Apply for a new hackney carriage or private hire licence

Apply for a new hackney carriage or private hire vehicle licence

You need to hold a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle licence to use your vehicle as a hackney carriage or for private hire. 

On issue of a vehicle licence, you will receive vehicle license plates within the following timescales:

  • Validation from application received - 3 working days
  • Determining grant - 10 working days
  • Issuing after grant - 7 working days
  • Total time from application to issue - 17 working days or 25 days

These plates are valid for one whole calendar year.

Before you apply

You should make sure the vehicle complies with our current hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy to find out if your vehicle is suitable to be licensed.

Once your vehicle has been validated, you will receive an email authorising you to undertake an MOT at one of the two approved council MOT centres below.

You will need to take your vehicle for a test at one of our approved MOT centres:

Once the test is completed and your vehicle has passed, you will need to upload the MOT certificate, signed by the MOT centre, to the council via the contact licensing form

Once the application has been granted, you will receive an email confirmation telling you when you are eligible to collect. 

When you apply, you will need to: 

  • provide some details about you and your vehicle
  • be subject to a basic DBS check (vehicles licenced by insurance companies or applicants are already licensed by the authority and are required to hold an enhanced DBS and are not required to provide a current basic DBS disclosure)
  • pay a fee by debit or credit card
  • upload a copy of your vehicle log book (V5) or proof of ownership
  • upload a copy of your full vehicle insurance certificate to cover public hire use for hackney carriage or private hire use or both

Apply for a hackney carriage vehicle licence

When you apply you will need to: 

  • provide some details about you and your vehicle
  • be subject to a basic DBS check (vehicles licenced by insurance companies or applicants are already licensed by the authority and are required to hold an enhanced DBS and are not required to provide a current basic DBS disclosure)
  • pay a fee by debit or credit card
  • upload a copy of your vehicle log book (V5) or proof of vehicle ownership
  • upload a copy of your full vehicle insurance certificate to cover private hire use 

Apply for a private hire vehicle licence

  • New vehicle - £210
  • Plate brackets - £40

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