Driver guides
How many points are on my licence?
To see how many points are on your licence, use DVLA’s View your driving licence service on GOV.UK. You need your driving licence number, your National Insurance number and the postcode on your licence. It shows any penalty points with their endorsement code and dates.
How to check your penalty points online
Step 1
Go to GOV.UK
Open View your driving licence at gov.uk/view-driving-licence. It works for licences issued in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland licences aren't covered; see the question below.
Step 2
Have three things ready
Your driving licence number (16 characters, section 5 of the photocard), your National Insurance number, and the postcode printed on the licence.
Step 3
Read the record
The page shows the categories you can drive, any penalty points with their endorsement code and dates, and any disqualification. Expired endorsements drop off on their own.
Step 4
Share it if you need to
Create a check code to give a car hire company or employer. It is valid for 21 days.
Open DVLA’s View your driving licence
The rules the numbers run on
| Totting up | 12 or more points from offences within 3 years: minimum 6-month ban, set by a court. |
|---|---|
| New drivers | 6 or more points within 2 years of passing: DVLA revokes the licence. Back to provisional, both tests again. |
| Most endorsements | Stay 4 years from the date of the offence. Speeding (SP), careless driving (CD10 to CD33), no insurance (IN10), traffic signs (TS) all sit here. Reckless or dangerous driving (DD40, DD60, DD80) and offences that led to a ban run 4 years from the conviction instead. |
| Serious endorsements | Stay 11 years from conviction: drink or drug driving (DR10, DR20 and similar codes), and causing death by careless driving under the influence of drink or drugs (CD40, CD50, CD60, CD70). |
| Speeding fixed penalty | £100 and 3 points, or a speed awareness course instead where offered. |
Source: GOV.UK penalty points and speeding penalties pages, read 7 Sep 2026. The full list of codes and points is on driving licence codes.
Lost your licence under the new driver rule? You apply and pay for a new provisional licence, then pass the theory and practical tests again. Car test waits run to several months at busy centres, so it helps to know how to find an earlier driving test through cancellations.
Questions
Can I check my points without logging in to DVLA?
No. Points are held on your personal driving record and DVLA only shows it to you (or to someone you give a check code to). No third-party site can look up points from a licence number or a registration, and any that claims to is guessing or phishing.
Can an employer or hire company see my points?
Only with a check code you generate in the same service. GOV.UK says the code is valid for 21 days. That is the standard way car hire desks and fleet employers verify a licence.
How do I check points on a Northern Ireland licence?
The GOV.UK service only covers licences issued in England, Wales or Scotland. For a Northern Ireland licence, nidirect says the paper counterpart of your licence shows driving offences, and if you have lost your licence DVA customer services can give you your endorsement details on 0300 200 7861, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Do speed awareness courses show up?
No. A course taken instead of a fixed penalty is not a conviction and never reaches your DVLA record. Insurers cannot see it either, though some ask about it on the proposal form and you must answer honestly if asked.
When do points come off?
Most endorsements stay for 4 years from the date of the offence and are removed automatically; reckless or dangerous driving and offences that led to a ban run 4 years from the conviction instead. Drink or drug driving, and causing death by careless driving under the influence of drink or drugs, stay 11 years from conviction. Points stop counting towards a totting-up ban after 3 years, but stay visible for the full period.
What happens at 12 points?
12 or more points from offences within 3 years means a court must disqualify you for at least 6 months unless you argue exceptional hardship. Within 2 years of passing your test the threshold is 6 points, and DVLA revokes the licence rather than a court banning you: you go back to provisional and retake both tests.
Offered a course for speeding? The speed awareness course guide covers eligibility, cost and the insurance question.