It is an EU directive requirement that persons seeking to obtain a driving licence for the first time or to add a category to an existing licence must firstly have passed both a theoretical driving test and a practical driving test in respect of the relevant licence categories.
National regulations provide that, with effect from 11 June 2001, applicants for a first provisional licence must submit a theory test certificate in the licence category or categories being applied for. The only exception to this is where the applicant has already submitted a relevant theory test certificate to the licensing authority with another licence application. A theory test certificate in categories ABM and W entitles the holder to apply for a first provisional licence in categories A, A1, B, EB, M and W. It is not possible to exempt any individual from the regulatory requirement to pass the driver theory test as a prerequisite to obtaining a first provisional licence. The question bank for the theory test includes questions related to driving with trailers.