Apply for or renew a vehicle licence (hackney carriage or private hire)
A vehicle licence is required for all hackney carriage (taxi) and private hire vehicles.
Vehicle licences are issued on a 12 month basis.
We only issue licences for vehicles that carry 8 passengers or less. If your vehicle has 9 or more seats, apply on GOV.UK for a Public Service Vehicle Licence.
We'll only licence vehicles that meet the requirements of our Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy (view section 4.3 of the Policy).
What you'll need
As part of the online application, you'll need to provide your:
- vehicle insurance documents that cover you for private hire or hackney carriage work (if you're covered by fleet insurance you must also provide the schedule)
- proof of ownership, usually a V5C log book or registration document in the name of the applicant (including pages 1 and 2), or
- a lease or hire contract
- the V5 New Keeper Supplement with an official sales receipt
- a sales receipt from a registered company (for newly manufactured vehicles)
- vehicle lease or hire agreement (if applicable)
- basic criminal record disclosure issued within the last 3 months (if you're not currently a licensed driver) or your original DBS certificate if you're subscribed to the DBS Update Service
- operator declaration and vehicle photographs (if applying for a new executive vehicle)
- a valid MOT and compliance certificate, from a council-approved garage, no more than 4 weeks old
You can book an MOT test and compliance inspection at a council-approved garage:
You'll need a valid credit or debit card to pay for your application.
You'll need an online account to apply, renew or make changes to your licence. View our guidance on how to set up an account or make an application.
Privacy
We are the controller for the personal information we use about you. We're committed to protecting your privacy when you use our services.
The law requires us to give you details about how we use and protect your information, view the taxi licensing privacy policy.
Contact
For information and support with the licensing process, you can contact taxi licensing.