How to Complete and Submit the California DS 326 Driver Medical Evaluation

The California DS 326 form is the Driver Medical Evaluation that the DMV sends when it needs a physician’s assessment of whether you can still drive safely. You complete the first three sections, your doctor completes the clinical sections, and you return the finished form to the Driver Safety Office named on your reexamination notice by the deadline printed there. Miss that deadline and the DMV can suspend or revoke your license, so treat the notice as time-sensitive.¹

Why the DMV Sent You This Form

Something specific triggered the request. Under Vehicle Code Section 12806, the DMV can refuse or pull a license from anyone with a disorder involving lapses of consciousness, or any physical or mental condition affecting safe driving, unless it has medical information showing the person can drive safely.² The DS 326 is how the department gathers that information.

The referral usually comes from one of four sources. A physician may have reported you: Health and Safety Code Section 103900 requires doctors to report any patient 14 or older diagnosed with a disorder characterized by lapses of consciousness, which includes epilepsy, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, Alzheimer’s disease, and severe blood-sugar episodes tied to diabetes.³ A traffic officer may have initiated a priority reexamination after suspecting a medical cause behind your driving. A family member, friend, or other person may have submitted a Request for Driver Reexamination (Form DS 699) or a letter. Or you may have disclosed a condition at renewal, or an examiner noticed something during a visit.⁴

If yours is a priority reexamination, contact Driver Safety within five working days of the notice or your license will be suspended.⁴

What You Fill Out: Sections 1 Through 3

The form comes with your notice, and a blank copy is also available on the DMV website or at any Driver Safety Office.¹ Finish your three sections before you take it to your doctor.

Section 1 asks for driver information: full name, driver license number, date of birth, street address, ZIP code, and a daytime phone number. It also has a health history checklist. Answer yes or no to each condition, and briefly explain any yes in the space provided. Your answers will be compared against your doctor’s findings, so accuracy matters.

Section 2 is the Driver’s Advisory Statement. Read it, sign, and date. Signing acknowledges that the DMV, not your physician, makes the final decision on your driving qualifications.

Section 3 authorizes release of your medical information. Enter the name and address of the doctor or facility that will complete the rest of the form, add your medical record number if you have one, then sign and date.

A missing signature or date is enough reason for the DMV to reject the form outright, so check each field before you hand it off.

What Your Doctor Fills Out: Sections 5 Through 13

Book a dedicated appointment. The clinical portion is detailed, and trying to squeeze it into a routine visit is the most common way it comes back incomplete.

Section 5 (Vision): visual acuity for each eye and both eyes, with and without correction, plus any eye injury or disease and whether further examination is needed.
Section 6: names of any other providers treating you and the conditions they treat.
Section 7: diagnosis, prognosis, symptoms, whether the condition is improving or worsening, length of the patient relationship, every prescribed medication with dosage and frequency, whether side effects could impair driving, and the doctor’s direct recommendation on whether you should drive. The form also asks specifically whether the doctor recommends a DMV driving test.
Section 8: functional impairments. The physician rates visual neglect and any upper- or lower-body motor control loss as mild, moderate, or severe, and addresses whether adaptive equipment could compensate.
Section 9: for Alzheimer’s or related conditions, ratings from none to severe on memory loss, judgment, attention, impulsive behavior, problem-solving, and awareness of disability.
Section 10: lapse-of-consciousness disorders such as epilepsy, narcolepsy, and severe diabetic episodes, with type and frequency documented.

The doctor signs and dates the completed clinical sections. Vague answers like “patient is fine,” without addressing the specific fields, are the single most common reason a DS 326 gets bounced. Walk through the form with your doctor before you leave and confirm every question has a clear answer.

Where and When to Return It

Send the completed form to the Driver Safety Office named on your notice. Driver Safety Offices are separate from regular DMV field offices, and a field office cannot process a medical evaluation case. Sending it to the wrong location will delay everything.

You have several submission options. The DMV’s online Driver Safety Portal accepts uploads and is the fastest route. Mail with tracking works, and some offices accept faxes sent directly by the physician’s office. Whichever you use, keep a copy of the completed form and your delivery proof. If the DMV later says it never arrived, that documentation is what protects your license.

The deadline on your notice is firm. The form itself warns that failure to provide the required information is grounds for the DMV to refuse to issue a license or to withdraw your driving privilege.¹

What the DMV Can Do After Reviewing Your Form

A Driver Safety analyst reviews the physician’s findings and decides what happens next. The outcomes range from no action to revocation.

No action: the report supports safe driving, the case closes, your license is unaffected.
Additional testing: a knowledge test, vision test, or behind-the-wheel test may be required. A priority reexamination requires all three plus medical documentation.⁴
Restrictions: conditions added to your license, such as limits on hours of driving, mileage caps, avoiding certain routes or weather, or required adaptive equipment.⁵
Medical Probation I: you must follow your prescribed medical regimen and report any change in your condition to the DMV.⁵
Medical Probation II: you or your doctor must submit a new DS 326 on specified dates, typically annually.⁴
Suspension or revocation: normally effective 30 days after written notice, but if the DMV believes your condition is an immediate danger, the order can take effect the moment you receive notice.⁶

The DMV, not your physician, makes the final call. A doctor’s recommendation carries weight, but the department can override it in either direction.

If Your License Is Suspended or Revoked: The 10-Day Hearing Deadline

You can demand an administrative hearing if the DMV suspends or revokes your license or places you on probation. The request must be made within 10 days of receiving the notice. Miss the 10-day window and you waive your hearing right; the DMV can proceed without one.⁷

Filing does not automatically pause the DMV’s action. Your license can be suspended while the hearing is pending. Once scheduled, you get at least 10 days’ notice of the date, time, and location, and you can review the department’s file beforehand. Sworn testimony, physician reports, hospital records, and expert evidence are all admissible.⁷ Bringing your own medical evidence, such as a second opinion or updated test results, gives the hearing officer grounds to change, set aside, or modify the original decision. Hearings can be scheduled through the online Driver Safety Portal or by contacting your assigned Driver Safety Office.

Avoiding a Rejection

Most problems are avoidable. Book a standalone appointment rather than tacking the form onto a routine visit. Before you leave the office, confirm every question on the physician sections has a clear answer, especially Section 7 on medications and the driving recommendation. Check that both you and your doctor have signed and dated your respective sections. Send it to the Driver Safety Office listed on your notice, not to a field office. Use the online portal when you can, and keep copies of the completed form and any delivery confirmation.

Commercial Drivers: The DS 326 Is Not Your Federal Certification

If you hold a CDL, the DS 326 runs parallel to, but does not replace, your federal medical certification. Commercial drivers operating vehicles over 10,000 pounds in interstate commerce must maintain a separate Medical Examiner’s Certificate issued by a federally registered medical examiner, following federal physical qualification standards. CDL holders also self-certify to the DMV under one of four operating categories: interstate non-excepted, interstate excepted, intrastate non-excepted, or intrastate excepted. The category controls whether federal or state medical standards apply.⁸ A condition flagged on your DS 326 can affect both your commercial and regular driving privileges at the same time. Drivers with physical impairments affecting commercial operation need a state variance and, for missing or impaired limbs, a Skill Performance Evaluation certificate that must be carried at all times.

1
California Department of Motor Vehicles. DS 326 – Driver Medical Evaluation
2
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 12806
3
California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 103900
4
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Deteriorated Driving Skill
5
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Evaluating Driver Impairment
6
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 13953
7
Justia Law. California Vehicle Code 14100-14112
8
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical