As long as you have booked or undertaken the medical, the DVLA will issue you a cover note enabling you to drive legally from the moment your ban ends, until the results of the medical are analysed. They won't to this automatically, you have to ring up and ask them to send it out.
If you are an HRO, then that would not be the case. Most if not all HRO's require their own GP to provide the DVLA with a report on their health and any impact of alcohol on it going back 6 years.
I have never heard of the DVLA giving anyone a 'cover note.'
For reference, here is my timescale for licence return. The only variable outwith DVLA control is the time it takes your GP to return their report.
As you can see it took me 210 days (approximately 7 months from the date of application,) to have my licence returned despite my ban ending on 12/10/21, 89 days after I applied.
ACTION | | | | DAYS | COMMENT |
| | | | | |
Licence Applied For | | | 15/07/2021 | 0 | |
Application form Rec'd from DVLA | | | 27/07/2021 | 12 | |
Called | | | 24/08/2021 | 40 | |
Cheque Cashed | | | 31/08/2021 | 47 | |
Called | | | 03/09/2021 | 50 | |
Medical Letter Received | | | 14/09/2021 | 61 | |
Medical | | | 30/09/2021 | 77 | |
Driving Ban Ends | | | 12/10/2021 | 89 | Date when my driving ban ended. |
Called | | | 19/10/2021 | 96 | Told by handler that everything had been received and was with medical section |
Called | | | 12/11/2021 | 120 | Told the CDT DR1 form was missing and that Doctor had been contacted - 1.5 hour call |
Called Doctor - Glasgow Medical Rooms | | | 12/11/2021 | 120 | They sent everything back on the 30th Sept stapled together. They have received NO communication from DVLA regarding missing forms |
Called DVLA again | | | 13/11/2021 | 121 | Told that 'everything was in hand' and I would be contacted asap. No idea what that means or where this leaves myself. |
Called Doctor to see if DVLA had been in touch with them. | | | 17/11/2021 | 125 | No contact from DVLA but was told that they had a copy of my form on file and they would Fax it to DVLA today. This is contrary to what they told me last week when they sadi they do not retain copies. This info could have been faxed on the 12/22/2021. Not happy. |
Letter from DVLA dated 16/11/2021 saying they had writtent to my GP. | | | 19/11/2021 | 127 | Received a letter from DVLA dated the 16th November saying they now had all the information from the Dr. who carried out my DVLA medical and that they had written to my GP for additional health info. Strange that when I called on the 12th November I was told the CDT DR1 from was missing and it was only on the 17th November that Dr. faxed it to the DVLA again. Someone, somewhere is telling porkies. |
GP confirmed they had received a letter from DVLA | | | 01/12/2021 | 139 | |
| | | | | |
GP returned letter to DVLA | | | 24/01/2022 | 193 | |
Contacted DVLA | | | 03/02/2022 | 203 | Letter not yet on system. Takes 10 days from receipt. Told to call back then. |
Licence Returned | | | 10/02/2022 | 210 | 1 year licence - but who cares. |