Adding Higher Categories to a Driving Licence Card
You will first need to obtain provisional entitlement before you may add higher categories to your driving license. Visit this page to read more about provisional driving licenses. You can take the appropriate test for the type of vehicle you want to drive/ride once you have your provisional license.
Additionally, you can be granted automatic permission to operate a vehicle in a lower category than the one you tested in. Using the DVLA’s online driving license check facility, you may determine what vehicles you are authorized to operate.
Increasing Your Licence’s Category Entitlements (Staging)
You will be able to apply for provisional eligibility to a higher category of the vehicle on your license if the appropriate entitlement is listed on your license. “Staging” is another word for this.
For instance, you must have a complete driver’s license before you may apply for provisional driving privileges to operate a truck, minibus, or bus. After acquiring the provisional entitlement, you can take the appropriate test for that new category.
The following is a list of the exclusive licenses that you need to hold before you can apply for temporary entitlement in the higher categories:
- You must possess a full B license to receive a temporary entitlement for B+E, G, H, C1, C, and D1, D.
- You must possess a full C1 license to receive a provisional entitlement for C1+E.
- You must possess a full C license to receive a provisional entitlement for C+E.
- You must possess a full D1 license to receive a provisional entitlement for D1+E.
- You must possess a full D license to receive a provisional entitlement for D+E.
If unsure, you can discover a list of the vehicles each category includes here.
If you possess a full B license, you are automatically given temporary access to the B+E, G, and H categories. Your license shows the entitlements you have been granted. You Adding Higher Categories to a Driving Licence Card if it was issued to you before January 1, 1997.
When you pass a driving test, you immediately receive lower categories as an upgrade.
Sometimes lower categories will be automatically upgraded if you pass the driving test for a larger vehicle category.
Example
When you pass the C1+E test and already hold a license with the ability to drive vehicles in categories B and C1, you will also be able to drive vehicles in categories B+E without taking additional steps.
For trailer entitlements, there are distinct rules. You won’t receive the trailer entitlement for the smaller automobiles you would typically obtain through upgrading if you receive the trailer entitlement for a larger vehicle.
As a general rule:
Vehicle entitlements may increase bus privileges.
While both lorry and bus entitlements can upgrade cars, bus entitlements cannot improve lorry entitlements.
The vehicle category currently in use, the higher vehicle category that has passed, and the vehicle category that will be upgraded due to the test passing are all included in the table below.
| Full category held | New test passed | Upgrading |
| B, C1 | C1+E | B+E |
| B, D1 | D1+E | B+E |
| B, C1, D1 | C1+E | B+E |
| B, C1, D1 | D1+E | B+E |
| B, C, C1, D1 | C+E | B+E, C1+E |
| B, C1, C, D1, D | D+E | B+E, D1+E |
| B, C1, C, D1, D | C+E | B+E, C1+E, D1+E, D+E |
If you need more clarification, you can discover a list of the vehicles each category includes here.
Additional Details
You can write to the DVLA Drivers Customer Services team: for additional information about staging or upgrading your license and categories.
D12
DVLA
Swansea SA6 7JL
Drivers Customer Services Correspondence Team