Adding higher categories to your driving licence

    Get a ‘provisional entitlement’ and then take a test to get higher categories added to your licence. You may also be automatically entitled to lower categories if you pass a higher category driving test.

    Staging – adding higher category entitlements to your licence

    If you have the right entitlement on your licence, you can then apply for provisional entitlement for a higher category of vehicle to be put on your licence. This is called ‘staging’.

    For example, you must have a full car licence before you can apply for provisional entitlement to drive a lorry, minibus or bus.

    Once you’ve got the provisional entitlement you can take the test for the new category.

    The table shows the full licence you need before you can apply for provisional entitlement in the higher categories.

    Provisional entitlement requiredFull licence needed
    B+E*, G*, H*, C1, C, D1, DB
    C1+EC1
    C+EC
    D1+ED1
    D+ED

    * You automatically get provisional entitlement to these categories with a full B (car) licence.

    The entitlements you have are shown on your licence. If your licence was issued before 1 January 1997 it may already include some higher categories.

    Driving licences issued from 14 October 2012 look different, but your existing licence will still be valid.

    Upgrading – getting lower categories added automatically when you pass a driving test

    If you pass the driving test for a larger vehicle category, sometimes you’ll have lower categories upgraded automatically.

    Example
    If you have a licence with entitlements for vehicle categories B and C1 and then pass the C1+E test, you’ll not only get entitlement to drive C1+E vehicles, but will also be automatically upgraded to drive B+E category vehicles.

    The rules are different for trailer entitlements. If you get the trailer entitlement for a larger vehicle you won’t get the trailer entitlement for the smaller vehicles you’d normally get through upgrading.

    As a guideline:

    • lorry entitlements can upgrade bus entitlements
    • bus entitlements can’t upgrade lorry entitlements
    • both lorry and bus entitlements can upgrade car entitlements

    The table shows the original vehicle categories held, the higher vehicle category that’s been passed and the vehicle categories that will be upgraded automatically.

    Full category heldNew test passedUpgrading
    B, C1C1+EB+E
    B, D1D1+EB+E
    B, C1, D1C1+EB+E, D1+E
    B, C1, D1D1+EB+E
    B, C1, D1C+EB+E, C1+E
    B, C1, C, D1, DD+EB+E, D1+E
    B, C1, C, D1, DC+EB+E, C1+E, D1+E, D+E

    Further information

    For further information about staging or upgrading write to the DVLA Drivers Customer Services.

    Drivers Customer Services

    Correspondence Team

    D12

    DVLA

    Swansea

    SA6 7JL