Your driving licence online: penalty points and the check code for hire firms and employers

A hire company asks to see your full licence record, an employer wants to be sure a driver has no points, and you cannot remember how many you have or when they drop off. There is a free government service for all of this — and the plastic card in your pocket will not help, because points are not printed on it.

What does the service show?

Three things: which categories of vehicle you may drive, what penalty points and endorsements you have, and whether a disqualification is in force. It also shows when each record will be removed.

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What do you need to sign in?

Your driving licence number, your National Insurance number and the postcode on your licence. If the NI number is lost, the page itself links to how to find it. The service covers licences issued in England, Wales and Scotland; Northern Ireland licences use a separate service.

What is a check code and why does it matter?

It is a code that opens your record to someone else — a car hire company, an employer, an insurer. You do not hand over your sign-in details or post anything: they simply enter the code and see the record.

The check code is valid for 21 days. That matters when you book a car well in advance: a code created a month before the trip will already have expired by the time you reach the desk. Generate it shortly before it is needed. You can also get one through your driver and vehicles account.

How long do penalty points last?

Endorsements stay on your driving record for 4 or 11 years, depending on the offence. Which is why arguing "that was years ago" at a hire desk gets you nowhere: they see the removal date, not your recollection.

When do you lose your licence?

Building up 12 or more penalty points within three years can get you disqualified from driving.

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Are the rules stricter for new drivers?

Yes, and this is the part people learn too late. Reaching 6 or more points within two years of passing your test means the licence is revoked. Points picked up on a provisional licence carry over to the full one and count towards that total.

Then it starts again. If you had already applied for a full licence, you must apply and pay for a new provisional licence and pass both the theory and practical tests again. If you had not yet applied for the full licence, you retake both parts using your current provisional.

Why look at it with no particular reason?

So that you know what it says before a stranger does. Errors in a driving record happen, and they are easier to sort out in advance than at a hire desk abroad or in an interview where the job depends on that record.

Checked against GOV.UK on 27 October 2026.