Who needs a tachograph card
Every driver of a vehicle fitted with a digital tachograph needs their own driver tachograph card. It records who was driving, for how long, and confirms your identity to the tachograph — you cannot legally drive a vehicle that requires one without it.
From 1 July 2026, this also applies to vans of 2.5–3.5 t, but only in international transport and cabotage — not for vans used purely for domestic journeys. See Tachographs for vans: new obligation from July 2026 for the full detail on who is affected.
How to apply for a driver tachograph card
In Great Britain, the tachograph card is issued by the DVLA. In Northern Ireland, it is issued by DVA Coleraine.
The application form depends on where you live:
- Great Britain — form D777B/DL
- Northern Ireland — form D777(NI) for a new card, or D786(NI) for renewal
A first card costs £32. You can apply online or by post, and DVLA aims to issue it within 10 working days of receiving a valid application.
You can apply online through the official service: gov.uk/apply-driver-digital-tachograph-card.
Tachograph card in other countries: who issues it and what it costs
The driver card is always issued by the country of your normal residence – where you live for at least 185 days a year – not by the country where your employer is based (Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014). Overview as of October 2026:
| Country | Issued by | How to apply | Fee | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | DVLA | Online, or by post with form D777B/DL | £32 (renewal £19) | gov.uk |
| Northern Ireland | DVA Coleraine | By post with form D777(NI) | £32 (renewal £19) | nidirect.gov.uk |
| Ireland | Road Safety Authority (RSA) | Online, or by post | €45 online, €60 by post | rsa.ie |
| Malta | Transport Malta | Paper form DRV 035, in person in Paola | Not published online – ask Transport Malta | transport.gov.mt |
| Germany | Driving licence office (Führerscheinstelle) at your place of residence; in some federal states via TÜV or DEKRA | In person or online, depending on the federal state | €37–52 depending on the state (e.g. Berlin €37, Bavaria €46.20–52.20) | verwaltung.bund.de |
| Austria | ÖAMTC or ARBÖ | In person at an ÖAMTC or ARBÖ office | €45 | oeamtc.at |
| Switzerland | Federal Roads Office (FEDRO / ASTRA) | Online or with a paper form; residence in Switzerland required | CHF 70 online, CHF 85 on paper | astra.admin.ch |
| France | ChronoServices, on behalf of the French State | Online only, via the HubProTransport portal | €57.21 excl. VAT (€68.65 incl. VAT) | chronoservices.fr |
| Belgium | Service DIGITACH (ITLB), on behalf of the FPS Mobility and Transport | Online in the personal space, or by post | €65 incl. VAT | digitach.be |
| Luxembourg | SNCA (Société Nationale de Circulation Automobile) | Paper form at an SNCA counter or by post | €74 | snca.public.lu |
| Netherlands | Kiwa Register, on behalf of the ILT | Online, log in with DigiD | €141.57 incl. VAT | kiwaregister.com |
| Italy | Chamber of Commerce (Camera di Commercio) of your place of residence | At the Chamber of Commerce | €37 (€40.17 with delivery by post) | metrologialegale.unioncamere.it |
| Poland | PWPW S.A. | Online via info-car.pl, or by post | PLN 172.20 gross (PLN 140 net) | info-car.pl |
| Hungary | Government office (kormányhivatal), transport authority | In person at any government office | HUF 19,000 | kormanyhivatalok.hu |
| Greece | Transport and communications directorate of the regional unit | In person, or online via gov.gr | €150 (e-paravolo code 0041) | gov.gr |
| Cyprus | Department of Electrical and Mechanical Services (ΤΗΜΥ) | Paper form, in person at a ΤΗΜΥ district office | €100 | mcw.gov.cy |
| Romania | Romanian Road Authority (ARR) | In person at any ARR agency, or through a notarised proxy | RON 300 | arr.ro |
| Republic of Moldova | ANTA (National Road Transport Agency), Chișinău | In person at ANTA | €76, paid in MDL at the National Bank rate | anta.gov.md |
Fees change – check the amount on the issuer's page before you apply. Living in another country? Apply to the card issuing authority of your country of normal residence.
What a tachograph card costs
- First card: £32
- Renewal: £19
- Replacement for a lost, stolen or damaged card: £19
- Malfunctioning card: free – you must return the faulty card
- Change of name or address: free
- Exchanging an EU/EEA card for a GB card: £32
- Card expired more than 5 years ago: treated as a first application, £32
How to renew your tacho card online, by phone or by post
A tachograph card is valid for 5 years, and DVLA sends a reminder before it expires. There are three ways to renew it:
- Online – if your card expires within the next 90 days, at gov.uk/apply-driver-digital-tachograph-card. This is the quickest route.
- By phone – if you hold a GB driving licence and your details have not changed, call DVLA on 0300 790 6109 (Monday to Friday 8am–7pm, Saturday 8am–2pm). Only Visa, Mastercard and Delta are accepted.
- By post – with form D777B/DL, sent to DVLA, Swansea.
Renewal costs £19. Apply at least 15 working days before your card expires. Do not send your current card with the application – keep using it until the new one arrives.
Northern Ireland: DVA Coleraine sends you a renewal form D786(NI) before your card expires; otherwise use form D777(NI).
If your card has expired and the new one has not arrived, you cannot drive a vehicle that needs a tachograph. The 15-day printout rule only applies to lost, stolen, damaged or malfunctioning cards.
How long does a tacho card take to arrive?
DVLA says first, renewed and replacement driver cards are issued within 10 working days of receiving a valid application – longer if it needs to check your details. Applying online is quicker than applying by post.
In Northern Ireland, DVA aims to deliver renewed cards within four weeks, and replacements for lost or stolen cards are normally issued within five working days.
Lost or stolen digi card: can you still drive?
Yes – for a limited time. If your card is lost or stolen, report it to DVLA straight away and apply for a replacement within 7 calendar days – online, by phone on 0300 790 6109 or by post. A replacement costs £19 and is issued within 10 working days.
While you wait, you may drive for a maximum of 15 days without the card. Take a printout from the vehicle unit at the start and end of each day (and whenever you change vehicle), and write your name or driver card or licence number, any manual entries and your signature on it.
A forgotten card does not count – you cannot use printouts instead of a card you left at home. If you find a card you reported lost, do not use it: return it to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1ST.
Damaged or malfunctioning card
Replacing a damaged card costs £19. A malfunctioning card is replaced free, but you must apply by post and return the card – otherwise DVLA treats it as lost and charges the fee. Try the card in another vehicle unit first, and download the data from it before you send it back.
You can already start keeping your own downloaded record of your driving with TAGRA Trucker — try it free for 30 days, no commitment.
Changing the name or address on your tacho card
Address: if you hold a GB driving licence, you only need to update the address on your licence. It is free, your tachograph record is updated automatically and no new card is issued.
Name: change the name on your driving licence first, then send form D777B/DL to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1ST. It is also free, and you keep using your current card until the new one arrives.
What happens to the data on your card
By law, a tachograph card must be able to store at least 28 days of activity — that is a legal minimum capacity, not a fixed limit. In practice, a card keeps recording until its memory is full, which for an average driver can mean several months of history. Once it is full, the oldest records are overwritten first.
Regardless of how much space is actually left, you must download the data every 28 days.
In Great Britain you must keep an expired card for 56 days (28 days in Northern Ireland) in case it is needed at a roadside check, and you must download the data from it before disposing of it.
Without your own archive of downloaded data, you have no way to prove your driving times and rest periods after the fact.
If the same fault keeps recurring across several vehicles, tachograph analysis software shows it for the entire fleet in one place.
Keep your own record of your driver card data
TAGRA Trucker reads your card, checks it for violations and archives the data — before an inspection does it for you.
Try 30 days free →Track your own tachograph card data: TAGRA Trucker
Are you self-employed, or do you simply want to check your own driving times and rest periods independently of your employer? TAGRA Trucker is built exactly for that — read your driver card with the included USB card reader and see straight away if and where you have violations.
TAGRA Trucker costs €49 excl. VAT, including the card reader, then €19 a year from the second year onwards.
You can try it free for 30 days — no commitment.
Running your own vehicles too? TAGRA for fleets
Are you self-employed and also operate as a carrier with vehicles of your own? For evaluating data from more than one vehicle, there is TAGRA in five versions, depending on how many vehicles you run:
Frequently asked questions
How do I apply for a tachograph card?
In Great Britain, apply to the DVLA online or by post using form D777B/DL. In Northern Ireland, apply to DVA Coleraine using form D777(NI). A first card costs £32. Apply online at gov.uk/apply-driver-digital-tachograph-card.
How do I renew my tachograph card?
Online if your card expires within 90 days, by phone on 0300 790 6109 (GB licence holders whose details have not changed) or by post with form D777B/DL. It costs £19. Apply at least 15 working days before expiry – you cannot drive once your card has expired.
What does a tachograph card cost?
A first card costs £32. Renewal costs £19, and so does a replacement for a lost, stolen or damaged card. A malfunctioning card is replaced free if you return it, and changing your name or address is free. Exchanging an EU/EEA card for a GB card costs £32.
What do I do if I lose my tachograph card?
Report it to DVLA straight away and apply for a replacement within 7 calendar days – online, by phone or by post. You may drive for up to 15 days using a printout at the start and end of each day, with your name or card number and your signature on it. A forgotten card does not count.
How long does a replacement tachograph card take?
DVLA issues replacement cards within 10 working days of receiving a valid application. In Northern Ireland, DVA normally issues replacements within five working days.
Is a tachograph card the same as a company card?
No. The driver tachograph card belongs to you personally and identifies you to the tachograph. A separate company card is used by a transport operator to download data from the vehicle unit, and is not a substitute for a driver card. If you run your own vehicles, TAGRA can help with that side of the evaluation too.
I don't live in the UK – where do I apply for a tachograph card?
In the country where you normally live – the card is always issued there. In Ireland the Road Safety Authority (RSA) issues cards (€45 online, €60 by post); in Malta, Transport Malta (paper form DRV 035). Other countries are in the table above – for example the driving licence office in Germany, ÖAMTC or ARBÖ in Austria, ChronoServices in France and Kiwa Register in the Netherlands.
Can I renew my tacho card by phone?
Yes, if you hold a GB driving licence and your details have not changed. Call DVLA on 0300 790 6109, Monday to Friday 8am–7pm or Saturday 8am–2pm. Only Visa, Mastercard and Delta are accepted.
How long does a new tacho card take to arrive?
DVLA issues first, renewed and replacement cards within 10 working days of a valid application; applying online is quicker than by post. In Northern Ireland, DVA aims to deliver renewed cards within four weeks.
Can I drive if my card has expired and the new one hasn't arrived?
No. You cannot drive a vehicle that needs a tachograph with an expired card – the 15-day printout rule is only for lost, stolen, damaged or malfunctioning cards. Apply at least 15 working days before expiry.
How do I change the address on my tacho card?
GB licence holders only need to update the address on their driving licence. It is free, the tachograph record updates automatically and no new card is issued. For a name change, update your licence first, then send form D777B/DL to DVLA.
Where is my tachograph card number?
On the back of the card, in field 5b (“Digital tachograph driver card number”). Field 5a is your driving licence number.