The short answer
For the theory test and the practical test alike you need valid official photo identification. For the practical test, add the certificate for the passed theory test and glasses or lenses if your application records them. Without valid ID the test does not take place — not even when everybody involved knows you.
The list is short. It is here anyway, because exactly one item on it costs appointments on a regular basis.
The ID
A valid identity card or passport. Valid means: not expired. An expired card is the most common reason somebody goes home again on test day — and it is the only item on this list that can be checked weeks in advance and almost never is.
It does not happen often, but it happens — and always to somebody between 16 and 18 who has had the same card since primary school. We now ask about it when the date is booked. That is not bureaucracy, it is the one question that prevents a lost appointment.
For the practical test, additionally
- The certificate for the passed theory test
- Glasses or contact lenses if a visual aid is recorded in your application — that is a condition, not a suggestion
- Firm shoes. Sandals and thick winter boots are both unsuitable
- Some time afterwards: the debrief and the paperwork take a few more minutes
What you do not need
No cash, no printouts, no folder. The registration goes through the driving school and the fees are settled beforehand — who charges what is set out separately. Your phone stays in your bag, and in the theory test out of reach anyway.
If you are ill
Say so early, not on the morning. A test slot cancelled in time can be given to somebody else; one that is simply missed costs fees — like a cancelled driving lesson, only more expensive.
How the drive itself runs is here — and what helps against the nerves, here.
What to take away
Check the expiry date on your ID as soon as the appointment is booked, not the evening before. It is the only item on this list that ends a test before it has started, and the only one that can be dealt with weeks in advance.