Apply for a private hire driver licence

Licensing requirements changed on 1 July 2024 

Find information and guidance in our notice on the new requirements (PDF 196KB).

Apply online

Our online process makes applying and renewing taxi and private hire licences quicker and easier. As part of the ongoing modernisation of our taxi and private hire licensing service, you can create an online account. This means that if you're a taxi or private hire driver, or applicant, you can apply for or renew an existing licence and track its progress during the application process.

We process all applications within specific parameters. For existing drivers, applications are processed in order of their licence expiry date, to ensure continual licensing wherever possible. New applications are processed in order of the date we receive the application.

Applicants for a private hire driver's licence will only ever be asked to pay the cost of an application, please see table below for fees. We do not offer a fast-track service and will never charge more than the advertised application costs.

If you have been approached by a third-party offering a fast-track service at an additional cost, this is fraudulent and you should report it to us at tphreport@tfl.gov.uk.

Becoming a Private Hire Driver

Applicants must pass mandatory assessments before they can be considered for licensing including a topographical assessment, English language requirement and a Safety, Equality and Regulatory Awareness assessment. Private hire vehicles (PHVs) are also subject to the Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone. You should familiarise yourself with the licensing requirements before submitting your application.

 Before you apply, we recommend that you research what becoming and working as a private hire driver entails, taking into account:

• Income
• Hours
• Outlay costs - including purchasing/renting a suitable vehicle, additional equipment and the costs of hire and reward insurance
• Whether your vehicle will be subject to the Congestion Charge and the Ultra Low Emission Zone

You may want to speak to existing private hire drivers or your local minicab firm. There are also a number of trade bodies and unions, including, but not limited to:

• GMB Union - professional drivers branch
• App Drivers and Couriers Union
• The Licensed Private Hire Car Association

There are licensed operators all across London, offering a variety of services. Once licensed, you can work for any private hire operator licensed in London.

In order to be licensed, you will need to meet the following criteria:

• You must be at least 21 years of age at the time of applying. There is no upper age limit, as long as you meet the other licensing requirements
• You must hold a full DVLA, Northern Ireland, or other EEA state driving licence that's at least three years old*
• You must have the right to live and work in the UK
• If you are a first-time applicant you must give confirmation that you are aware of the HMRC guidance about your tax obligations. Should you be granted a private hire driver's licence you will be required to register with HMRC to pay any tax that may be due on income you earn from your licensed trade

However, if you currently hold a taxi or PHV driver's licence with TfL or another licensing authority, or have held such a licence that ceased to be valid in the last 12 months, you will be required to undergo a tax check as part of your application to ensure you are registered to pay the appropriate tax/taxes on income you earn from your licensed trade.

Please see the HMRC Tax check section for full details.

• You must be of good character. To establish this you will be required to undertake an 'enhanced' criminal records check from DBS through our authorised service provider
• You must be medically fit which means meeting the DVLA Group 2 standards. In most cases, this will mean that you will have to undergo a medical examination with someone who has access to your full medical history
• You will need to undertake a topographical skills assessment at one of the TfL driver assessment centres.
• You will need to pass two separate assessments: a speaking and listening assessment and a Safety, Equality and Regulatory Understanding (SERU) assessment which is used to determine your reading and writing skills.

*Although it is possible to exchange a licence from a designated country for a UK or EU/EEA licence, applicants must have held the UK or EU/EEA driving licence for at least three years.  How long a licence from a designated country was held for prior to being exchanged is not taken into account in determining the three year requirement.

Please note, we require that all given names on any official identity documents are displayed on your private hire driver's licence.

We strongly recommend that all identity documents match, our expectation is that all official documents have consistent spelling and are in the correct order. This will prevent any queries in regards to your identity during the course of your licence or application. 

Taxi and private hire driver policy

Policies, advice and guidance on licensing taxi and private hire drivers in London.

DfT Statutory Standards - Changes to licensing requirements from 1 July 2024  

The Department for Transport (DfT) introduced new Statutory Standards in July 2020 to enhance passenger safety for taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) services. In our Improving Safety for Taxi and PHV Passengers consultation  we set out our proposed changes to taxi and private hire licensing requirements to further improve taxi and private hire passenger safety. 

TPH Notice 07/24 sets out the changes to licensing requirements from 1 July 2024.   

The changes that apply to private hire drivers are listed below. 

DBS Update Service 

All applicants for a taxi or private hire driver's licence must register with and subscribe to the DBS Update Service. We will not be able to grant a licence unless you have registered. Once licensed, you must maintain continuous subscription with the Update Service. Find out how to register and other details on the DBS Update Service page. 

Please also see the video and guidance documents below.

Licensee self-reporting  

PHV drivers granted a licence on or after 1 July 2024 must inform us of any arrest and release, charge, caution or conviction within 48 hours. This includes all driving offences resulting in penalty points on your DVLA driving licence. 

Private hire drivers with a licence granted before 1 July 2024 must notify us of any new convictions and cautions within 21 days but are strongly encouraged to comply with the 48-hour requirement straight away 

Report any arrest and release, charge, caution or conviction, including driving offences, within 48 hours.

You can also report by email to tphlicensingsupport@tfl.gov.uk

Complaints signage  

PHV vehicles must display new complaints signage, which will include other information for passengers, including how to make a complaint about taxi and private hire services to us.

From 1 July 2025, PHV drivers must ensure that the PHV they are driving has the signage displayed.

Overseas criminal checks  

The requirements for when a Certificate of Good Conduct (CoGC) must be provided have changed.    

All new and renewing applicants for private hire driver licences will need to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct (CoGC) when they have lived in a country other than the UK for one or more continuous periods of three months or more in the last 10 years.  

Periods of extended holiday are included. A CoGC from every relevant country declared in the application form will be required to cover any such period. Please download the TPH/205 'Living abroad' form and submit this with your application.

Contact the licensing team at tphlicensing@tfl.gov.uk if you have any questions or require clarification before you apply.

How to apply

If you can meet all of the above criteria and wish to apply, you can start your application by registering online. 

You will be asked to provide some personal details so we can create an account for you and allow you to complete your online application or request an application pack.

As part of your application, you will need to provide a  photograph of yourself. See our guidance on the type of photograph we will accept.

Alternatively, please email us at tphlicensing@tfl.gov.uk to request an application pack.

Character requirements

You must be of good character. To establish this you will be required to undertake an 'enhanced' criminal records check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) through our authorised service provider.

Medical requirements

You must be medically fit which means meeting the DVLA Group 2 medical standards. In most cases, this will mean that you will have to undergo a medical examination with someone who has access to your full medical records

HMRC Tax Check

On 4 April 2022, HMRC introduced new tax checks for all taxi and private hire drivers, as well as PHV operators. As a licensed driver, you should be registered to pay any tax that may be due on income you earn from your licensed trade.  
 
You will need to complete a tax check with HMRC (using your GOV.UK Government Gateway ID and password). You must then obtain a unique 9-character tax check code which confirms your registration to pay tax. The tax check code will then need to be provided to TfL as part of your application to renew your licence. 

Guidance is available on GOV.UK to help you complete the tax check. 

Please note:

• You will need to ensure that you provide the correct tax check code for the type of licence that is being applied for, i.e. a taxi or private hire driver's licence
• A tax check code is only valid for 120 days from when it is obtained from HMRC. Please bear this in mind when submitting your application. If the code has expired, we will be unable to complete the check and your application will be incomplete
• Please ensure that you record the tax check code clearly and correctly on your application form

Should a tax check code be required, but it is not provided, then your application will be deemed to be incomplete. Your application cannot then be fully processed until the required tax check code has been provided and a check undertaken by TfL.

Guidance for EU/EEA nationals

Please see the document provided for information on the requirements for EU/EEA nationals to demonstrate their right to work in the United Kingdom.

Equal opportunities       

Becoming a licensed taxi or private hire driver is open to all. If you're a disabled person and interested in becoming a driver, there are some things to consider.

We try to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to get through the application and assessment process. However, there are some medical conditions that, for public safety reasons, will mean you can't be licensed, so it's important that you discuss your situation with your GP before you apply. For full information on medical guidelines, please refer to the DVLA Group 2 guidelines.

Some licensed taxis and private hire vehicles have modifications that enable people to drive them. Vehicle adaptations include:

• Steering wheel ball
• Hand-operated braking controls
• Hand-operated accelerator control
• Reconfigured foot pedal controls
• Infra-red control panel for operating vehicle lights, indicators and horn

Drivers who use vehicle adaptations will need to be assessed by a medical professional and driver assessor. They will recommend what adaptations are needed and exactly what equipment must be fitted to ensure the driver has full control of the vehicle at all times.

The recommended adaptations and equipment must be fitted by an authorised Motability installer. We require documentary evidence that the installer is authorised.

Before you have any equipment fitted or adaptations made to your vehicle you should first contact our licensing team.

Exemptions

We may exempt drivers from certain requirements if we feel it is appropriate.

Some requirements apply automatically to an applicant, and some an applicant/licensee will have to apply for either when submitting an application or during the life of their licence.

Wearing a Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) driver badge

All private hire drivers are required to wear their driver badge during private hire duties.

There are exemptions from doing so if:

• Wearing a badge presents a specific risk
• The passenger requests that the driver refrain from wearing a badge

Carrying guide/assistance dogs

Taxi and PHV drivers must carry guide, hearing and other assistance dogs accompanying disabled people without any additional charge. Drivers can ask for an exemption from this, but only on medical grounds.

Assisting wheelchair users

If we have designated a taxi or PHV as wheelchair accessible, drivers must provide physical assistance to passengers in wheelchairs without any additional charge. We can exempt a driver from these duties on:

• Medical grounds, or
• On the grounds that a physical condition makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for a driver to comply with the duties

Driver Assessments 

English Language Requirement and SERU Assessment - New approach to assessing ELR 

Two separate assessments are used to determine whether an applicant meets the English Language Requirement. 

The Safety, Equality and Regulatory Understanding (SERU) assessment will be used to determine an applicant's ability to read and write in English to an appropriate level as well as to determine their understanding of safety, equality and regulatory matters. 

A speaking and listening assessment will also be required, this will be undertaken by a secure video or telephone link within TfL premises. 

Both assessments will need to be passed in order for an applicant to demonstrate that they can communicate in English at an appropriate level. 

The appropriate level, which is equivalent to level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for reading, writing, speaking and listening, remains the same as before. 

More information is available on our English language page and our SERU page. 

Applicants are advised to familiarise themselves with the information on the aforementioned pages before they apply. 

Topographical skills assessment

Private hire applicants are required to undertake a topographical skills assessment as part of their application. However, the following applicants may be exempt if:

• Previously licensed PHV drivers who have passed a TfL topographical skills test
• Licensed London taxi drivers - All London and Suburban
• Professional London tourists guides (eg Blue Badge Driver Guide)

On 1 February 2020 the exemption previously given to applicants with a relevant vocational qualification was removed. Please see TPH Notice 06/19 for more information.

Safeguarding Awareness 

All applicants are expected to undertake the online Safeguarding Awareness training course prior to undertaking the SERU assessment. This course contains important information on protecting children and vulnerable adults at risk from harm and abuse which is a topic that is covered within the SERU assessment. 

More information on the introduction of the Safeguarding Awareness course is available in TPH Notice 13/21 and on our Safeguarding Awareness webpage.  

Convictions and exemptions

Disclosure and Barring service check

If you have completed a enhanced disclosure including both barred lists under the workforce code of 'Other' in a relevant occupation, in the last four months, you are exempt for requiring a further check.

Medical

Applicants are exempt from completing a medical form as part of their application if they:

• Hold a full or provisional DVLA Group 2 licence
• Have an active application with us, have completed our medical and are under the age of 45

Active applicants or existing licensees must have a medical exam if over the age of 45 and the last medical was done more than three years ago, or you're subject to providing an age-related medical.

Convictions

If you have any of the following convictions, it's unlikely that your application will be successful. Before submitting an application, please consider:

• Any conviction for a major violent offence (murder, manslaughter etc)
• Whether you have more than one conviction for any offence of a violent nature
• If you are still serving a custodial sentence, even if you have been released early on licence or the sentence was suspended
• If you have been convicted, cautioned or subjected to any other penalty for a serious sexual offence (rape, indecent assault, trafficking, possession of indecent images etc)
• Whether you have been convicted, cautioned or subjected to any other penalty for more than one sexual offence of any type, irrespective of age
• Whether you are listed on either the Children's or Adults' barred list
• If you have been convicted, cautioned or subjected to any other penalty for touting in the last 12 months or have more than one penalty for touting in the last five years

This is not an exhaustive list - licensing decisions are made on a case by case basis. Please read our Taxi and Private Hire Driver Policy above for further information.