove the address. DVLA’s online address service cannot take a new name. Your name and address together.
Something else? Ask a paralegal and we will answer, usually the same working day.
Related answers
A Deed Poll to post with your D1
Apply online in about five minutes. A paralegal drafts your Deed Poll, quality control checks it, and it is posted the same working day, guaranteed to be accepted by DVLA.
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