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Legal Requirements

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The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is an executive agency of the Department for Transport who oversee the driving instructor industry. Their examiners carry out the exams and maintain the Register of Approved Driving Instructors.

Legal requirements for becoming an instructor

  • You need to hold a full UK or European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA) unrestricted car driving licence. If you hold an EU/EEA licence, you must exchange this either for a GB licence or a Community licence.
  • You need to have held your licence for a total of at least four out of the past six years prior to entering the ADI Register after qualifying. A foreign driving licence, an automatic car driving licence or a provisional licence held after passing the driving test all count towards the four years.
  • You must not have been disqualified from driving at any time in the four years prior to being entered in the register.
  • You must be a “fit and proper” person to have your name entered in the Register. All spent and un-spent convictions, motoring and non-motoring, will be taken into account when the DSA assess your suitability to be entered on the Register. This includes fixed penalty offences such as speeding. The decision rests with the Registrar, who will take into account any motoring convictions acquired in the last six years and/or your criminal record, if any. Any motoring offence(s) which result in current endorsements totalling five penalty points or more will be looked at closely and could result in an application being refused.
  • You must obtain a criminal record disclosure from Disclosure Scotland. This is done through Capita Recruitment Vetting Service whom you can contact on 0870 850 2455.
  • You will need to pass the part 2 and part 3 practical examinations within two years of passing the theory and hazard perception (part 1) test.

Apply for registration within 12 months of passing the final part of the examination.

Further details can be found on the DSA booklet – ADI14 Your road to becoming a driving instructor, on the DSA website or on the Business Gateway site.