The DVLA is notoriously hard to get hold of and even then it’s difficult to find a direct route to talk to a real person. Ever wondered if you can email them or even walk into their Swansea office? I got maddened by how difficult it is, so researched lots of ways on how you can contact the DVLA for your request. I have learned a LOT about the fascinating and somewhat backward world of motor vehicle paperwork, including a ‘secret’ page the DVLA has that gets updated weekly, and it shows where you are in the application queue! (scroll down to my ‘tips to ease the frustration’ for that) – but I hope there are other things in this article that can help you out, too.
Covered in this Article: ToggleYou can also contact the DVLA for general enquiries or complaints.
If you decide to scrap your car, you must inform the DVLA that you have done so. If you do not inform the DVLA, then you may receive large fines. The DVLA will assume that you are still driving the car as you have not notified them otherwise.
This means you could get a fine and ticket for driving the vehicle with no tax. You can also get fined £1000 for not updating your vehicle’s details.
You can notify the DVLA about scrapping your car in a few ways.
The easiest way to contact the DVLA about scrapping your car if you have internet access is via their website. In order to do this, you need the name and address of the scrapyard, the vehicle registration number and the 11 digit vehicle reference from the latest log book (V5C).
Use the scrapyard or insurance company’s name as the trader you sold the vehicle to, even if you did not get any money for doing so.
Contacting the DVLA by post is still a viable option, especially for those who do not have great internet access.
All you have to do is fill out section 4 of your logbook and post it to the DVLA. If your car was manufactured before April 2019, fill out section 9.
The DVLA should notify you with a confirmation letter within 4 weeks.
It’s not uncommon to misplace or automatically destroy your logbook once your car has been scrapped. Don’t panic if you’ve done this, you can still notify the DVLA.
If you have the V5C written down, simply contact the DVLA via their website. If you don’t, write a letter to the DVLA at the address above and inform them that you have scrapped your car, but do not have the logbook. You must include your full name, address along with the name, address and VAT number of the scrapyard.
There are multiple phone numbers for the DVLA, each for different departments. For the quickest response time, call the relevant number during their business hours.
Phone Number: 0300 790 6801
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri – 8 am to 7 pm, Sat – 8 am to 2 pm
To enquire about the status of your driving licence application, order a new licence or change your name and address, call this number.
Phone Number: 0300 790 6806
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri – 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, Sat – 8 am to 1 pm
Call this number to inform the DVLA about a medical condition or disability that can affect your driving ability. You can also call to reapply for a driving licence if you’ve had one taken away due to said medical issue.
Phone Number: 0300 790 6802
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri – 8 am to 7 pm, Sat – 8 am to 2 pm
For help with paying and checking your vehicle tax and changing the tax class of your vehicle, call this number. You can also register and request a vehicle logbook (V5C) and enquire about personalised number plates and importing and exporting vehicles.
If you wish to take your vehicle off the road so it’s not taxed, you’ll need to make a Statutory Off Road Notification which can be done via this number too
Phone Number: 0300 083 0013
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri – 8 am to 7 pm, Sat – 8 am to 2 pm
To find out which vehicles you can drive, the number of points on your licence or any driving disqualifications and more about your record, call this number. If you want to share your record with a third party, such as a car rental service, call to create a shareable check code.
Phone Number: 0300 790 6819
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri – 8 am to 7 pm, Sat – 8 am to 2 pm
If you speak Welsh and need assistance from the DVLA, then call this number for help relating to any department.
It is not free of charge to call the DVLA. The 0300 numbers are charged at around 9p a minute from landlines and 55p a minute from mobiles. This is why it’s often still better to write to them, slow as it is.
A lot of the DVLA phone lines are automated, but to get through to a real person all you have to do is follow the automated steps. Listen to the automated voice and press the numbers on the keypad related to your enquiry, once you have done that you will be put through to a real person to speak with.
The phone lines tend to have long waiting lines, so be prepared to be put on hold before you reach someone.
There is no specific email address for the DVLA, to contact them via email you must head to the government website and answer the questions related to your enquiry. You can contact them about vehicle, driver and welsh enquiries.
Once you have completed all the answers, you will have an option to fill in your information. Enter your full name, date of birth, address, email address and vehicle details. Then, it will give you an option to enter a question or concern along with any relevant attachments.
Once you’ve finished, click the green submit button. This will be sent to the DVLA and they will aim to get back to you via the email address you put in as soon as possible.
You will receive a confirmation email immediately. The response time can vary depending on your message, it can take several weeks. Remember to check your spam folder if you haven’t heard anything in a while!
There are a few addresses for the DVLA, all of them located in Swansea. The address will be different depending on what your enquiry entails.
For assistance with vehicle taxes, vehicle registrations and logbooks. You can also make a Statutory Off Road Notification via this address.
Vehicle Customer Services
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1AR
For help with your driving licence application, making changes to your licence or replacing one that’s been lost.
Drivers Customer Services
Correspondence Team
DVLA
Swansea
SA6 7JL
To update the DVLA on any medical conditions or disabilities that may affect your driving ability, appeal a decision on revoking your licence or reapply for a licence.
Drivers’ Medical Enquiries
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1TU
If you are unhappy with the service you have received and have already reached out to the relevant department for assistance, you can make a formal complaint. Include all the details and any correspondence you have already had.
Complaints Team
DVLA
Swansea
SA6 7JL
It can take up to several weeks to hear back from someone via post, depending on the difficulty of your request. If you are looking for a faster response time, we recommend emailing or ringing the DVLA.
I thought I’d better answer this at the same time, since posting things is still one of the best options.
No, the DVLA Swansea address is not a Freepost address. You need a stamp if you send anything to them. Always put stamps on or pay the correct postage for your letter or else you’ll sadly delay things even more! Their address looks like a Freepost one, but it’s not.
Recently I had to get a replacement V5 document from the DVLA. I bought a second-hand car that didn’t have the V5, so the only way I could get one is to request it from DVLA in Swansea. Their estimated time on this (at the time of writing) was six weeks.
We live in the West Country and it’s not that far to drive to Swansea. Therefore we wanted to know if you could go there in person to the DVLA’s actual office address and make the process faster.
Unfortunately, you can’t visit the DVLA in person in Swansea. They don’t have a “customer service” desk. The best thing they can do is put your letter in their internal mail, but then it would just be treated the same as if you’d posted it to them, so you’re not saving yourself any time.
If you want anything doing these days with licenses V5 or any other similar paperwork you’re going to have to do it digitally and it usually goes through Swansea. Frequently there are no other options.
I ought to mention that DVLA no longer has the little local offices that they used to have throughout the country. These were all closed down by the government in 2013.
This was my first thought because I’d heard that there used to be offices for the DVLA nationwide… But nope – there are no local walk-in services any more.
If you need to share your driving record with a third party, you can contact the DVLA for a shareable check code. The easiest way to do this is online via the government website. You can also use this service to check your driving record, as mentioned above.
In order to complete this service and receive your code, you will need:
Once you receive your code, it is valid for 21 days.
Applying online is not the only way to receive this code. There are multiple ways to do so.
To access your driving record or receive your code, apply via GOV.uk Verify.
Contact the department of driving records via telephone – 0300 083 0013.
Send a request form or a letter including the following information.
DACT Team
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1AJ
If you’ve got this far, you’ll probably be feeling as frustrated as I did when I learned that there are very few ways to effectively contact the DVLA without waiting for a long time.
When researching this article, though, I found out a couple of things that might make the weight more bearable or at least get an idea of where you are in the queue.
This one saved me a lot of bother when I was thinking of ringing them to chase up my application.
What many people don’t know is that on the official government website, the DVLA has a page that they constantly update saying which date they are dealing with at the moment. You can find it here.
Scroll down to “Processing Dates for Paper Applications” and you’ll see what they’re dealing with this week.
Therefore if you know which date you posted your documents you can see how far away they are dealing with yours. This helped me a lot because I knew I didn’t have to waste time chasing something that wasn’t even remotely near the front of the queue!
What is often hidden in the small print that you are entitled to chase DVLA if you haven’t heard anything back from them after 6 weeks – they hide this down at the bottom of their contact details but it is there!
You can use the link above to see if it’s been more than six weeks since your documents entered the queue, too.
Many people don’t realise that you don’t need to hear back from the DVLA to continue using your car in certain situations. Here’s the official DVLA leaflet for all the scenarios where you can continue driving, even if your application is with them.
I hope this has helped you in the impatient wait to hear back from the DVLA. Unfortunately, it’s one of those situations where you can’t move things along, as you can with so many other businesses these days. Be patient, and good luck!
Father, grandfather and proud Yorkshireman. I Love antiques, militaria, collecting coins, banknotes, and anything historical. Enjoy brewing my own beer and other pottering around the house, too!
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