Apply or renew a Hackney Carriage Drivers Licence.

In order to apply for a Hackney Carriage Drivers Licence, applicants must have held a valid UK driving licence for a minimum period of 12 months. As well as this, the following processes must be completed:

  • full UK driving licence for Category B vehicles, which you have held for at least 12 months. If you have a foreign driving licence, you may be able to convert it to a UK driving licence by visiting Exchange a foreign driving licence.
  • Your completed medical certificate (template in the ‘Downloads’ section) which must be dated no longer than 4 months before your application date. You can also use templates from Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall.
  • Proof of your right to work in the UK – Here you can find the Right to Work Document Assessment form
  • An acceptable image of all pages of your full enhanced DBS certificate.
    • If you are an existing driver and your DBS Certificate is dated less than two years ago, it will still be valid. Please check your renewal letter for details.
    • You must also subscribe to the DBS Update Service at a cost of £13 per year. The DBS certificate must be for an enhanced check for the position of ‘Other Workforce - Taxi Licensing’. You have 30 days from the issue date on your certificate to apply for the Update Service
    • If you do not have a DBS certificate, you can obtain one via TaxiPlus Wolverhampton
  • A completed DVLA Licence check. This will be completed at the same time as your DBS, when you apply via TaxiPlus.
    • If you have not provided Licensing Services with a DBS certificate via TaxiPlus Wolverhampton, you will be requested to submit a DVLA Check Code
  • Completed our Hackney Carriage theoretical and driving assessment. Please contact Worcestershire County Council to book this on: taxidrivertraining@worcestershire.gov.uk.
  • Your own, individual email address.

From 4 April 2022 (renewal applications or new applications that have held a similar licence within the last 12 months), you will need to confirm you have completed a tax check and the 9 character Tax check code must be provided as part of the application process. Complete a tax check for a taxi, private hire or scrap metal licence.

From 1 April 2021, City of Wolverhampton Council required all driver licence applicants purchasing an enhanced DBS certificate to subscribe to the DBS Update Service at a cost of £13 per year. The DBS certificate must be for an enhanced check for the position of ‘Other Workforce - Taxi Licensing

You have 30 days from the issue date on your certificate to apply for the Update Service.

Apply for the Update Service

If you do not subscribe to the Update Service and your licence is granted or renewed after 1 April 2021, you will be required to purchase a new DBS certificate every six months. Six monthly DBS checks are now required by the Department for Transport.  

Providing we have received all the above documentation and your application is correct and complete, we aim to process your application within 30 working days (10 working days for renewals) stating that your badges are ready for collection. Please note, if your DBS certificate or DVLA licence check reveals convictions for offences that are not clear of our guidelines (which you can view in the Downloads section), it may take longer than 30 working days to process your application.

Names on all documents must match and be spelt in the same way. If there are any discrepancies with the names on the documents then the application will not be able to be processed further until the documents have been rectified.

When will the process take more than 30 days?

Your 30-working day period will not begin until we are in receipt of correct and complete versions of all relevant documentation.

However, if we require further information from you to support your application, you will be contacted within 30 working days (10 working days for renewals).

Please do not contact licensing until 30 working days (10 working days for renewals) have passed since you made your application. If you have not received an email acknowledging receipt of your application form, please check the clutter/junk folder of your email account, as it may have been directed to there.

We are unable to provide progress updates over the telephone, but you can check the status of your application.

If 30 working days (10 working days for renewals) have passed since you submitted your application and you have not been contacted, please e-mail driver.lic@wolverhampton.gov.uk for driver licences or vehicle.lic@wolverhampton.gov.uk for vehicle licences, with your application reference number

Please note that if you wish to obtain your licence sooner than the timescale above we offer a 'Fast Track' application

See Fast Track procedure

Start standard application

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