What is a DR10 endorsement?

DR10 is the DVLA code for driving or attempting to drive with alcohol level above limit. It carries 3 to 11 points and stays on the driving record for 11 years from the date of the conviction. The points count towards the 12 point totting total for 3 years from the offence date, which is a different clock from the 11 year print period. Use the number on your record, which will sit inside the published range. The code is what a licence check shows an insurer or an employer.

How many points does DR10 carry?

3 to 11 points, which is the range DVLA publishes. A fixed penalty, where one exists for the underlying offence, uses a single number inside that range. A court can use any number in the range, or can disqualify instead of points where the offence guideline allows it. A new driver is revoked at 6 points, so a code at the top of its range can cancel a new licence on its own.

How long does DR10 stay on a licence?

11 years from the date of the conviction. It counts towards totting for 3 years from the offence date. After that it can still be visible until the 11 year point. Drink and drug codes use conviction as the start of the 11 year stay. Most other codes, including this one if it is a 4 year code, use the offence date. Insurers ask about unspent convictions, which is not the same clock.

What does DR10 do to insurance?

No official code specific premium change is published. The Highway Code says insurance costs are likely to rise considerably after conviction for a serious driving offence.

Does DR10 carry penalty points?

DVLA publishes 3 to 11 points. The ordinary Sentencing Council guideline for driving over the limit requires disqualification, so points are not the ordinary disposal. The code still sits on the record for 11 years from conviction. An insurer who asks about endorsements wants the letters, not a debate about whether points were imposed.

How long does DR10 last compared with speeding?

11 years from conviction, valid for 10, against 4 years from the offence for SP30. For totting purposes the measure remains 3 years from the offence. So the DR10 code remains on the record well past the point it stops counting towards 12. A drink-drive course does not shorten that 11 years.

Will DR10 stop me driving for work after the ban?

The ban stops you during the disqualification. After that, the employer can still see DR10 for years and can still refuse a driving role. GOV.UK says an employer will see the conviction if you drive for work. No official 'safe after X years' period is published for employment. Answer the question you are asked.

Is a Scottish drink drive still DR10?

A Great Britain licence still takes a drink driving code from a Scottish conviction. Scotland's prescribed limit is lower: 22 microgrammes of breath, 50 milligrammes of blood, 67 milligrammes of urine. The 11 year DVLA stay still applies to the GB record. The England and Wales sentencing rows on the drink driving page do not.

Endorsement code

DR10: Driving or attempting to drive with alcohol level above limit

Summary: DR10 carries 3 to 11 points and stays on the driving record for 11 years from the conviction.

3 to 11 points

Published points

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Penalty points endorsements: endorsement codes and penalty points (as of 10 September 2026)

11 years

From conviction

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, How long endorsements stay on your driving record (as of 10 September 2026)

Not published

Official code specific premium change

Department for Transport, The Highway Code: Annex 5, penalties (as of 10 September 2026)

Checked on 10 September 2026.

When must DR10 be declared?

Answer an insurer's questions about unspent convictions. A road traffic endorsement may become spent after 5 years for an adult or 2 years 6 months if under 18, but another sentence can make the period longer.
The time an endorsement remains on the licence is not a universal insurance declaration period.
If an insurer asks about unspent convictions, answer the question accurately.

How can DR10 affect insurance?

No official code specific premium change is published. The Highway Code says insurance costs are likely to rise considerably after conviction for a serious driving offence.
No official source publishes a fixed premium increase for this code, so no percentage is shown.

What does a DR10 mean on a driving licence?

DR10 is driving or attempting to drive with alcohol above the limit. DVLA publishes 3 to 11 points and a stay of 11 years from the date of the conviction. That 11 year stay from conviction is the drink family, not the 4 year speeding family. The ordinary Sentencing Council guideline requires a ban of at least 12 months, so points are not the ordinary disposal. The code still prints. Insurers still see DR10.

A second relevant conviction in 10 years lifts the minimum ban to 3 years. High risk offender status, on the GOV.UK disqualification page, can also follow a high reading or a refusal. Getting a licence back then needs a medical you pay for.

DR20 is unfit through drink, a different code with the same 11 year clock. Do not relabel one as the other.

DR10 stays 11 years from conviction and is valid for 10. That is a different bar from a 4 year SP30. The 3 year count for totting runs from the offence date here as well.

Example

A first DR10, 14 month ban, 11 years on the record

Code: DR10
Conviction date: The date the court sentenced
Stay: 11 years from conviction
Totting clock: 3 years from the offence date, but points are not the ordinary disposal

The court must disqualify for at least 12 months on a first relevant offence.
DR10 is added from the conviction date for the 11 year print period.
A drink-drive rehabilitation course, if offered and completed, usually cuts the ban by a quarter. It does not shorten the 11 years.
Insurance questions continue for years after you are allowed to drive again.
A new driver who is banned still has to apply for a new licence when the ban ends, and may still have to retake tests depending on the order.

DR10 is an 11 year code. The ban ends first. The letters stay. A course shortens the ban, not the record.

How does DR10 affect insurance, work and travel?

GOV.UK says insurance costs will increase significantly, an employer will see the conviction if you drive for work, and you may have trouble travelling to countries like the USA. No official premium percentage is published. Answer unspent-conviction questions. A drink driving sentence can extend the rehabilitation period beyond a simple fine.

Scotland's lower drink limit can produce a DR10 on a GB licence for a reading that would have been legal in England. The 11 year stay is still the DVLA rule. Northern Ireland uses DVA and a different high risk medical process.

A company car and a hire car are not a different code. The driver is banned and endorsed.

Published range 3 to 11 points, stay 11 years from the date of the conviction.
Ordinary guideline: obligatory ban, not points.
Second relevant conviction in 10 years: minimum 3 year ban.
A course can shorten the ban. It does not shorten the 11 years.

What do people get wrong about DR10?

That it drops off at 4 years like speeding. It does not. That a course wipes the code. It usually cuts the ban by a quarter. That points will tot you up on a first DR10. The ordinary row bans instead of pointing. That Scotland uses this page's 36 microgramme court rows. Scotland has a lower limit and its own courts.

What happens if I ignore a drink driving charge?

There is no fixed penalty to sit out. The summons is the process. A hearing can go ahead without you. The obligatory ban still starts when the court says it starts. Driving after that is a new offence. High risk offender medicals still apply if you meet those thresholds, whether you attended or not.

A drink-drive course has to be accepted in court. You cannot change your mind later. Ignoring the hearing is how people lose the usual quarter off a 12 month-plus ban as well as collecting a larger sentence.

GOV.UK says you need a new licence after a drink drive disqualification. The old photocard is not a spare. High risk offenders get a D27PH 90 days before the ban ends. Ignoring that letter delays the medical and delays the licence.

How does DR10 affect employment, travel and a company car?

GOV.UK warns that premiums rise sharply, an employer will see a drink conviction if you drive for work, and travel to places such as the USA can be affected. A driving job can end the day of the ban. Some employers treat drink driving as misconduct even when the driving was private. Tell them on the facts.

A company car will be taken back during the ban. A hire car will not be rented to a disqualified driver. After the ban, DR10 still prints for years. That is the 11 year stay from conviction.

Scotland's lower limit can put DR10 on a GB licence for a reading that would have been legal in England. The 11 year DVLA stay still applies. Northern Ireland uses DVA and a different medical process. A GB ban still stops you driving there.

How do I read DR10 on a licence check?

DR10 prints for 11 years from conviction. The ban ends much sooner. A check in year 6 will still show DR10. That is correct. Totting may no longer count it. The print still does. Tell an insurer what is on the record if they ask about endorsements. Tell them the conviction date if they ask when it happened.

Points may be absent because the ordinary guideline bans. The letters are still there. Do not say you have no endorsement because you have no points. DR10 is the endorsement.

A high risk offender medical is a DVLA process after the ban, not a line on the code table. If you had to take it, say so when a new insurer asks how you got the licence back. A D27PH is the form. Northern Ireland is a different office.

Note DR10 and the conviction date, not only the offence date.
Note the ban length and whether a course shortened it.
Do not expect the code to vanish when you are allowed to drive again.
On proposals, give the letters and the dates. Do not write only 'drink drive, ban finished'.

Who do I contact about a DR10, and by when?

There is no fixed penalty office for drink driving. The magistrates' court (in England and Wales) is the place. Take the charge sheet, the reading, and advice to the first hearing. A drink-drive course, if you want the usual quarter off a 12 month-plus ban, must be accepted at that hearing. GOV.UK says you cannot change your mind later.

After the ban, DVLA sends a D27 or a D27PH. High risk offenders get the D27PH 90 days before the ban ends and must pass a paid medical with a DVLA appointed doctor. The Northern Ireland medical route runs through DVA, not this one. Ignoring those letters delays the licence, not the ban's end date on paper.

An employer who needs you to drive should be told when you are charged, not when you fail to turn up for a shift during the ban. GOV.UK says they will see the conviction if you drive for work. Insurance will too. No official premium percentage is published.

Common questions

What is a DR10 endorsement?: DR10 is the DVLA code for driving or attempting to drive with alcohol level above limit. It carries 3 to 11 points and stays on the driving record for 11 years from the date of the conviction. The points count towards the 12 point totting total for 3 years from the offence date, which is a different clock from the 11 year print period. Use the number on your record, which will sit inside the published range. The code is what a licence check shows an insurer or an employer.
How many points does DR10 carry?: 3 to 11 points, which is the range DVLA publishes. A fixed penalty, where one exists for the underlying offence, uses a single number inside that range. A court can use any number in the range, or can disqualify instead of points where the offence guideline allows it. A new driver is revoked at 6 points, so a code at the top of its range can cancel a new licence on its own.
How long does DR10 stay on a licence?: 11 years from the date of the conviction. It counts towards totting for 3 years from the offence date. After that it can still be visible until the 11 year point. Drink and drug codes use conviction as the start of the 11 year stay. Most other codes, including this one if it is a 4 year code, use the offence date. Insurers ask about unspent convictions, which is not the same clock.
What does DR10 do to insurance?: No official code specific premium change is published. The Highway Code says insurance costs are likely to rise considerably after conviction for a serious driving offence.
Does DR10 carry penalty points?: DVLA publishes 3 to 11 points. The ordinary Sentencing Council guideline for driving over the limit requires disqualification, so points are not the ordinary disposal. The code still sits on the record for 11 years from conviction. An insurer who asks about endorsements wants the letters, not a debate about whether points were imposed.
How long does DR10 last compared with speeding?: 11 years from conviction, valid for 10, against 4 years from the offence for SP30. For totting purposes the measure remains 3 years from the offence. So the DR10 code remains on the record well past the point it stops counting towards 12. A drink-drive course does not shorten that 11 years.
Will DR10 stop me driving for work after the ban?: The ban stops you during the disqualification. After that, the employer can still see DR10 for years and can still refuse a driving role. GOV.UK says an employer will see the conviction if you drive for work. No official 'safe after X years' period is published for employment. Answer the question you are asked.
Is a Scottish drink drive still DR10?: A Great Britain licence still takes a drink driving code from a Scottish conviction. Scotland's prescribed limit is lower: 22 microgrammes of breath, 50 milligrammes of blood, 67 milligrammes of urine. The 11 year DVLA stay still applies to the GB record. The England and Wales sentencing rows on the drink driving page do not.