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Lost licence, new name

Lost your driving licence and changed your name?

One form does both. Fill in form D1 in your new name, say on it that the licence is lost, stolen or destroyed, and post it to DVLA with £20 by cheque or postal order for the replacement, your original Deed Poll and one document in your new name. The new name costs nothing, and GOV.UK confirms you may carry on driving in the UK while DVLA deals with it.

What goes in the envelope Apply online – £18.50
  • One form D1
  • £20 for the lost licence
  • Checked with GOV.UK, October 2026
A woman with a short silver bob in a mustard cardigan kneeling on a coral sofa, reaching down behind the cushions, a few coins beside her

Two jobs, one envelope

GOV.UK’s page on changing the name on a licence covers this exact case: you can still apply when the old licence has been lost, stolen or destroyed, and the form is where you say what happened to it. There is no need to replace the licence first and change the name afterwards.

D1 Lost £20 No licence DVLA Swansea SA99 1BN 1 2 3 4
An illustration of a lost licence and a new name in one application to DVLA. The numbers match the list.
Your envelope

What to send when the licence is gone

  1. Form D1, in your new nameFrom most Post Offices. Fill it in as your Deed Poll spells the name, and use the form to say what happened to the licence: lost, stolen or destroyed.
  2. £20 by cheque or postal orderMade out to DVLA. GOV.UK warns that a damaged or altered cheque will not be accepted.
  3. Your original Deed PollSigned and witnessed. Not a photocopy or a certified copy, and never laminated. It comes back to you on its own.
  4. One document in your new nameIssued in the last 12 months, after your Deed Poll and your last licence, such as a UK bank statement or a council letter. Or write the number of a UK passport in your new name on the form.
  5. No licence to encloseThat is what the £20 covers. If yours was a paper licence, add a passport-type photo and proof of identity, because the replacement is a photocard.

To DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BN, or SA99 1BR for a lorry or bus licence on form D2. Your originals are inside, so pay the right postage.

Online or by phone?

Why the quick replacement routes will not do

GOV.UK’s online replacement costs £20 and should reach you within a week, which makes it tempting. But a new name is something DVLA takes only by post: its fee table marks a change of name as not available online.

Replacing by phone is narrower still. GOV.UK keeps it for photocard holders whose details have not changed at all. So once your name is different, the lost licence and the new name travel together, on paper.

Already ordered a replacement online in your old name? Then the change of name is a separate application on form D1, with the new licence and your Deed Poll. Changing the name on a licence, step by step.

Lost licence and a new name

  • Replacing it online at GOV.UKNo
  • Replacing it by phoneNo
  • Two applications, one after the otherNo need
  • Form D1 by post, both at onceYes

By post, GOV.UK says to expect the new licence in about 3 weeks.

Stolen, or found again

If it was stolen, and if it turns up

The form and the fee are the same either way. Two things are different, and GOV.UK spells out both.

A stolen licence

GOV.UK says to contact the police if your licence is stolen. Then fill in form D1 as above, saying on it that the licence was stolen, with the £20 and your proof of the new name.

Was your Deed Poll taken with it? A replacement gives you a new original to send. The Replacement Deed Poll.

Found it after all

If the old licence turns up after you have applied, or after the new one has arrived, GOV.UK says you must send it back to DVLA with a note explaining what happened.

DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AB

Driving meanwhile

Can I drive while I wait for the new licence?

In the UK, yes. GOV.UK’s name change page confirms that driving can carry on until the new licence arrives, and a lost licence goes on that same form.

Abroad, no. GOV.UK’s guidance on driving abroad says that if your licence has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, you need a new one before you can drive outside the UK. A hire car abroad is handed over against the card, so book any trip that involves driving for after it arrives.

Working to a date? How long DVLA takes, and when to chase it.

Until the new licence arrives

  • Driving in the UKYes
  • Driving abroad, or hiring a car thereNot yet

Trip coming up? Allow about 3 weeks for the new card, and longer if DVLA has to check your details.

Lost more than the licence?

When something else went missing too

A lost wallet or a house move rarely takes just one card. Here is what each of the usual companions needs.

Your Deed Poll

Lost the Deed Poll as well

DVLA needs an original, and a certified copy will not do. A Replacement Deed Poll is a new original that records your change of name and when you made it, so it can go to DVLA with the form.

If you have lost your Deed Poll

Your log book

Lost the V5C as well

A lost log book and a new name go to DVLA on form V62, with a letter giving the reason and £25 payable to “DVLA, Swansea”, sent to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1DD. It can take up to 6 weeks, and you need a UK address.

The log book and a new name

Your address

Moved house as well

The same form D1 changes the address too, at no extra cost. GOV.UK’s online address service cannot help here, because it sends anyone changing their name as well to the postal form.

Name and address together
Posting it

Sending it, and getting your papers back

Post the envelope to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BN, and pay the right postage: GOV.UK reminds you to, and your original Deed Poll is inside. DVLA suggests thinking about registered post whenever original identity documents are inside.

The new licence and your documents come back separately, the documents by second class post. To follow them home, put in a stamped Special Delivery or Signed For envelope addressed to yourself.

  • About 3 weeksGOV.UK’s usual time for a licence applied for by post
  • 4 weeksWhen DVLA asks postal applicants to get in touch if nothing has come
A red pillar post box with no lettering on it, and a hand in a pale blue cuff posting a long cream envelope
Our Deed Polls

The original DVLA needs, whichever you are missing

Not changed your name yet? Our Adult Deed Poll is the proof DVLA asks for: one page, signed in your old and new names, with space for two witnesses. We recommend using both.

Lost the Deed Poll you had? A Replacement Deed Poll records the change you already made, whoever drafted the first one, and you do not need the old one to hand. Both are £18.50, drafted by a paralegal and posted the same working day.

Adult or replacement

£18.50

  • An original DVLA accepts, never a copy
  • Guaranteed to be accepted, or your money back
  • Hand-drafted by a paralegal, then checked
  • In the post the same working day
Apply online – £18.50 Replacing a lost Deed Poll
Questions & answers

More about a lost licence and a new name

Can I replace a lost driving licence and change my name at the same time?

Yes, on one form D1. Fill it in with your new name, say on it that the licence was lost, stolen or destroyed, and post it to DVLA with £20 by cheque or postal order, your original Deed Poll and one document in your new name. GOV.UK confirms you can still apply without the old licence. What goes in the envelope.

How much does it cost to replace a lost licence with a new name on it?

£20, payable to DVLA by cheque or postal order. That is the fee for the missing licence: changing the name on a driving licence is free. A damaged or altered cheque will not be accepted.

Can I replace my lost licence online if my name has changed?

No. The online replacement is quicker, but DVLA’s fee table marks a change of name as not available online, and replacing by phone is only for photocard holders whose details have not changed. With a new name, the replacement goes by post on form D1. Why the quick routes will not do.

Can I drive while I wait for my replacement licence?

In the UK, yes: GOV.UK’s name change page confirms that you may carry on driving until the new licence arrives. Abroad, no: GOV.UK’s guidance on driving abroad says you need a new licence before you can drive outside the UK if yours has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. Driving meanwhile.

My licence was stolen. What should I do?

GOV.UK says to contact the police first. Then apply on form D1 in your new name, saying the licence was stolen, with £20 and your proof of the new name. If your Deed Poll went too, a Replacement Deed Poll gives you a new original to send. Stolen, or found again.

What if I find my old licence after applying?

Send it back. GOV.UK says that if you find your old licence after applying for a replacement, or after receiving one, you must return it to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AB, with a note explaining what happened.

Something else? Ask a paralegal and we will answer, usually the same working day.

Keep reading

Related answers

Changing your driving licenceForm D1 by post, free and never online, plus Northern Ireland.Read this I have lost my Deed PollWhat to do first, and why you do not change your name again.Read this How long DVLA takes to change your nameUsually 3 weeks by post, chase after 4, and keep driving meanwhile.Read this

The Deed Poll for your new licence, posted today

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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