Driving licence
Reading your driving licence
What does this guide cover? A photocard carries two sets of markings that people mix up constantly. Column 9 holds the categories, which are what you may drive. Column 12 holds the information codes, which are the conditions attached to each one. Neither has anything to do with penalty points.
52
35
17
The codes people actually have
| Code | What it means | When it appears |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Eyesight correction, for example glasses or contact lenses | The commonest code on the licence. It appears when you needed correction to read a number plate at 20 metres during the test, and it means you must wear it every time you drive. Driving without it is driving outside the terms of the licence. |
| 78 | Restricted to vehicles with automatic transmission | You passed in an automatic, so you may only drive automatics in that category. To lift it you take another test in a manual. This is the code that surprises people who bought a manual after passing in an electric car, because every electric car counts as an automatic. |
| 96 | Allowed to drive a vehicle and trailer where the trailer weighs at least 750kg, and the combined weight of the vehicle and trailer is between 3,500kg and 4,250kg | Earned by passing a shorter training course and assessment rather than a full test. It sits between plain category B and full BE. |
| 97 | Not allowed to drive category C1 vehicles which are required to have a tachograph fitted | Applies to grandfather rights C1 entitlement. It keeps the holder out of vehicles used commercially under drivers' hours rules. |
| 101 | Not for hire or reward, that is, not to make a profit | Common on minibus entitlement held under section 19 permits. You may drive it for a voluntary group but not for payment. |
| 115 | Organ donor | Not a driving restriction at all. It records that the holder joined the NHS Organ Donor Register when applying. |
| 122 | Valid on successful completion of the Basic Moped Training Course. This does not apply to trial e-scooters | The Northern Ireland equivalent of compulsory basic training. The entitlement is not usable until the course is done. |
What DVLA publishes, and what it stopped publishing
- Driving licence categories are different in Northern Ireland, and DVLA says so at the top of its own page.
- You do not need a driving licence for electric bikes, mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs.
- DVLA removed the minimum ages from the driving licence categories page in December 2024. Where an age is shown below it comes from the separate GOV.UK page that still publishes it, and where none is shown the page says so rather than filling in a figure.
- Category BE is no longer earned by a test in Great Britain. DVLA adds it to a category B licence at the next renewal, and DVSA publication INF30 sets out what that means in practice.
Common questions
- What are the numbers on the back of my driving licence?
- Information codes. They sit in column 12 against a category and set the conditions you must meet to drive it. Code 01 means you need eyesight correction, and code 78 restricts you to automatic transmission.
- What is the difference between a code and a category?
- A category is what you may drive: B for a car, C1 for a medium sized vehicle. A code is a condition on that entitlement. Categories are in column 9 and codes are in column 12, on the same row.
- Why is there no minimum age on the categories page?
- Because DVLA removed the ages from its categories page in December 2024. Where an age is shown on this site it comes from the separate GOV.UK page that still publishes it, and where none is shown the page says so rather than filling in a figure.
- Are the codes the same as penalty points?
- No, and they are not in the same place. Information codes are conditions on what you may drive. Endorsement codes such as SP30 record offences and carry penalty points, and they sit in a different part of the record entirely.
Sources
- DVLA, Driving licence codes (as of 20 December 2024)
- DVLA, Driving licence categories (as of 18 December 2024)
- DVSA, Riding a motorcycle, moped or motor tricycle (as of 23 January 2025)
- DVSA, Driving lessons and learning to drive (as of 7 September 2026)
- Department for Transport, DVLA and DVSA, Towing with a car (as of 11 March 2015)
- DVSA, INF30: requirements for towing trailers in Great Britain (as of 7 September 2026)
- DVLA, Vehicles you can drive (as of 7 September 2026)