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Driving Licence Renewal API Documentation

NOTE: This is a DRAFT for discussion, review and early integration with initial consumer(s).

Introduction

The Driving Licence Renewal API Service allows DVLA partners to support driving licence renewal applications.

Interactions with the Driving Licence Renewal API is via a REST Interface over HTTPS. In all cases, JSON is used for request and response data. The functional specification of this format is detailed in the OpenAPI 3.0 documentation below:

For more details visit the OpenAPI specification page.
You can also view the OpenAPI specification in JSON format.

The Driving Licence Renewal API implements the DVLA Secure API Pattern so requires DVLA Authentication API use to supply JWT, as well as an assigned API Key

Driving Licence Renewal API Usage

The Driving Licence Renewal Service API enables DVLA data partners to submit applications captured at counters. Application data will be collected through data partner systems and consolidated into a single request message that is then transmitted to the DVLA.

Message Retry intervals and Maximum Number of Retries

In the event of DVLA Service outage such as a “Bad Gateway” error message being returned the DVLA service expects the API client to retry sending the individual request message with an exponential back off interval.

The service expects that the client application will have the ability to persist and resend any messages in the rare event that an underlying technical issue cannot be resolved prior to the maximum number of message retries being reached.

Note: the transactionId field should uniquely identify a transaction request at the client end, and will allow the DVLA to identify any duplicate messages if retried and received more than once.

Message Frequency

The DVLA system expects to receive API request messages on an ad hoc basis throughout the day, as and when applications are made available.

Image Files

Images are included in a Driving Licence Renewal request as a base 64 encoded string.

API Services

Submit an application

Submit a driving licence renewal application

Usage Plans and Throttling Limits

We have introduced limits on API usage rates in terms of requests per second. This applies to both individual clients and collective usage for all clients.

  1. A client’s limit is set based on the usage plan that the client is subscribed to
  2. As clients access the API at the same time, there is an overall limit on how many requests are allowed per second in order to protect the service

These two scenarios will return an HTTP status code of 429 as specified in the common errors section.

Royal Mail Address construction

In order to improve our ability to deliver mail to the end user and enable bulk mail discounts, supply of validated structuredAddress recipient addresses are preferable to unstructuredAddress. Access to a corresponding address postcode lookup service could be considered to help lookup addresses in this format if these fields are not already held by consumers.

Release Notes

v0.1.1

  • Initial draft external version