Once you have passed the first two parts of the Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) qualification examination, you can apply for a trainee licence to help you gain experience instructing pupils to drive.
A trainee licence allows you to earn an income giving driving instruction, but it should not be regarded as a sole means of making a living or as an alternative to registration as an ADI. The trainee licence lasts six months and normally only one is granted in a qualifying period.
This short guide covers when you can apply for your trainee licence, the conditions that you must meet and how to display your trainee licence once you receive it.
When and how to apply for a trainee licence
You can apply for a trainee licence to give instruction after passing part two of the Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) qualifying examination. Your examiner will give you the trainee licence application form – titled ‘application for trainee licence (licence to give instruction)’ form (ADI 3L).
Alternatively, you can download ‘application for trainee licence (licence to give instruction)’ form ADI 3L here (PDF, 366K).
Apply online for your trainee licence
You can process your application online here. You will also need to complete and submit the form titled ‘application for trainee licence: declaration of manager/owner’ (ADI 3L (MD)) to accompany your online application. This must be signed by the manager – or owner – of your driving school or establishment.
Completing the ‘Instructor training declaration’ form (ADI 21T)
The ADI 21T form is a declaration that you have already completed a training programme of at least 40 hours with a qualified ADI. It must be signed by the ADI trainer.
You can download ‘instructor training declaration’ form ADI 21T from the DVSA website (PDF, 217K).
At least 25 per cent of the training must be practical in-car training, with usually no more than two trainees to one ADI. This training must have been received in the six months before the licence is issued.
When you send your completed ADI 3L form to apply for your trainee licence, you should also enclose:
- the current fee
- a recent passport-style photograph
- a completed ADI 21T form
Conditions you will need to meet
When you apply for a trainee licence, the Registrar is obliged to ensure that you continue to meet the requirements and conditions to become an ADI.
You must also:
- be eligible to take the ADI part three test – the licence will be revoked if you are unsuccessful three times
- not have exceeded the two-year qualification period starting from the date you passed the theory test
If you are refused an ADI trainee licence to give instruction, you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Transport).
Conditions of your trainee licence to give driving instruction
You are responsible for the use of your licence. You must not advertise yourself as if you were a fully qualified instructor.
Your trainee licence shows the name and address of your training establishment. You can only give instruction from there. You are not allowed to work independently of your supervisor, eg., by setting up your own school.
You must receive the required amount of supervision or additional training while your licence is still valid. You can learn more by reading the page in this guide about requirements for further training once you have received your trainee licence.
You must be a ‘fit and proper’ person.
Displaying your trainee licence
You must display the licence on the nearside edge of the front windscreen of your car whilst you are giving instruction.
If you change your driving school
If you leave a driving school – and join a new one – you must complete a new ‘application for trainee licence (licence to give instruction)’ form (ADI3L) and send it to the Driver & Standards Agency (DVSA), together with a passport-style photograph. There is no fee for doing this.
The DVSA will issue you with a new licence showing the details of your new school. You should return your old licence to the DVSA as soon as you receive the new one. You can continue giving instruction while the change of details is being processed.
If your licence is lost or stolen
You should inform the police immediately. They should give you a crime reference number. To get a duplicate licence you should write to the DVSA sending a passport-style photograph and the crime reference number to:
Instructor Services and Registration team
Driver & Standards Agency
The Axis Building
112 Upper Parliament Street
Nottingham
NG1 6LP
In the case of a lost licence, or not being able to provide a crime reference number you will have to pay the current fee.
Can your Trainee Licence be revoked by the DVSA?
The ADI Registrar can revoke your trainee licence before it expires if:
- any of the conditions under which the licence was granted are not kept
- the licence was issued by mistake or gained by fraud
- you have failed three attempts at the part three – ability to instruct – ADI test
Requirements for further training once you have received your trainee licence
You must receive supervision or further training from your school after you have been issued with a trainee licence to give driving instruction.
When you complete and send the ADI 21T form to the Driver & Standards Agency (DVSA) to apply for your trainee licence, you will have two options to choose from.
You cannot change your option once your application has been received, so you should consider which one will be best suited to you.
Option one
- Your sponsoring Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) will supervise you for 20 per cent of all lessons you give.
- A record must be kept on the Licensed Trainee Supervision Record – form ADI 21S – which will be issued with the trainee licence.
- You can download form ADI 21S – licensed trainee supervision record – from the DVSA website (PDF, 365K).
- This must be signed by both you and your ADI and returned to the DVSA when the licence expires.
Option two
- You will complete a minimum of 20 hours additional training in the topics in the training programme.
- This extra training must take place within the first three months of the licence or before you take your first attempt at part three – whichever is sooner.
- The training must be recorded on the Instructor Training Declaration form ADI 21AT, which will be issued with the trainee licence.
- You can download form ADI 21AT – instructor training declaration – from the DVSA website (PDF, 215K).
- The completed ADI 21AT form must be sent to DVSA before the end of the three month period, or presented to the examiner who carries out your ADI part three test – whichever is sooner.
- At least 25 per cent of the training must be practical in-car training, with usually no more than two trainees to one ADI. If you fail your first or second attempt at the ADI part three test, you must provide evidence that you have taken five hours additional training at the time of your next attempt, otherwise your trainee licence may be revoked.
- The syllabus has been designed to make sure you have received the assistance you need in order to pass the ADI part three test.
- You should not sign the declaration on the form unless you have had the training or supervision described above.
How long a trainee licence lasts for
Your trainee licence is valid for six months.
Further licences are issued only in exceptional circumstances – such as a long-term illness preventing you from making use of the licence.
If you are not using the licence for any reason, you should return it to the Driver & Standards Agency (DVSA).
Although you will not receive a refund for lost training time, the DVSA will know that you have not had full use of the licence and this will be a factor in deciding whether to issue a subsequent licence.
If you feel that you have not had the full benefit from your trainee licence for whatever reason, you can apply for a further one.
You will need to pay another fee to do this. As long as you make a valid application before your first licence expires, your first licence will remain in force while a decision on a further licence is made.
The Registrar considers each application for a further trainee licence on its merits.
The Registrar is unlikely to agree to issue a new licence just to give you further time to pass the ADI part three test.
If you are not granted a new licence, you have the right of appeal to the independent First-tier Tribunal (Transport).
See our page your right to appeal against a decision made by the ADI Registrar in our guide on managing your Approved Driving Instructor registration.