Driving Licence Check for Car Rental: What the DVLA Check Code Shows and What to Record

A customer is at the counter, the car is ready and they hold up a phone with a code on it. What does that code actually tell you? And if the car goes missing next month, what can you show you checked? This is how a driving licence check works for a car rental business from the counter’s side, what it leaves out, and what to record.

How does a driving licence check work for a car rental business?

The driver creates a check code on GOV.UK to share their driving record. You enter the last 8 characters of their licence number and the code on GOV.UK’s check service. GOV.UK says you must use the code within 21 days and that it can only be used once.

The customer does the first half on their own device, and GOV.UK says the service covers licences issued in England, Wales or Scotland.

What does the DVLA check code show?

GOV.UK gives these examples of what you see: the vehicles the driver can drive, and any penalty points or disqualifications. The vehicles are what you compare with the car on the booking.

Those are examples, and this article does not cover every detail on the screen.

What does it not show?

A driving licence check for car rental gives you a record of one moment. DVLA’s terms say the information is only accurate at the point it is accessed, so a licence can change the day after.

Matching the person to the licence is your step. The DfT’s voluntary Rental Vehicle Security Scheme code, published in April 2026, asks businesses to check the licence photo matches the person renting and to record the driver number correctly.

A Northern Ireland licence has its own check on nidirect. For any other licence you need another way to handle it. A clean record also does not tell you whether your insurer will accept the driver.

When should you run the check?

A check at booking spends the code, so a check at handover needs a new one. A booking made a month ahead shows the problem: a code created at booking will have expired by pick-up.

The DfT code puts licence and identity verification at handover for face-to-face rentals. It covers the vehicle rental sector, and the DfT says following it is not a legal requirement, though it recommends it. Booking, handover or both is your call.

What should you record, and for how long?

Before any driving licence check for car rental, get the customer’s agreement and note that you have it. GOV.UK says it is a criminal offence to obtain someone else’s personal information without their permission.

Our suggestion, not a rule: write down the date and time, who ran the check, what you saw in plain words and that the customer agreed, then keep it with the rental agreement. Our post on what to do when a hire car is not returned shows where this note gets used.

DVLA’s terms say it takes no responsibility for how the information is used, shared or held once you have it, so keep only what you need. UK GDPR’s storage limitation principle says to keep personal data no longer than necessary, and it sets no fixed period. Decide yours, write it down and read the ICO’s guidance on keeping personal data.

What do insurers expect?

We cannot tell you what your insurer needs. Ask yours what it requires from a hirer and what proof of a licence check it wants, then keep the reply on file.

DVLA’s terms say screen prints are not endorsed as proof of driving entitlement. Treat the check as your own record of what you saw and when, and let your insurer say what it accepts.

A routine for the counter

1. Ask for the licence and the check code, and confirm the customer agrees to the check.
2. Match the licence to the person and the booking, including the photo.
3. Enter the last 8 characters and the code exactly as shown. It is case sensitive and works once, so never test it.
4. Read the result and compare the vehicles the driver can drive with the car on the booking.
5. Note the date, time and who ran the check.
6. Keep the note and the rental agreement together.
7. If anything is unclear, stop and ask your insurer before the car leaves.

Steps 5 to 7 are our suggestion. This is a working routine, not a legal standard.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a DVLA check code last?

21 days. GOV.UK says you must use the code within that time and that it can only be used once. A second check needs a second code.

Can I check a licence without the customer?

No. The online check needs a code from the driver, and DVLA’s postal check needs the driver’s signature. GOV.UK says getting someone’s information without permission is a criminal offence.

Does a DVLA check cover a licence from outside Great Britain?

GOV.UK says its service covers licences issued in England, Wales or Scotland. Northern Ireland has a separate check. For a licence issued anywhere else, handle it another way and ask your insurer what it expects.

The check is a record of one moment, so write down what you saw and when, and ask your insurer the rest. This is general information for licences issued in England, Wales and Scotland, and an adviser can help with a specific case. What happens after pick-up is covered in our guide to rental vehicle tracking. If you want to talk through how you keep track of cars once they have left the counter, tell us what you run and we will talk it through.