UK Driving Licence Generator
Online UK DLN generator for QA testing and alfanumeric verification. QA.
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About UK Driving Licence Numbers (DLN)
In the United Kingdom, the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) uses a highly structured 16-character format for driving licence identifiers. It encodes personal identity features inside the key itself.
The formula maps the first 5 letters of the surname, year of birth broken down by decade and unit, the month of birth increased by 50 for females, the day, initials of the first and middle name, and security digits.
Anatomy & Structure of British DLN (16 Characters)
The DVLA driving licence number encodes personal demographic data in 16 characters:
| Position | Field | Length | Meaning & Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 | Surname | 5 letters | First 5 letters of surname (padded with "9" if shorter) | SMITH |
| 6 | Decade Digit | 1 digit | Decade digit of birth year (e.g. "8" for 1985) | 8 |
| 7 & 8 | Birth Month | 2 digits | Month 01-12 (+50 added for female drivers: 51-62) | 62 |
| 9 & 10 | Birth Day | 2 digits | Calendar day of birth (01 to 31) | 15 |
| 11 | Year End Digit | 1 digit | Final digit of birth year (e.g. "5" for 1985) | 5 |
| 12 & 13 | Initials | 2 chars | First and middle name initials (padded with "9") | JD |
| 14 to 16 | Security & Version | 3 chars | Security digit (usually "9") and two-letter issue code | 9AA |
DLN Demographic Encoding Algorithm (DVLA)
The British driving licensing agency (DVLA) encodes gender and dates using arithmetic rules in positions 6 to 11:
Real_Month = Encoded_Month >= 50 ? Encoded_Month - 50 : Encoded_Month
- 1. The first 5 characters contain the uppercase surname.
- 2. Positions 7 & 8: if value >= 50, the driver is female; subtract 50 to find the true birth month (1 to 12).
- 3. If positions 7 & 8 are between 01 and 12, the driver is male.
- 4. Positions 9 & 10 represent calendar day of birth (01 to 31).
- 5. The decade digit (pos 6) and year-end digit (pos 11) reconstruct the birth year.