Frequent calls to the DVLA are regards to:

• Vehicle tax and SORN
• Driving licences and applications
• Vehicle registration and V5C certificates (logbooks)
• Driving and medical issues
• Viewing or sharing your driving licence information
• Checking someone’s driving licence

The DVLA is based in Swansea, Wales, with a prominent 16-storey building in Clase and offices in Swansea Vale. It was previously known as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre (DVLC). The agency previously had a network of 39 offices around Great Britain, known as the Local Office Network, where users could attend to apply for licences and transact other business, but throughout the course of 2013, the local offices were gradually closed down, and all had been closed by December 2013. The agency’s work is consequently fully centralised in Swansea, with the majority of users having to transact remotely – by post or (for some transactions) by phone.

DVLA introduced Electronic Vehicle Licensing (EVL) in 2004, allowing customers to pay vehicle excise duty online and by telephone. However, customers still have the option to tax their vehicles via the Post Office. A seven-year contract enabling the Post Office to continue to process car tax applications was agreed in November 2012, with the option of a three-year extension.