Taxi driver licences

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Before applying for combined private hire and hackney carriage driver licence, please read the following sections and our taxi policy.

You will need to apply online and need to make sure you have gathered the below checklist items before applying:

Before you apply you must make sure you have a recent digital photograph that you can upload.

The quality of the photograph must be:

clear and in focus
in colour
unaltered by computer software

The photo must:

contain no other objects or people
be taken against a plain light-coloured background
be in clear contrast to the background
not have ‘red eye’ In your photo

You must:

be facing forwards and looking straight at the camera
have a plain expression and your mouth closed
have your eyes open and visible
not have hair in front of your eyes
not have a head covering (unless it’s for religious or medical reasons)
not have anything covering your face
not have any shadows on your face or behind you
do not wear sunglasses or tinted glasses. You can wear other glasses if you need to, but your eyes must be visible without any glare or reflection.

Your National Insurance number is on payslips, P60s, or letters about tax, pensions and benefits. You can also find it through your online personal tax account and download a confirmation letter.

If you cannot find it, or cannot log into your personal tax account, call the National Insurance helpline on 0300 200 3500 or visit their website. They won’t tell you your National Insurance number over the phone. They’ll post it to you and it’ll arrive within 10 working days.

You will need to have your driving licence number and the expiry date of your licence before you apply.

The driver number is a string of 16 numbers and letters on the UK plastic card driving licence. This is found at field 5 on the card as shown below. The expiry date is field 4b.

Taxi driver licences – Guidance notes

You will need to obtain a DVLA licence check code before you can apply. This allows us to check your licence and confirm any penalty points or disqualifications you may have.

Visit the website and enter your driving licence number (as above) to generate the check code.

You must give us a tax check code if you're:

applying to renew a licence you have previously held with us or another licensing authority, and that licence is currently valid
applying for a licence that was valid within the last year

You will not need to provide a tax check if you're applying for a licence you've not held before, or not held in the past year.

However, you'll be required to complete the declaration on the application form stating that you're aware of your tax responsibilities.

Complete a tax check

To complete a tax check you will need a Government Gateway account. If you do not have one, you can set one up when you start the check.

You'll also need to know how you pay tax on the income you earn from your licensed trade.

Complete a tax check on GOV.UK.

When you've completed the tax check, you'll get a 9-character code.

When you have your tax check code

When applying to renew your licence, you'll need to provide your tax check code as part of your application.

We will only receive confirmation from HMRC that you've completed the tax check. We will not have access to information about your tax affairs.

More information

HMRC has powers to obtain information from Licensing Authorities using ‘Schedule 23 to Finance Act 2011 (Data Gathering Powers) and Schedule 36 to Finance Act 2008 (Information and Inspection Powers), grants HMRC powers to obtain relevant information from third parties. This includes licensing bodies being required to provide information about licence applicants.’
More guidance about tax registration obligations can be found:
- PAYE information
- Registering for Self Assessment
- Corporation Tax information
- For additional guidance, please visit Tax check factsheet

You will need to provide a medical certificate following a DVLA Group 2 standard medical examination carried out by either your own GP or another appropriate doctor.

You will need a medical certificate:

when you apply for the first time
at every licence renewal application after you turn 45 years old
at age 65 and annually after that
at any other time if a doctor determines that you require more frequent medical examinations

Download the medical form

When a Group 2 medical is not required at renewal, you must complete a self-declaration form with your renewal application to confirm that there have not been any changes to your health since the last medical examination.

Download the medical declaration

Existing drivers aged under 45 years will need to submit a Medical Certificate at next renewal, and then not again until their next renewal on reaching age 45.

As a private hire or taxi driver you'll need to get an enhanced DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) This is to make sure that you don't have a criminal history that would stop you from operating as a driver.

If you already subscribe to the DBS update service, you will need to provide us with the 12 digit DBS certificate number, which starts with 00. This is found on the top right hand side of your DBS certificate.

Dbs certificate

All drivers, new and existing, must sign up to the update service and ensure their subscription is maintained.

To apply for a licence for the first time or for a renewal you will need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK. You must do this even if you are a UK citizen.

If you’re a British or Irish citizen, you can prove your right to work in the UK with either of the following:

a British passport
an Irish passport or passport card

Your passport or passport card can be current or expired.

If you do not have a passport or passport card, you can prove your right to work with one of the following:

a UK birth or adoption certificate
an Irish birth or adoption certificate
a certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen

You must also give your employer an official letter or document from a previous employer or a government agency. For example, you could use a letter from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or the Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland. The letter must show your name and National Insurance number.

If you’re not a British or Irish citizen, you can prove your right to work with:

a share code - you can get a share code online
your eligible immigration documents

For full details about documents you can provide and who has the right to work in the UK please visit gov.uk

As part of your application you will need to give details of your last five year's residential history.

If you have lived outside the UK in the past five years, for six months or more, we will also ask you to bring in a ‘certificate of good character’ from the relevant embassy/country after you apply - find out more.

Once you have submitted your online application we will ask you to visit our offices to show us your certificate.

When applying for a new licence and at each renewal you will need to complete the taxi driver safeguarding course. This is delivered by Blue Lamp Trust and costs £35. This must be the virtual classroom course.

Book your course here

All potential new drivers will need to complete a disability awareness training course before you can submit your application. The course is provided by Blue Lamp Trust and costs £40. The course is delivered online and once you have successfully completed it you will be given a certificate, a photograph of which you will need to upload as part of your application. You will only need to do this course once unless there are significant changes in the legislation or there are concerns about your understanding of the requirements of the duty to assist and the Equality Act.

Book your course here

If you are a new applicant, you will be required to take a driving assessment with Blue Lamp Trust. The course costs £87 and lasts for 1 hour. The course will include an eyesight check and a 45 minutes driving assessment including driving on a range of road types, completing some manoeuvres and following road signs. You will only need to sit this assessment once unless there are concerns about your standards of driving whilst you hold a licence.

Book your course here

Apply now