How to renew your ADI licence

As an approved driving instructor (ADI), you’ll need to renew your registration every four years. BSM gives you the lowdown here.

You'll already know that your job entails a lot of responsibility. For this reason, you need to renew your ADI registration every four years, and it isn’t just a matter of checking a few boxes.

Firstly, you need to get a criminal record (DBS) check. Then you have to pay a £300 fee, and have a standards check. This is a practical instructional test to see if you’re still on top of your game. Let’s take a closer look.

Before you can renew your ADI licence, you need to apply for a criminal record (DBS) check. It costs £23 for a ‘basic disclosure’ check. This will only show non-spent convictions.

You’ll receive a reminder from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) well in advance. Alternatively, if you’re working in Northern Ireland, you’ll hear from the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA). It’s a good idea to act on this as early as possible, because it takes around three months to get your criminal record disclosure number through.

To apply for a DBS check, you need your addresses over the last five years, and the dates you lived there. You also need your driving licence, passport and National Insurance number.

The ADI registration process is different in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In order to renew, first off you need your online user ID and password, which you’ll have received from the DVSA or DVA. You’ll also need your criminal record disclosure number, which must have been obtained within the previous six months. You’ll also need your driving licence number, and a debit or credit card to pay the £300 fee.

It’s also worth noting that you can’t renew your ADI licence any sooner than the month of its expiry.

You can renew your ADI registration on the DVSA website

During the test, you’ll give a supervised lesson with an examiner in the back seat. There’s no fee to pay for the test, and it takes about an hour – beginning and ending at a test centre of your choice.

When you go to the ADI standards check, you’ll need to take a suitable car, your ADI registration certificate, and a pupil. The pupil can be a learner or a licence holder, but cannot be an ADI. The examiner will score you on lesson planning, risk management, and your teaching and learning skills.

Hopefully you’ll pass first time. But if not, you get another two attempts. You definitely want to be on top of your game though, because you’ll be removed from the ADI register if you fail three times.

You can book the ADI standards check on the DVSA website, or this, you’ll need your ADI personal reference number and driving licence number.