Glossary
Interim licence
A temporary goods licence that lets an applicant operate while a complete application is decided. It is discretionary, lasts up to 6 months and ends when the full licence is granted or the application is refused or withdrawn.
Also called: interim, interim authority.
Official wording
The Act lets a traffic commissioner issue an interim licence "on an application for an operator's licence" when the applicant asks for one (s.24). GOV.UK adds: "you will not be granted an interim licence unless your application is complete and meets all the requirements" (goods vehicle operator licensing guide). The commissioners' summary says interim licences "are discretionary and only available for goods vehicle operator's licences" (Statutory Document Summaries). PSV applicants cannot get one.
How it works in practice
An interim licence comes with a vehicle identity disc, like a full licence. The fee for issuing one is £68 (GOV.UK fees). A commissioner may set an expiry date to give the applicant time to send more evidence. For finance, the summary says "three months of bank statements must be provided within four months". It also warns: "If the interim expires before the full licence is granted, the authority to operate ends immediately."
A common misunderstanding
An interim licence is not a grant. The full application can still be refused, and the interim then ends. There is "generally no right of appeal against a warning or the refusal of an interim (temporary) licence" (same source).
What a buyer or operator should do
If a new haulier is running on an interim licence, treat the licence as still under review. Search the name in Applications and Decisions and put it on a watchlist with weekly change alerts so you see the final decision. In the DVSA operator licence data, file dated 7 September 2026, the register held 64,036 goods licences. Run a free operator licence check to see where a firm stands. Applicants should read how to get an operator licence. For changes to an existing licence, the matching tool is an interim direction.
Sources
- Apply for a vehicle operator licence (GOV.UK) (source last updated )
- Goods vehicle operator licensing guide (GOV.UK) (source last updated )
- Senior Traffic Commissioner Statutory Document Summaries (GOV.UK) (source last updated )
- Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995, s.24 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Being a goods vehicle operator, fees (GOV.UK) (source last updated )
Checked against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk on 2 October 2026. Register figures: DVSA operator licence data, file dated 7 September 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full guide: How to get an operator licence: steps, documents and timescales. Back to the glossary or read our editorial standards.