Getting started Easy - apply for your provisional licence by:- obtaining the required application form from your local Post Office ... get some Passport style photographs from your local photo booth and... send the completed form with fee and photographs to the DVLA. You can apply before your 17th birthday so the licence is available for your    first lesson on your birthday.  You MUST have your licence before you can go on the road. Book your lessons NOW!   You do not need to have passed your theory test before starting to learn to drive though a knowledge of the Highway Code, particularly road signs and road markings, does help.