PTSD and your driving licence in 2026: what does the Medical Institute for Road Safety assess, and how should you prepare?
Legal review: Tsuri Saban, Attorney
Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and summoned to the Medical Institute for Road Safety? Concern about your driving licence is understandable, particularly when it supports work, treatment and independence. Understanding the referral requires distinguishing the medical diagnosis, its functional effects and the Licensing Authority's decision.
This article explains what MARVAD's document says about PTSD, which records may help you prepare and what to do if a decision affects your licence.
Does a PTSD diagnosis mean you may not drive?
The diagnosis alone does not tell you what the fitness decision will be. MARVAD's September 2023 procedures describe a professional review pathway for PTSD; the diagnostic label does not establish the outcome in an individual case.
Section 64 on printed page 30 lists a computer-generated medical summary from the family doctor, information about psychiatric hospitalisations and a letter from the treating psychiatrist. It also describes psychiatric file review and, where needed, a psychiatric examination or additional psychological assessments.
This is a September 2023 document published in the government procurement repository. The year 2026 refers to this article; it does not imply that the procedure was updated this year or that its latest version has been verified.
Why may PTSD be relevant to driving?
The Ministry of Health describes flashbacks, sleep and concentration difficulties, heightened arousal and avoidance of reminders of the traumatic event among PTSD symptoms. Their occurrence and intensity vary between people.
In the driving context, this raises individual questions: is it difficult to remain focused on the road? Are there episodes affecting orientation? Do sleep problems cause significant fatigue? These require medical assessment and do not mean that everyone with PTSD experiences them or is unfit to drive.
What should you ask your treating psychiatrist to address?
Before a fitness enquiry, ask which information should be included in a current summary reflecting your actual condition. Topics to discuss include your current status and changes over time; active symptoms and frequency; everyday functioning and effects relevant to driving; treatment, response and side effects; and any need for restrictions or further assessment according to clinical judgment.
This is a suggested way to prepare focused information, not an official form or a uniform MARVAD requirement. The professional determines the content and conclusions from the findings.
What about medication?
Bring an accurate, current medication list and ask your doctor about treatment's effect on driving, especially when starting medication or changing a dose.
Do not stop treatment to present a different picture at the examination. Provide complete, truthful information and discuss possible effects on alertness, concentration or reactions. If the functions needed for safe driving are impaired, avoid driving and obtain medical advice.
Does recognition of a disability determine driving fitness?
A disability determination and a driving-licence decision address different questions. If PTSD has been recognised for disability purposes, separately establish what information was shared, why you were summoned and what decision was made about the licence.
A disability percentage alone does not establish that the licence was withdrawn or that driving is permitted. Gather the relevant decisions and records and check the licence's actual status.
Received a summons? How to prepare
Read the summons and identify your individual requirements. Gather the requested records, an up-to-date medical summary and treatment details, and keep copies of everything submitted.
If you have language difficulties, trouble understanding instructions or need another accommodation, raise this in advance with the body that summoned you. Preparation should support an accurate assessment; there are no preset answers that guarantee approval.
Has a decision affected your licence?
The Ministry of Health states that an appeal may be submitted to the appeals committee within 30 days of delivery of the Licensing Authority's notice. The committee may uphold, change or cancel MARVAD's recommendations.
Keep the notice and evidence of its delivery date. Request the reasons and supporting records through the Ministry of Health's procedure, and consider how to address the findings underlying the recommendation. Do not assume that waiting for records extends the appeal deadline.
Living with PTSD and concerned about your licence?
Start with a structured review of the summons, records and stage of the process. Tsuri Saban & Co. Law Firm assists with reviewing driving-fitness procedures and preparing the next steps according to individual circumstances.
Received a summons or decision? Leave your contact details so we can get back to you to discuss your options.
Key sources
Illustrative example — not a client case
For example, an old certificate stating only the diagnosis may not answer a summons requesting a current psychiatric summary. Read the request and bring it to the treating professional to discuss a summary of the present condition. The professional decides its contents. This example is neither a universal requirements list nor a promise of an outcome.
Related reading
This article provides general information from the National Center for Driving Fitness, an independent website that does not represent MARVAD or the Licensing Authority. It does not replace an individual medical assessment or legal advice.