Complaints and Grievance Options
This is an overview of the DVLA Commitment which covers their duties to you if you complain about a level of service that you have received. There is also information about the issue of a new registration document for your reference.
The DVLA Commitment
The DVLA aim to provide the best possible experience for our customers.
Customers are at the heart of our business and we are committed to providing a high quality of service to everyone. We value your feedback and are committed to act on any concerns or complaints about the service we provide.
The DVLA aim to:
objectively investigate all complaints and put things right for you when it is possible
learn from where we went wrong
make sure we do not make the same mistake again
DVLA Published Current Procedures
Complaints procedure
If you’re unhappy with the service we’ve provided
You must first contact the department that you’ve been dealing with (this is the quickest way to resolve your issue). To deal with your concerns you’ll need to tell us:
your full name and address
your date of birth
your driver number (for complaints about your driving licence)
your vehicle registration number, including the make and model of the vehicle (for complaints about vehicle licensing, registration or enforcement)
any reference number we’ve provided on previous correspondence
If you’ve spoken to the department but your issue has not been resolved, follow the process below to make a formal complaint.
Making a formal complaint
Step 1
If you’ve tried to resolve matters with the department you’ve been dealing with and you are not happy with the outcome, write to our complaints team telling them your concerns.
If you have not tried to resolve the issue before writing to our complaints team, we’ll get the relevant department to reply to you.
To make your complaint, contact our complaints team or write to:
Complaints Team
DVLA
Swansea
SA6 7JL
We’ll acknowledge receipt of your complaint and aim to send you a full reply within 10 working days. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it may take us longer than usual to review your case, so please bear with us.
Step 2
If you’ve been through Step 1 and you feel that your complaint has not been resolved, write to our Chief Executive, who will make sure your case is reviewed and responded to. We aim to respond within 10 working days but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it may take us longer than usual to review your case, so please bear with us.
Write to:
Chief Executive’s Office
DVLA
Swansea
SA6 7JL
You can also contact our Chief Executive’s office. Please do not contact them with general enquiries, or if you have not made a formal complaint yet. If this happens, your complaint or enquiry will be dealt with or answered by the relevant department.
An independent review
If you think your complaint has not been resolved through our 2 step formal complaints procedure, you can ask us to refer your complaint to an Independent Complaints Assessor (ICA).
They’ll review the way your case was handled and will expect you to have tried to resolve your complaint directly with us, in line with our complaints procedure, before they consider your complaint. Find out more information about what the ICAs cover.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
If you are not satisfied and you’ve had your complaint investigated by the ICA, you can ask a Member of Parliament (MP) to refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.