If you have had 2 or more unprovoked seizures within a 5-year period, the following can be considered as part of your application to drive:
- If you have epilepsy, you need to have been free from any seizure for 1 year. This means being free of all types of seizure activity, including, for example, partial seizures, myoclonic seizures, auras, absences, and episodes that do not affect consciousness. Seizures without influence on consciousness or the ability to act.
- If over the course of at least 1 year from the date of your first seizure, you establish a history or pattern of seizures which do not affect consciousness, or cause any functional impairment, we can consider your application to drive again. You must also never have experienced any other type of unprovoked seizure.
If you have had 2 or more unprovoked seizures within a 5-year period, the following can be considered as part of your application to drive:
Asleep seizures:
- If you have had a seizure whilst asleep, you must stop driving for 1 year from the date of the seizure. If over the course of at least 1 year from the date of the first sleep seizure you establish a history or pattern of seizures only occurring whilst asleep, we can consider your application to drive again.
- If there is a history of awake and sleep seizures, and then you establish a pattern of seizures whilst sleep (starting at least 3 years before you apply for a driving licence and there have been no other unprovoked seizures whilst awake during those 3 years), we can consider your application to drive.
Isolated Seizure:
If you have had your first unprovoked epileptic seizure (isolated seizure) you must stop driving for 6 months from the date of the seizure, or for 1 year if there are other clinical factors, or results of investigations, that suggest an underlying cause that may increase the risk of a further seizure.
Withdrawal of epilepsy medication:
If your doctor has advised you to reduce, withdraw, or change your epilepsy medication and you have a seizure, you must stop driving immediately for 1 year from the date of seizure (unless points 2, 3 or 4 as
shown under Epilepsy can be met with regards to seizures without influence on consciousness or the ability to act or asleep seizures). You must also tell DVLA.
We can consider an earlier reapplication if both of the following can be met:
- the seizure took place within 6 months of your medication being reduced, withdrawn, or changed
And
- previously effective medication has been reinstated for 6 months, and you have had no further seizures in the 6 months since restarting the medication
Telling DVLA about a change in your condition:
You can voluntarily surrender your license if your condition now affects your ability to drive safely and you do not meet the required medical standard for safe driving. More information on how to do this can be found at www.gov.uk/giving-up-your-driving-licence.
If you do not surrender your license, you will need to complete a medical questionnaire and DVLA will carry out medical checks to decide if you can continue to drive.