Updated: News article updated to include information on websites that charge an additional fee for vehicle tax
DVLA warns that when applying online for your driving licence or to tax your vehicle, you should always make sure you use the official GOV.UK site.
DVLA has been made aware of several websites offering a check and send service for driving licence or vehicle tax applications. These services are in no way affiliated with DVLA. You may come across these websites in the sponsored links or paid-for results section when using online search engines. The Office of Fair Trading has ruled that websites which charge additional fees and services are not acting illegally.
These websites will claim to offer value-added services to ensure your application is correct before you send it to DVLA. However, using this service will mean you can end up paying as much as 3 times the normal price for your driving licence, and all you will receive is a paper application form that has been completed for you.
The government, led by Cabinet Office’s Government Digital Service (GDS), will continue to investigate reports of organisations which may be actively misleading users about their services or acting illegally, taking swift action when necessary. By using the online driving licence or vehicle tax transactions on GOV.UK you can be sure that you are dealing directly with DVLA and you will not be charged any additional fees for your driving licence or vehicle tax. Your driving licence or vehicle tax application will be completed online without the need for a paper application in the majority of cases.
You can find the online driving licence and vehicle tax services in the driving licence and vehicle tax sections of GOV.UK.