Test Centre: Wood Green
Date: 22nd August 2025
Test Centre: Pinner
Date: 29th August 2025
Test Centre: Croydon
Date: 14th August 2025
Test Centre: Barking (Tanner Street)
Date: 9th August 2025
Test Centre: Erith
Date: 7th August 2025
Test Centre: Isleworth
Date: 18th August 2025
Test Centre: Hendon
Date: 4th August 2025
Test Centre: Hither Green
Date: 27th October 2025
Test Centre: Tolworth (London)
Date: 1st August 2025
Test Centre: Tolworth (London)
Date: 1st September 2025
Test Centre: Wood Green
Date: 22nd August 2025
Test Centre: Pinner
Date: 29th August 2025
Test Centre: Croydon
Date: 14th August 2025
Test Centre: Barking (Tanner Street)
Date: 9th August 2025
Test Centre: Erith
Date: 7th August 2025
Test Centre: Isleworth
Date: 18th August 2025
Test Centre: Hendon
Date: 4th August 2025
Test Centre: Hither Green
Date: 27th October 2025
Test Centre: Tolworth (London)
Date: 1st August 2025
Test Centre: Tolworth (London)
Date: 1st September 2025
When you try to book, change or cancel a driving test on GOV.UK you may suddenly see:
“Error 15 – Access denied: this request was blocked by the security rules.”
Sometimes it’s shortened to “Error 15: Request has been blocked” or appears in plain text on a white page.
The Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) outsources website security to a cloud firewall that blocks traffic it thinks is risky. You’ll hit Error 15 if:
• Your session token (_dvsatoken
) expires after ~15 minutes of inactivity.
• Your IP address changes mid-session (common on mobile data or a VPN).
• You refresh too quickly, triggering automatic rate-limit rules that mistake you for a bot.
A simple F5 or ⌘R sometimes works, but if the token has expired you must close the tab, open a fresh GOV.UK window and log in again from the start page rather than a bookmarked URL.
dvsa
or driving-test
and delete only those if you don’t want to wipe everything.If Chrome throws the error, try Edge, Firefox or a private/incognito window. A clean profile has no conflicting extensions or stale cookies and can let you complete a dvsa change driving test in minutes.
• Disable aggressive ad-blockers or script-blockers for *.apply-driving-test.service.gov.uk
.
• On corporate devices, temporarily disconnect from VPN/Proxy in Windows Settings → Network → VPN.
• Flush DNS (ipconfig /flushdns
) if the site won’t reload after clearing cookies.
• Toggle Airplane mode to obtain a fresh IP if you’re on 4G/5G.
• In Safari: Settings → Safari → Clear History and Website Data → Clear.
• Chrome Mobile: ⋮ → History → Clear Browsing Data → Cookies, Images, Cached files → Clear.
If you rely on JAWS, NVDA or VoiceOver, Error 15 may not be announced. Turn on “Speak page title on load” so you hear the error immediately, then restart the booking flow from the GOV.UK homepage.
Private networks often route dozens of users through one exit IP, which triggers DVSA’s bot filter. Disconnect from the VPN or switch to a personal hotspot to bypass the block.
The cloud firewall limits each IP to roughly 20 requests per minute. Hitting back/refresh repeatedly while hunting for an earlier slot or find driving test cancellations can exceed that quota and produce Error 15.
If you need the VPN on, ask IT to add *.service.gov.uk
to the split-tunnel whitelist. For consumer VPN apps, pause the connection just while you complete the transaction.
DVSA posts major outages on:
• gov.uk/driving-test-status
• Twitter @DVSA_HelpMe (look for “service currently unavailable” tweets)
Sites like Downdetector or IsItDownRightNow show crowd-sourced spikes. If hundreds of users report issues, wait—Error 15 might be widespread and not on your side.
Call 0300 200 1122 (Mon-Fri 8 am-4 pm). Have your provisional licence number ready. Lines are quietest around 9:30 am.
You can still access the change practical test form through the main “change driving test” hub on GOV.UK if only the booking sub-domain is down. Use a new browser session and avoid copy-pasted deep links.
Third-party checkers monitor slots for you, but choose one that uses official APIs and complies with DVSA’s fair-use policy to avoid your account being flagged.
• Avoid the browser back button; use GOV.UK’s on-page “Back”.
• Complete each page within 10 minutes to prevent token expiry.
• Do not leave the slot-selection page open while you compare diaries.
Take a screenshot showing the full Error 15 URL and timestamp. Note your licence number, current test date and any payment transaction IDs—support will ask for these.
• Driving test: 0300 200 1122 (local rate).
• Email: customerservices@dvsa.gov.uk (reply in 3–5 working days).
• If you suspect your IP is permanently blocked, DVSA can raise it with their security vendor.
• Finish each booking in one sitting.
• Log out properly rather than just closing the tab.
• Avoid automated page monitors that refresh more than once per minute.
Stay on the latest browser version, enable first-party cookies, and clear site data monthly. This reduces mismatched tokens and helps every dvla change driving test request go through smoothly.
Yes. Theory tests run on the same booking platform, so the firewall rules are identical.
No. A 403 is a permanent permission denial, 503 means the server is down, whereas Error 15 is a temporary security block you can usually clear yourself.
Using shared or residential proxies can trigger rate-limits and, in extreme cases, get the IP black-listed for 24 hours—but it won’t ban your personal driving-test account.