Apply for a taxi or private hire licence

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

Taxi Licensing is experiencing an extremely high demand for new licences, and there is a backlog of applications waiting to be processed.  All submitted applications are held in a queue until they are ready to be processed. Once an officer is ready to begin processing your application you will be contacted and advised of any steps that need to be taken.

TAXI LICENSING POLICY

Please read our taxi licensing policy (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window) before making your application. DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THIS DOCUMENT. As part of your application, you will be asked to tick a box which states that you have read this information.

BEFORE SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

Please ensure that you have all the relevant supporting documents to hand that you will need to submit your application, these are detailed below in "Step 2 - Submit an application for a Hackney Carriage/ Private Hire Drivers Licence". You will not be able to submit your application without them. Please ensure that you submit all pages of the documents, both sides, as your application cannot be processed without them. 

Step 1: Enhanced DBS Check & Digital ID Check

You will need to apply for an Enhanced DBS through the council's supplier Taxi Plus, and provide all the documents they ask you to upload in order for the digital identification process to take place.

The fee of £75.50 for the Enhanced DBS application will be paid directly to Taxi Plus via their website. 

Important: All documents (including your DVLA driving licence) must be in your current address. These are the requirements of the DBS and not the Council.  

Once you have received your DBS certificate you must keep this in a safe place as copies are not issued and you will need it in future. You must register with the DBS update service as soon as you receive your certificate as you can only do this within 28 days of the date on the certificate. Please be aware that it is a requirement to register with the DBS update service and if you do not register in the 28 day time frame, you will have to submit a further application for an Enhanced DBS.

What if I already have a DBS certificate that is registered with the DBS Update Service? 

If you already have an "other workforce [taxi/ private hire/ hackney carriage] driver" Enhanced DBS certificate that is registered with the DBS update service you will need to submit this to Licensing Services when you attend your Taxi Driver Training, along with evidence of your subscription to the DBS update service. You must also complete our application for online checking of DBS certificates form (PDF, 39 KB) in order to give us your consent to perform a check on your DBS. Bring this with you too.

I need to contact Taxi Plus about my DBS application

If you need to contact Taxi Plus about your DBS application you can do this via the following methods:

• By email
• By live chat

Step 2: Submit an application for a Hackney Carriage/ Private Hire Drivers Licence

To submit your application for a Hackney Carriage/ Private Hire Drivers Licence you will need to complete the online application form. You MUST  upload the following documentation at the end of the application or your will be unable to submit:

• DVLA driving licence (held for at least 12 months (both sides) 
• A valid UK or Irish passport. For applicants who are not UK nationals by birth or by naturalisation you must produce a Home Office check code in order for us to check your right to work status, along with your passport.
• National insurance number (either the number card, official national insurance number letter from the DWP or the national insurance letter obtainable from the government gateway website)
• Bank statement (no older than 3 months), or council tax bill (current year). Note: the bank statement must be an original (not a PDF downloaded from your online banking app), or if you do not have hard copy bank statements you must ask your bank to print one off for you and endorse it with a stamp and signature.
• DVLA mandate check code
• HMRC tax check code (from 4 April 2022 if applicable). Please read the 'tax checks' section for full information.
• Recent colour passport-sized photograph (The photograph must include your head & shoulders and be taken with a white/pale background). Please note that this photograph should show the same likeness as the image on your DVLA Licence and Passport.
• Change of name deed poll, or marriage certificate if you have been known by another name.
• A certificate of good character (COGC) from the relevant Embassy if you have spent 3 or more continuous months outside of the UK since turning 18. The COGC must be in English.

Note: The online application form accepts the following file types only: DOC, DOCX, GIF, JPG, PDF, PNG, TIF, TIFF, TXT, XLS, XLSX, MP3, MP4, M4A

Once you have completed the application form and uploaded your supporting documentation you will be prompted to pay the application fees for your licence (either 1 or 3 years), Enhanced DBS check (step 2), the Essential Training (step 3), and the DVLA mandate check.

IMPORTANT:  Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an email acknowledgement with a reference number.  This means that your application has been successfully submitted. Please do not contact us as your application will have joined our queue and we will not be able to deal with your enquiry.  When we are ready to process your application, you will be contacted by a member of the team.

Please note. You will only proceed to step 2 when we start to process your application.

Step 3: Complete the Taxi Training

You will be booked onto the essential training, which is comprised of safeguarding, and a disability awareness. Please be aware that your conversational and written English will be checked as part of the training. There is no test.

You will need to bring the following original documents with you to the training:

• Your DVLA driving licence.
• Your valid passport.
• Your National insurance number (either the number card, official national insurance number letter from the DWP or the national insurance letter obtainable from the government gateway website)
• Your bank statement (no older than 3 months), or council tax bill (current year).
• A recent colour passport-sized photograph (The photograph must include your head & shoulders and be taken with a white/pale background).
• The change of name deed poll, or marriage certificate if you have been known by another name.
• A certificate of good character (COGC) from the relevant Embassy if you have spent 3 or more continuous months outside of the UK since turning 18. The COGC must be in English.
• DBS certificate (if you have received this from Taxi Plus).
• Completed DBS online checking form (PDF, 39 KB) (if you have received your DBS from Taxi Plus).
• Evidence of your subscription to the DBS update service (if you have received your DBS from Taxi Plus).

Step 4: Obtain a Group 2 Medical Assessment from a GP who has access to your medical records.

The Group 2 Medical Assessment form which you must take to your appointment with your G.P. can be downloaded here. (PDF, 578 KB)

Medical assessments are valid for a period of 2 months from the date they're completed. Only pages 1 and 2 of the medical assessment need to be returned to us.

Step 5: Collect your Licence

Once you have registered with the DBS update service, obtained a group 2 medical assessment, completed the essential training, submitted your application for a Hackney Carriage/ Private Hire Drivers Licence, and provided all required original documentation you will be notified when you can collect your licence from St Helens Town Hall  (providing there are no instances that would trigger a referral to the Licensing & Environmental Protection Committee in line with our policies).