Login or
Report a medical condition
If you have a medical condition and/or take any medication that may affect your ability to drive, you must notify the Department. Here you will find examples of medical conditions you should report and what conditions may be applied to your licence.
Only applicants for or holders of a valid Western Australian driver's licence need to report.
It is an offence not to notify DoT of your medical condition. The penalty for committing this offence can carry a fine.
Questions marked as * are mandatory
When and how to report a medical condition
Driver's holding an existing WA driver's licence or learner's permit
If you develop a medical condition, or you begin taking medication, you are encouraged to notify us at once. We will advise you of the correct course of action.
How to report a medical condition?
You have several options available to notify us of a medical condition:
- Online: use our online Report a medical condition online form above.
- Form: download and complete the Notification of driving impairment form (M109A) below and post it to us.
- Letter: send us a letter via post or fax. You will need to provide the following:
- Full name and address.
- Date of birth.
- Contact numbers.
- Your WA driver's licence number.
- Full details of the medical condition you are reporting.
What happens next?
Once we have received the information from you concerning your condition and your contact details, we will review the documentation and write to inform you on what action, if any, is required.
This notification may require you to do one of the following things:
- Have your driver's licence updated detailing that you need to wear suitable visual aids whilst driving.
- Undertake and pass a medical assessment, and/or
- Undertake and pass a Practical Driving Assessment (PDA).
- No further action is required.
If you have been asked to undertake a medical assessment, attend your health professional and complete the assessment as soon as possible. You can follow up with your medical practice to ensure the completed assessment has been sent to the email address below.
| Street address | Postal address | Telephone | Fax | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver Services |
To find out about the status of your assessment or your application, call the DVS Customer Contact Centre on 13 11 56.
Once a completed medical assessment form is received, DoT endeavours to complete assessment reviews within 15 working days. This timeframe may increase during high volume periods.
We will notify you of the outcome.
If you have satisfied the requirements sufficiently, you may be able to continue to drive. If you fail to satisfy the requirements of the testing requested by us, your licence could be suspended or cancelled.
Applying for a WA driver's licence (including driver's licence transfers)
If you are applying for a driver's licence or transferring an overseas or interstate licence, you must provide information about any medical conditions or medication you are taking on the driver's licence application form (DLA1) in the Health and Medical Questions section.
Once you have submitted your application we will let you know if you need to undertake a medical examination.
What happens when you need to undertake a medical assessment?
- We will provide you with a form to take to your regular health professional.
- Your health professional will examine you, complete the form and forward it directly to us.
- When we receive the form, we will review your application based on:
- Your health professional's report.
- The opinion of our Occupational Health Physician.
- The class of licence you are seeking.
- Should we approve your application, we will update your medical status and conditions may be endorsed on your licence (see above).
| Notification of driving impairment (Form M109A) | Kb | |
Why notification is important
If your ability to drive is impaired, you risk your own safety and that of other road users.
Conditions or treatments for conditions which may stop you from driving safely are ones which adversely affect your:
- Perception.
- Judgement.
- Response time.
- General physical capability.
If you hold a WA driver's licence and suffer from a permanent or long term injury or illness that is likely to impair your ability to drive a motor vehicle, you are required by law to report this to us.
Mandatory reporting of this kind has been introduced in every State and Territory in Australia.
Note: Just because you have a medical condition or take medication, it does not necessarily mean you cannot hold or obtain a driver's licence.
Your suitability to hold a driver's licence will be determined on medical advice provided by your health professional, in accordance with the National standards for assessing a person's fitness to drive.
| Austroads: National standards for assessing a person's fitness to drive | ||
|---|---|---|
Driver's licences for people with a medical condition
You are required to inform us if you have a long term medical condition that may affect your driving even if the symptoms are under control, or you have not experienced symptoms for some time.
You must notify us of any changes to your medical condition, whether that be changes to something already reported, or an additional condition which DoT is not aware of.
Information is not given to insurance companies or third parties although there may be ramifications that will affect your insurance cover if you don’t report your condition to us and have an accident.
You may also be required to undertake further medical assessments before we can renew your licence. We will determine the length of the renewal period based on the recommendations made by your health professional and in line with the Austroads Assessing fitness to drive guidelines.
Renewal terms for drivers with medical conditions may differ from the standard one or five-year renewal period.
If you were required to undertake a medical assessment before being issued with a learner's permit or driver’s licence you may be required to undertake further medical assessment.
Will I lose my licence?
Dependent upon the nature and severity of your condition, it is possible. This is not the case in most instances.
If you are more than 80 years of age, please refer to senior licence renewals.
Examples of medical conditions
Any physical disability or mental disorder that is likely to impair your ability to control a motor vehicle is what is referred to as a permanent or long term medical condition.
A range of medical conditions, as well as certain treatments, may impair your ability to undertake the complex task of driving a motor vehicle.
These conditions may impair your perception, judgment, response time and reasonable physical capability.
Some examples of conditions that need to be reported are:
- ADD and ADHD.
- Alcohol dependency.
- Alzheimer's disease.
- Arthritis (chronic) and other joint problems.
- Dementia.
- Depression and other mental health problems, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychosis.
- Diabetes.
- Drugs: illicit/prescription and over the counter.
- Epilepsy.
- Eye problems, like glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration.
- Fainting.
- Fits.
- Giddiness.
- Heart disease.
- Injuries and physical disabilities, including limb amputation and partial or complete paralysis.
- Lung disease.
- Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders.
- Sleep disorders, like sleep apnoea.
- Stroke.
Note:
This list is not exhaustive.
If you are unsure whether your condition should be reported, please contact us or speak to your health professional.
A health professional can include such people as a:
- Doctor
- Specialist
- Occupational Therapist
- Physiotherapist.
These health professionals are qualified to check if you are medically fit to drive.
| Service Type | Suburb | Business Name | Phone number | Phone number (secondary) | Fax | Pre-booking required | Business Hours | Street address | Postal address | Business Type | Vehicle type | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver and Vehicle Services contact | Mandatory report a medical condition (Driver Vehicle Licensing) | 1300 852 722 | No | Monday to Friday 8:00 am until 5:00 pm. (excludes public holidays) | P.O. Box R1290, Perth WA 6844 | Department of Transport |
What will be shown on your licence?
Specific details of any medical condition that you report to us will not be displayed on your licence. The only items that will be displayed on your licence are:
- Information concerning the need to take medication for a medical condition. No specific information about your condition or the treatment will be added to your licence card. Your licence card will be updated with the phrase: To take medication as prescribed.
- Information detailing any visual aids you need in order to drive safely. Your licence will be updated with the phrase: To wear suitable visual aids whilst driving.
Licence conditions
How your licence is affected by the declaration of your medical condition depends on the condition itself and the action taken by the DoT in determining your fitness to hold a driver's licence.
You may be asked to:
- Undertake a medical assessment with your health professional, or
- Undertake a practical driving assessment, or
- Your licence may be amended requiring you to only drive under certain circumstances, or
- Your licence may not be affected at all.
The Department will notify you in writing of the status of your licence.
The following conditions are an example of those that may be imposed on your licence to acknowledge you are still medically fit to drive – but under certain conditions:
- The holder must always wear corrective lenses while driving.
- The holder must drive only a motor vehicle fitted with specified driver aids or modified as directed in writing by the Driver Licensing Authority.
- The holder must take medication as prescribed.
- A medical certificate is required before next renewal.
- The holder is restricted to a 0.02% Blood Alcohol Concentration.
The conditions will be reviewed if DoT receives advice from your medical practitioner as to the status of your condition.
Refer to licence restrictions and conditions for licence codes and what they mean.
Your privacy and confidentiality
Please be assured that all information given to us regarding medical conditions is kept private and confidential. No information is given to insurance companies or third parties.