Restarting driver and rider testing: update

We let you know that we were restarting testing and training in a phased approach. Here’s an update on some of the main areas.

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Theory test availability

We’ve reopened most of our theory test centres in England, Scotland and Wales. 

In England and Wales, we’ve worked with Pearson VUE to change the 2 metre social distancing rule to 1 metre with risk mitigations in place. This means we’re now able to offer more appointments and reduce waiting times.

We will also work with the devolved administration in Scotland to continue to offer more appointments as soon as we can.

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Driving test availability

We’ve opened 291 out of 307 driving centres in England – up from 290 since we updated you on 7 August 2020.

31 out of 35 test centres in Wales have reopened today (17 August).

When candidates arrange a test, they can see available appointments within the next 6 weeks. We’re not taking bookings any further in advance at the moment. This is so we can react quickly to any changes in government guidance about coronavirus.

Test centres in Scotland remain closed, except for motorcycle tests and critical workers. We will continue to monitor COVID-19 advice from the Scottish Government.

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Emailing candidates to arrange their test

Over 210,000 driving tests were put on hold due to coronavirus. We have now emailed all candidates in England and Wales to ask them to rearrange their test – over 170,000 candidates in total.

Some of the email addresses given on bookings did not work, so we’re sending text messages or letters to those affected so they can rearrange their test.

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DVSA customer service centre

Our customer service centre is still receiving an extremely high number of calls and emails.

We’re sorry for the delays in getting through, but please help us by only calling if absolutely necessary.

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Emergency tests for critical workers

We announced that the services to apply for emergency theory tests and driving tests for critical workers closed on Friday 14 August.

We have now invited all critical workers in England, Scotland and Wales to either:

• book a new test, if they did not have one cancelled due to coronavirus
• rearrange their cancelled test

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Returning to the UK

If you or your pupil have entered the UK in the last 14 days, you must not go to a driving test unless you:

• arrived from a country on the ‘travel corridor’ list
• belong to one of the groups who do not have to self-isolate

The government keeps the conditions in countries on the travel corridor list under review, and it is regularly updated. 

France, the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos Islands and Aruba have now been removed from the list.

Check the list regularly for the latest information.

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Valid theory test certificates checks

As part of our normal ID and eligibility checks our driving examiners are checking for valid theory test certificates.

If your pupil does not have a valid certificate the test will not go ahead.

If your pupil has lost or damaged their certificate they can apply for a replacement letter by contacting customercare@pearson.com. They’ll need to provide their:

• name
• address
• date of birth
• driving licence number

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More information

Check GOV.UK for the latest about:

• theory tests
• driving tests
• instructor guidance

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Daily update from GOV.​UK.

Car driving tests  

Coronavirus: driving tests

Page summary
Check when driving tests and motorcycle tests restart in England, Scotland and Wales, and find out what changes to expect when you take your test.

Change made
Updated the section about rearranging your cancelled test, as emails have now been sent to everyone in England and Wales. Removed the section about people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from coronavirus, as shielding has now been paused in England, Scotland and Wales.

Emergency driving test application service to close

The online service to apply for an emergency driving or theory test if you’re a critical worker has closed today (14 August 2020).

Inviting critical workers to book a test

We’ll continue to provide emergency tests to critical workers who have already successfully applied for a driving test. We’ll email them to invite them to arrange a test appointment online as soon as possible.

When critical workers book their test they will be able to see all available appointments for the next 6 weeks.

Limiting the booking window to 6 weeks allows us to respond to any change to COVID-19 government guidance on a national and local level.

When the booking service will reopen

At present the booking system remains closed to all new non-critical tests. We’ll let you know when we are reopening the service for everyone. This includes people who:

• have now taken a test that was originally cancelled due to coronavirus, but failed and need to retake their test
• are taking a test for the first time

Until we reopen the booking service to the general public, only critical workers who have been invited to book a test can use it.

Tests for non-critical workers should not booked.

We’ll monitor tests booked for non-critical workers and we’ll cancel any that do not match our records.

Why the critical worker service is closing

Since we introduced the emergency test service the situation has changed significantly.

The crucial need to provide NHS staff and ambulance drivers with a driving test to support the government response to the pandemic has eased.

Public transport is now much more readily available, and people are allowed to share cars with appropriate measures in place, in most of the UK.

The country is going back to work.

To help us return our services to normal, we need to move away from offering tests exclusively to critical workers and reopen our services to the general public.

We will update you again once the date for reopening the online booking service to the general public has been confirmed.

More information

Check GOV.UK for the latest about:

• theory tests
• driving tests
• instructor guidance

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Restarting driver and rider testing: update

We let you know that we were restarting testing and training in a phased approach. Here’s an update on some of the main areas.

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Local lockdowns

When local lockdown restrictions are introduced in an area, we review how this affects our services.

If you’re in an affected area, we will contact you and your pupils directly.

We’ve already been doing this in Leicester and other areas affected by local lockdowns and restrictions.

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Theory test availability

We’ve reopened most of our theory test centres in England, Scotland and Wales. 

In England, we’ve worked with Pearson VUE to change the 2 metre social distancing rule to 1 metre with risk mitigations in place. This means we’re now able to offer more appointments and reduce waiting times.

We will also work with the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to continue to offer more appointments as soon as we can.

We’re continuing to work with Pearson VUE to open as many of the remaining closed centres as possible. In some cases, they’re shared buildings, and we’re waiting for the main occupant to reopen them. 

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Driving test availability

We’ve opened 290 out of 307 driving centres in England – up from 274 since we updated you on 27 July 2020.

30 out of 35 test centres in Wales are due to open on 17 August.

When your pupils are invited to rearrange their test, they’ll be able to see available appointments within the next 6 weeks.

Test centres in Scotland remain closed, except for motorcycle tests and critical workers. We will continue to monitor COVID-19 advice from the Scottish Government.

Reopening the remaining test centres

We’re working hard to reopen the remaining driving test centres. We need to finish carrying out:

• health and safety checks
• water checks
• PPE distribution checks

At some test centres, we still need the landlord to carry out some checks before we can reopen.

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Emailing candidates to arrange their test

Over 210,000 driving tests were put on hold due to coronavirus. So far, we’ve invited over 146,000 people to choose a new appointment. 

It might take a few more weeks for your pupils to get their email, depending on when their test was originally scheduled.

We’ll let you know when we’ve finished this process.

Our customer service centre cannot tell your pupils when they’ll get their email, so please encourage them not to call us. 

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DVSA customer service centre

Our customer service centre is receiving an extremely high number of calls and emails.

Between 20 and 31 July, we received an average of 28,863 calls per day – with a peak of 45,686. It took us an average of 24 minutes and 5 seconds to answer a call.

At the same time last year, we averaged 3,403 calls per day, and it took us an average of 35 seconds to answer a call.

We’re sorry for the delays in getting through, but please help us by only calling if absolutely necessary.

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Emergency tests for critical workers

We’re continuing to process applications for emergency tests for critical workers.

If your pupil has applied for an emergency test in the last few weeks, we’ve emailed them to let them know we’ll be in touch soon with more information.

As we continue to restart our normal services, we will keep the need for this service under review.

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Wear a face covering if you come into a test centre

Driving test centre waiting rooms are closed to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, but the toilets are available on request.

You must wear a face covering if you want to enter the test centre to use the toilet, unless there’s a good reason you cannot wear one.

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Returning to the UK

If you or your pupil have entered the UK in the last 14 days, you must not go to a driving test unless you:

• arrived from a country on the ‘travel corridor’ list
• belong to one of the groups who do not have to self-isolate

The government keeps the conditions in countries on the travel corridor list under review, and it is regularly updated. 

You should check the list regularly.

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More information

Check GOV.UK for the latest about:

• theory tests
• driving tests
• instructor guidance

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