I don’t hold much by identity documents normally — I’ll tolerate them stating whatever gets me through the door (or, indeed, past the immigration counter) — but as a matter of minor daily comfort I recently decided I wanted the title “Mx” on my driving licence: this is the document I found myself producing the most frequently, because I regularly get carded at bars and in supermarkets.

(Comfort aside, deliberately making this change is a show of support for non-binary identities in a country that has chosen, at the highest level, to ignore them.)

Because (most) titles aren’t protected or gatekept in the UK, and the driving licence is almost exclusively a domestic-use ID, I felt confident that this would not cause risk causing problems in the way having an “X” gender marker on a passport might (not that this is possible in the UK).

My provisional driving licence — and therefore my full driving licence, following the automatic upgrade process — had come with the “Mr” title because I had applied for the provisional online and given my passport number so the system could get my details automatically.

The guide

I did plenty of research on Reddit and found myself frustrated: there were plenty of assurances that this was a very straightforward process, but no one had bothered to explain in full which sections needed to be filled in, and which could be left out. I like step-by-step instructions.

This is what worked for me in 2026-07.

• Go to a Post Office and request a paper “D1” (DVLA) form. This is free.
• Section 1
  • Fill in everything.
  • The crucial point here is that the paper D1 form is the only way to access the “Other title” free-text field, which how you get a title like “Mx” which isn’t a standard choice.
• Section 2
  • All obligatory.
• Section 3
  • Start date: (today)
  • Please tick the licence you want: “Replacement”.
  • This is the section that tripped me up the most (along with my doubts about the necessity of filling in sections 6 and 7): change of title ≠ change of name, because the former has no legal bearing, whereas the latter would require supporting documentation, e.g. a deed poll.
• Section 4
  • Fill in everything.
• Section 5
  • Fill in everything.
• Section 6
  • Not needed: because most titles (with exceptions like “Dr”) have no legal bearing in the UK, no documentation is needed; in fact, for this reason, there probably exists no definitive document to prove one’s title. This is a relief, because sending in my original passport would really have had me anxious: that’s a document I really don’t like being out of my control.
• Section 7
  • Not needed
• Cover letter
  • I don’t know if the process would succeed without a cover letter, not having tried. It is just 1 sentence excluding the formalities, so there is no harm in including it, especially because you want to do everything in your power not to have to repeat a 3-week process. Crucially, this resolves any confusion the processing team may have as to why you selected “Replace my licence due to a change of name or address” in section 3, but did not enclose any documents for section 6.

  I send this D1 to request that you change my Title to “Mx”. No other details need to be changed.

Take care to post this form to the correct address, as DVLA have multiple postal addresses in use as explained in the guidance booklet. I sent mine to this one:

DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BN.

I posted the letter by the cheapest tracked option on 2026-07-08 and received my new licence on 2026-07-27: 20 days. Bear this in mind if you have plans for age-restricted activities in the meantime; I timed this to coincide with a 10-day overseas vacation to minimise disruption.