The DVLA has issued a warning to UK drivers who will need to renew their driving licence this year.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has apologised to drivers for disruption to services which the government agency has put down to industrial action amid Covid safety fears.

The agency told drivers that applications sent by post are taking six to ten weeks to process.  

Drivers are told to expect a long wait for their new driving licence.

“With 49 million drivers and 40 million vehicles on the road, millions of people transact with us each month,” the DVLA said.

“We issue around 12 million driving licences and 18 million vehicle log books annually and usually answer around 1 million phone calls each month."

Covid industrial action affecting DVSA

They added: "Industrial action has been taking place since April and PCS is targeting a variety of areas within DVLA designed to have maximum negative impact on members of the public. This means that there are continuing delays with paper applications and in reaching our contact centre. There are no delays for those applying online.

"We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused but we are working as quickly as we can to deal with your application. We receive around 60,000 items of mail every day that needs to be opened and processed."

If your licence application requires additional checks, you may need to wait even longer.

The DVSA said:  "There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example, if medical investigations are needed as part of your driving licence application."