Driver Licence Validation Check: UK Checklist

A driver licence validation check tests the photocard itself. The photograph matches the person, the categories on the DVLA record cover the vehicle, and the card and the entitlement are both in date. It is not a count of penalty points.

Reviewed 25 September 2026. This is a checklist for depot staff, not a forensic guide to forged documents.

• Checklist
• Category B, C1 and the van in the yard
• Two expiry dates
• Frequently asked questions
  • What is a driver licence validation check?
  • Is an expired photocard a failed check?
  • Can we validate from a photo in a chat message?

# Checklist

1. The photograph matches the driver in front of you, or the identity on the onboarding file.
2. The name matches the right to work document and the payment account.
3. The categories include the vehicle they will drive. Read the entitlement on the DVLA view. Do not guess from the badge on the van.
4. The photocard expiry and the entitlement expiry are both recorded. Follow the stricter of the law and the carrier contract.
5. The DVLA record agrees with the card. Use a current check code rather than a photo of the card alone.
6. File the date, the checker's name, and a copy of what you relied on.

GOV.UK says a driving licence check code is valid for 21 days. A photo in a chat message is only a start.

The hub for how often you repeat this, and what you write down, is the driver licence check. Endorsements are a drivers licence points check. How to compare a document with the person is covered in the document verification guide.

# Category B, C1 and the van in the yard

GOV.UK driving licence categories set the weights. Read that page against the DVLA view for the driver in front of you.

• Category B, for a test passed on or after 1 January 1997, covers petrol and diesel vehicles up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass, and zero-emission vehicles up to 4,250kg, with the passenger and trailer limits on that page.
• A test passed before 1 January 1997 often includes extra entitlement. Confirm it on the DVLA view. Do not infer it from the year alone.
• Category C1 covers medium vehicles between 3,500kg and 7,500kg maximum authorised mass.

A body conversion, a tail lift or a battery pack can push a van over the category on the card even when the model is sold as a 3.5 tonne van. The entitlement on the DVLA view is the check. The badge on the back door is not.

# Two expiry dates

You normally renew a photocard every 10 years. GOV.UK's renew a driving licence guidance is the source for that renewal. The entitlement date on the DVLA record can be later, often running on towards 70 for a car entitlement.

Record both dates. An expired photocard is not automatically a lost entitlement. Some carriers still refuse an expired card. Follow the stricter of the law and the contract, and write down which rule you applied.

Zerity stores those two dates against the driver inside driver compliance software and Compliance software for your self-employed workforce. It does not decide the category. Track every expiry date in one place.

# Frequently asked questions

# What is a driver licence validation check?

It confirms the photocard matches the person, the categories cover the vehicle, and the card and the entitlement are in date. It does not list penalty points.

# Is an expired photocard a failed check?

The entitlement can continue after the photocard date. Some carriers still refuse an expired card. Record both dates and follow the stricter of the law and the contract.

# Can we validate from a photo in a chat message?

Only as a start. The DVLA view, via a check code or your insurer's bureau, is what shows categories and endorsements the card does not reliably show on its own. GOV.UK says a check code is valid for 21 days.