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
You can apply online through the official service: gov.uk/apply-driver-digital-tachograph-card.
What a tachograph card costs
- First card: £32
- Renewal: £19
- Replacement for a lost or stolen card: £19
- Exchanging an EU/EEA or Northern Ireland card for a GB card: £32
Validity and renewal
A tachograph card is valid for 5 years.
You can renew it online if it is due to expire within 90 days. To avoid being left without a valid card, apply for renewal at least 15 days before it expires.
Lost, stolen or faulty cards
If your card is lost, stolen or faulty, report it to DVLA immediately and apply for a replacement within 7 days. A replacement card is usually issued within 5 working days.
While you wait, you can keep driving for a maximum of 15 days using manual daily printouts from the vehicle unit instead of your card — but those printouts must be signed on the back.
You can already start keeping your own downloaded record of your driving with TAGRA Trucker — try it free for 30 days, no commitment.
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.
An expired card must be kept for 28 days in case it is needed for 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.
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 using form D777B/DL. In Northern Ireland, apply to DVA Coleraine using form D777(NI) for a new card or D786(NI) for renewal. You can apply online at gov.uk/apply-driver-digital-tachograph-card.
How do I renew my tachograph card?
You can renew online if your card is due to expire within 90 days. Apply at least 15 days before expiry so you are not left without a valid card.
What does a tachograph card cost?
A first card costs £32. Renewal costs £19, and a replacement for a lost or stolen card also costs £19. Exchanging an EU/EEA or Northern Ireland card for a GB card costs £32.
What do I do if I lose my tachograph card?
Report the loss to DVLA immediately and apply for a replacement within 7 days. A replacement is usually issued within 5 working days. In the meantime, you can drive for a maximum of 15 days using manual daily printouts from the vehicle unit, signed on the back.
How long does a replacement tachograph card take?
A replacement card is usually issued within 5 working days of DVLA receiving your application, provided you apply within 7 days of the loss, theft or fault.
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.