Driver’s Medical DL9 Certificate

DL9 Driver’s Medicals

As an employer, ensuring your drivers meet the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) medical standards is essential for workplace safety and compliance. Commercial drivers must be in good health.

NZTA needs to make sure drivers will not cause an accident through health-related issues when they are responsible for the lives of passengers or driving large vehicles on public roads. LifeCare provides partial DL9 medical assessments for your employees, following clear guidelines issued by NZTA on which medical conditions are and are not acceptable for medical certification.

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It’s a key part of meeting the licensing requirements for certain types of driver licences in New Zealand, such as heavy vehicle, passenger, or endorsement licences.

The assessment is carried out by our Occupational Health Nurses, who complete the official NZTA DL9 medical form and the applicant submits it to the AA or other licensing authority.

At LifeCare, we provide Partial DL9 medicals, the preferred option for most of New Zealand commercial drivers. Our nationwide clinics deliver fast, professional, and fully compliant assessments that meet NZTA requirements, helping employers keep drivers safe and certified with minimal disruption.

Why a Partial DL9 is Often the Better Option for Employers

For most workplace driving roles, a partial DL9 medical is the practical, cost-effective choice. It covers all the NZTA requirements for commercial drivers without the extended physical examination required for full DL9s — meaning:

Less downtime for staff
Faster turnaround times for compliance
Reduced costs while still meeting NZTA medical fitness standards.

This makes partial DL9s ideal for fleet operators, transport companies, and other employers managing heavy-vehicle or endorsement-based drivers.

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Full vs Partial DL9 – What’s the Difference?

Partial DL9 Medical

Who is it required for? 
For routine commercial and endorsement drivers with no significant medical issues, including those aged 75+.

Includes: 
Pre-medical questionnaire, blood pressure, BMI, blood glucose, vision, hearing, range of movement, fatigue and DL9 certificate paperwork. (Drug testing optional)

When is it required? 
When Required For most commercial licence renewals  (Classes 2–5, P, V, I, O, F, W, T, R endorsements)

Validity? 
A medical certificate must be no more than 60 days old at the time it is used to apply for, renew, or maintain a driver licence or endorsement. DL9 medical is required if the person is renewing or applying for a different licence class with stricter medical standards; if the person is 75 years or older, or if the driver’s health condition has changed and can affect the fitness to drive.

Land Transport Legislation (39 Medical Declaration)

Full DL9 Medical

Who is it required for? 
It may be needed or prescribed by the medical practitioner for drivers with significant health conditions, including those aged 75+.

Includes: 
It’s a more thorough assessment which can include neurological assessment, ECG, cognition testing, urinalysis and other tests for specific health conditions.

When is it required? 
If NZTA or a medical practitioner request it.

Land Transport Legislation (39 Medical Declaration)

Who Needs a DL9 Medical Certificate?

The DL9 (Medical Certificate for Driver License) serves as a medical fitness evaluation for:

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Commercial license applicants/holders

For classes 2-5 licenses (heavy vehicles, trucks, buses). The demands of commercial operations means that commercial drivers can spend up to 70 hours a week in their vehicle. The vehicles they drive can weigh more than 25,000kg or carry passengers.

This presents additional road safety risks, as these vehicles require greater skill to handle, can reduce or restrict visibility and need increased braking times and distances to stop. Commercial goods drivers may have other physically demanding duties requiring a reasonable level of fitness, such as the loading and unloading of their vehicles.

Special license endorsement applicants/holders

These endorsements allow the holder to operate commercial services like taxi and rideshare, breakdown and towing services, and driving instruction and testing. It’s important to consider if a patient’s medical condition may affect their ability to do the tasks permitted by the endorsement. Conditions that affect hearing or speech may affect their ability to communicate effectively, creating a safety risk if they can’t understand or be understood. This includes:

Passenger (P) endorsement drivers (taxis, uber, shuttle services)
Vehicle recovery (V) endorsement (tow truck operators)
Driving instructor (I) endorsement
Testing officer (O) endorsement
Forklift (F) endorsement
Wheels (W), tracks (T), or roller (R) endorsements

Older Drivers

Mandatory at ages 75, 80 and every two years thereafter.

Do DL9 Medicals need to be issued at the same time as the Driver Licence?

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For most of the cases yes, but there are some cases in which a new DL9 medical can be required before renewing the driver license.

A DL9 medical certificate is valid for 60 days from the date it is issued when presented to NZTA or a licensing agent.

However, after the submission of a valid DL9, drivers generally do not need to provide another for five years, unless:

They have developed a medical condition that could affect their driving and fit the category of being a risk to the business (annual assessment recommended)
A condition has worsened since presenting their last certificate and could affect your fitness to drive.
They are 75 years or older (special renewal rules apply).
They’re applying for a different licence class that has stricter medical standards.

While the DL9 medical and driver licence are connected, they serve different purposes:

The driver licence renewal extends the legal validity of the licence.
The DL9 medical confirms the driver’s ongoing medical fitness to drive and is recorded on their NZTA file.

While the DL9 certificate itself only remains valid for 60 days for submission, its underlying assessment can be relied on for up to 5 years (subject to age and health status).

LifeCare provides DL9 medical assessments nationwide helping employers ensure compliance with NZTA requirements.

What requirements are needed to obtain a DL9 Medical?

Employer Responsibilities

Employers, especially those managing fleets, transport, or logistics operations, have a legal and safety duty to ensure that their drivers meet medical fitness requirements.

Key employer responsibilities include:

Monitoring driver medical certificates: Keep accurate records of when each employee’s DL9 medical is required according to their health conditions.

Providing time and access for medical appointments: Support employees to attend their DL9 medical assessments during work hours, ensuring minimal disruption to operations.

Using approved providers: Arrange testing through a recognised occupational health provider such as LifeCare, whose registered nurses are authorised to complete NZTA’s official DL9 medical form.

Maintaining compliance records: Retain confirmation of completed DL9 medicals in each employee’s personnel file to ensure readiness for audit or compliance verification.

Promoting fitness-for-duty: Encourage a safety culture where medical fitness, vision, fatigue, and wellbeing are openly discussed and prioritised.

Employee Responsibilities

Employees (drivers) are personally responsible for maintaining their medical fitness to drive.

Key employee obligations include:

Attending medical appointments
Bringing what is required for the testing:
Bring to the appointment their driver’s license, glasses, hearing aids or other devices they may wear for driving, any relevant medical history, prescriptions or list of medications they are taking.
Being honest and transparent:
Disclose any medical conditions, medication use, or recent changes in health that could affect driving safety.
Following up on conditions or restrictions:
If the health practitioner identifies a medical issue, the driver must comply with any follow-up requirements, such as additional tests or periodic reviews.

Important:

Driving without a valid DL9 medical when required can result in the licence being suspended or revoked by NZTA.

How to Get a DL9 Certificate in NZ

Step-by-step process:

STEP 01

Booking:

Businesses can arrange appointments through their LifeCare Account Manager or Pre-employment (PEM) team.

Routine driver medicals (for licence renewals or endorsements) are booked through the usual Account Manager/Scheduling process.

STEP 02

Location:

DL9 medicals can be completed at any LifeCare clinic or onsite at the business (minimum charge applies).

STEP 03

During the Appointment:

The driver completes the NZTA DL9 questionnaire, detailing any current or past medical conditions that could affect driving.

If relevant, a medical clearance letter (within the last month) may be required from the driver’s GP or specialist.

The nurse records information about medications that may impact fitness to drive.

STEP 04

After the Appointment:

LifeCare provides the completed DL9 paperwork for the driver to submit to NZTA.

If further medical clearance is needed (e.g., GP, optometrist, audiologist), a referral will be provided.

A DL9 Summary Report is sent to an authorised business contact within 24–48 hours.

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What to Expect at the Appointment

What’s Included in LifeCare’s Partial DL9 Medical?
- Health history questionnaire
- Vision test
  (You may take the eyesight test while wearing glasses or contact lenses. Your licence will then have a condition that you must always wear these while driving.)
- 3-metre hearing test
  (or a full audiometry screen on request) (Profound hearing loss is generally not associated with an increased risk of road crashes. This is because drivers rely more on visual information for making judgements needed for safe driving. However, hearing loss can be an issue for some drivers as they are more likely to be distracted when they need to turn their head towards a passenger to have a conversation. This becomes more significant for commercial endorsement types because of the need for the driver to communicate with passengers while driving)
- Basic cardiovascular assessment (blood pressure, BMI, glucose)
- Fatigue screening (Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Epworth Scale)
  (Excessive daytime sleepiness, which generally presents as a tendency to doze at inappropriate times when intending to stay awake, can stem from many causes and is associated with an increased risk of vehicle crashes. It is important to distinguish sleepiness (the tendency to fall asleep) from fatigue or tiredness that is not associated with a tendency to fall asleep)
- Range of motion evaluation
- Optional drug & alcohol screening (if required by employer)
- DL9 paperwork completion
- Length of appointment: 45 mins (1 hr if drug & alcohol screening is included)
What Employees Need to Bring
- A valid driver’s licence
- Glasses or hearing aids (if required for driving)
- A list of medications and health conditions they may suffer from
DL9 Medicals are available at: LifeCare Clinics in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Lower Hutt, New Plymouth and Christchurch or onsite at a business’ location (minimum charge applies for onsite appointments).
DL9 outcomes
1. Medically fit to drive with all screens found within normal range (meets DL9 criteria)
2. Medically fit to drive with some screens outside normal range, and referrals given to GP/optometrist, but nil impact on licencing. (meets DL9 criteria)
3. Medically fit to drive with recommendations/conditions. NZTA will be advised to put these conditions on the driver licence.
4. In need of further assessment by GP/Specialist/optometrist

Employer Obligations for Commercial Drivers

Requirement frequency
- Most drivers: With each license renewal (every 5-10 years) if not medical conditions
- Ages 75–79: With each license renewal (every 2–5 years)
- Ages 80+: Every 2 years
- Medical conditions: May require more frequent reviews, as determined by NZTA or their medical practitioner.
Medical checks in the workplace
- Employers may arrange medical checks if they believe a driver’s health could affect safe operation.
- Some companies also implement regular health monitoring (beyond NZTA requirements) as part of internal fleet safety policies to ensure their driver’s health is still up to the NZTA standards in between licencing. This is especially true for drivers who fit the category of being a risk to the business if a change in health had occurred
- This is especially common in industries like transport, logistics, and passenger services where public safety is critical.
What happens if the employee has a reported medical condition?
If the employee has a reported medical condition which is stipulated in the NZTA’s ‘Medical Aspects of Fitness to Drive’ document needing clearance, only their GP who is their treating physician is able to comment and provide evidence of treatment/suitability to drive. As LifeCare is not their usual provider, we cannot sign off for an employee’s medical conditions.
What happens if the employee doesn’t meet the medical requirements to obtain the DL9 certificate?
- LifeCare writes a referral letter and state on the DL9 that clearance or specialist review needs completing prior to a decision being made. The responsibility lies with the GP or optometrist to classify if an employee is not fit to drive.
- LifeCare partners with businesses across New Zealand to manage compliance, offering DL9 medical assessments and health checks. This helps fleet managers reduce admin burden and ensure safety and compliance.

Keeping NZ Roads Safe Starts with Fit Drivers

Every driver on our roads carries a responsibility — not just to operate a vehicle safely, but to protect the lives of those around them.

DL9 medicals are a critical safeguard in achieving that. They ensure commercial and endorsement drivers are medically fit, reducing the risk of health-related incidents behind the wheel.

For employers, staying on top of DL9 compliance isn’t just about ticking a regulatory box — it’s about protecting people, minimising liability, and maintaining a culture of safety across your fleet.

At LifeCare, we make that process simple.

Our Partial DL9 Medicals are designed for convenience, cost-efficiency, and full NZTA compliance. Conducted by our experienced Occupational Health Nurses, these assessments ensure your drivers stay certified and your business stays protected.

Whether you manage two vehicles or two hundred, LifeCare’s nationwide network helps you meet your obligations with confidence, accuracy, and care.

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Quick Takeaways

DL9 medicals confirm drivers are medically fit to drive under NZTA standards.

Required for Classes 2–5 and endorsement holders (P, V, I, O, F, W, T, R).

Valid for submission within 60 days; reassessment generally every 5 years or sooner if health changes.

Employers must maintain compliance records and ensure regular checks for fleet drivers.

LifeCare provides Partial DL9 medicals — faster, compliant, and cost-effective.

Available nationwide, with onsite and clinic options for flexible scheduling.

Book your DL9 medicals with LifeCare today.

Ensure your drivers are fit, compliant, and safe on the road

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Driver’s Medical DL9 Certificate

DL9 Driver’s Medicals