Road Traffic Act 1960

101 Grant of driving licences, fees therefor, and duration thereof

(1) For the purposes of this Part of this Act the licensing authority is the council of the county or county borough in which the applicant for a licence resides, or if he resides in Scotland—

(a) the council of the county in which he resides unless he resides in such a burgh as is mentioned in the following paragraph;

(b) if he resides in a burgh containing within its boundary, as ascertained, fixed or determined for police purposes, a population, according to the census for the time being last taken, of or exceeding fifty thousand, the council of that burgh.

(2) Subject to the provisions of the two last foregoing sections, the licensing authority shall on payment of the appropriate fee grant a licence to a person who applies for it in the prescribed manner and who is not, and makes a declaration in the prescribed form that he is not, disqualified by reason of age or otherwise for obtaining the licence for which he is applying.

(3) Licences shall be in the prescribed form, and—

(a) where under the provisions of this Part of this Act the applicant is subject to a restriction with respect to the driving of a class or description of motor vehicle, the extent of the restriction shall be specified in the prescribed manner on the licence;

(b) except in the case of a provisional licence, shall specify whether the licence authorises the holder to drive motor vehicles of all classes or descriptions or of certain classes or descriptions only, and in the latter case shall specify the classes or descriptions of vehicles which it authorises the holder to drive.

(4) A licence shall, unless previously revoked or surrendered, remain in force for a period of three years from the date on which it is granted:

Provided that where the holder of a licence capable of remaining in force for three years surrenders it and applies under this section for a new licence he shall, if he so requires, be granted a licence at a reduced fee to continue in force only for the period for which the surrendered licence would have continued if not surrendered.

(5) The fee payable under subsection (2) of this section on the grant of a licence shall be fifteen shillings, and the reduced fee payable under the proviso to the last foregoing subsection shall be—

(a) two shillings and sixpence, if by virtue of subsection (5) of section ninety-nine of this Act the licence granted comprises a class or description of vehicles not comprised in the surrendered licence,

(b) five shillings in any other case.

(6) Subsections (4) and (5) of this section shall not apply to a provisional licence or to a licence granted to a person as resident outside the United Kingdom; but a licence granted as aforesaid shall, unless previously revoked or surrendered, remain in force for a period of twelve months from the date on which it is granted and the fee payable under subsection (2) of this section on the grant thereof shall be five shillings.

(7) In any proceedings the fact that a licence has been granted to a person shall be evidence that for the purpose of obtaining the licence he made a declaration that he was not disqualified for holding or obtaining the licence.