Do I need a letter of attestation?
Usually, NO. If you have been off the road — on holiday, off sick, doing other work, or simply not allocated a vehicle — the law now expects you to account for that time with manual entries on your tachograph, not a letter.
The old “letter of attestation” still exists, but it is now the exception, not the rule. DVSA will accept one ONLY by limited exception, and only for international journeys through EU member states (more on that below).
*Myth: “I need a signed letter every time I have a week off.” Not true — a manual entry on your tachograph covers a UK holiday or a sick day perfectly well.
How do I account for days I was not driving?
You make a manual entry for the time you were away. How you do it depends on your tachograph:
- Digital or smart tachograph — use the manual input when you insert your card and record the time under the correct symbol. For annual leave, sick leave and rest days that is the bed symbol (rest).
- Analogue (paper chart) — write the activity by hand on the back of the chart.
Cover the current day and any of the previous 28 days — or 56 days on an international journey to or from the EU — on which you did not do any in-scope driving.
*A manual entry is only legally required when you cannot use the tachograph itself — for example activity away from the vehicle, a unit fault, or a breach forced on you by something you could not have foreseen.
When is a letter of attestation still used?
Only in one narrow case: an international journey through EU member states, where an enforcement officer abroad may still ask for the European Commission attestation form. The form (Commission Decision C(2009) 9895) stays valid until the EU replaces it.
If you do use one:
- It MUST be completed and signed by your operator first, and then signed by you.
- One form covers one activity ONLY. A spell with no in-scope driving might therefore need one form for “other work” and a second for “weekly rest.”
For work that stays within Great Britain, you do NOT need an attestation form at all — your manual entries are enough.
Download the attestation form
If your operator needs the Commission attestation form for an international job, you can download it here:
📄 Attestation of Activities (European Commission form)
Remember it is the exception, not the rule — most gaps in your record are covered by a manual entry on your tachograph. If in doubt, get in touch and we will point you the right way.