We will remind you when it’s time to renew your licence, but it’s your responsibility to apply to renew it.
If your licence expires and you want to continue to be a taxi driver, you will have to reapply for a new licence.
We recommend that you submit your renewal application eight weeks before your current licence expires. This allows plenty of time for us to complete the relevant checks, issue your licence and post it to you.
If you no longer want to be a licensed driver but are a proprietor on a vehicle licence, you must register as a non-driver taxi proprietor.
Read our taxi licensing policy and handbook for more information.
Application process
You can apply to renew your licence on our online portal, including uploading documents and paying associated fees. Read our taxi licensing fees page to check the costs associated with your application.
If you have not completed the safeguarding and disability awareness training in the last three years, you must attend that before applying.
There are no exemptions to bypass any steps of the process. We will send you emails through the portal if we need any further information from you.
We will issue your badge and licence when:
- you have completed all steps of the renewal application process
- we have assessed and approved your application
- you have paid all associated fees
Step 1: Safeguarding and disability awareness training
You must attend a two-hour online training course provided by STC Safeguarding every three years. Your renewal reminder email will tell you if you are due to attend.
You must provide a copy of your certificate with your renewal application.
We do not provide or manage this course. It can take up to 10 days to receive your certificate from STC Safeguarding, so we recommend booking the course as soon as possible.
Step 2: Submit your application
You must choose whether you are applying for a one-year or a three-year licence. If you have a time-limited right to work status, we cannot issue a licence that extends beyond the expiry date of that status.
You must upload copies of the following documents with your application. Photos or scans are acceptable if you cannot attach digital copies, if all the relevant information is clear.
You will also need to provide information from the documents to complete your application.
You will need:
- a safeguarding course pass certificate from STC, if required
- both sides of your driving licence
- proof of your ID, such as your passport or birth or marriage certificate
- a certificate of good conduct, if you have lived abroad for 6 months or more since your last renewal
- a passport-style photograph taken within the last three months – photos taken on your phone are acceptable if taken against a clear white background with no shadows
- an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate – if it has changed since your last renewal, it must meet our criteria and be registered to the update service
You need an account to use the portal – you must register if you do not have one. Read our licensing portal guidance to learn how to use the portal, and contact us if you have any problems using it.
Tax checks
You must complete a tax check as part of the renewal process. The check confirms that you’re registered for tax, if necessary.
After completing the check, you will be given a nine-character code. We need this tax check code to process your application.
Right to work
You must provide evidence of your right to work in the UK.
You can do this by providing a British passport (current or expired) or your birth certificate. The government’s right to work checklist lists other acceptable documents.
If you are an EU, EEA or, Swiss citizens or another nationality excluding Irish, you can provide a right to work share code. Read the government’s guidance about how to prove your right to work to an employer.
Convictions
You must list all convictions on your application, including any spent convictions.
You must declare driving convictions from the last four years. Spent convictions can be considered when assessing your application.
We will consider each application on its own merits. For more information, read our taxi licensing policy and handbook.
DVLA checks
It is an offence to drive a taxi without an appropriate driver’s licence. Doing so can result in legal proceedings being taken against you.
As a part of your licence renewal, we will complete a DVLA check. We use TTC Continuum, an independent specialist organisation, to perform driver licence verifications with the DVLA on our behalf.
When we receive your completed application, you might receive an email inviting you to complete a fair processing declaration. The process will only take a few minutes. This will give us permission to request information about your driving licence record from the DVLA. If action is required, you will receive an email from noreply@ttc-uk.com.
Step 3: Assessment of your application
When we receive your complete application, we will check that everything is valid. If it is, we will send your licence and badge to you via second-class post.
If you submit a late application, we cannot guarantee you will receive your new licence before your current licence expires. You cannot continue to work between your current licence expiring and receiving your new one.
Contact us if you have submitted a complete application but not received your licence seven days before your current licence expires.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
We complete DBS checks every six months, so you must subscribe to the DBS Update Service.
If you are no longer registered with the service, contact us to pay for and arrange a new check at our customer service centre.
Complete the application process at least eight weeks before your licence expires. This will ensure there is enough time for the DBS certificate to be returned directly to you.
You must bring the following documents to a DBS check appointment:
- your driving licence
- your passport or birth certificate
- proof of your National Insurance number
- two of the following proofs of address from within the last three months, unless stated otherwise:
- a mortgage statement issued in the last 12 months
- a bank or building society account or credit card statement
- a letter confirming the opening of your current bank or building society account
- a financial statement for a pension or similar issued in the last 12 months
- a P45 or P60 statement issued in the last 12 months
- a Council Tax bill issued in the last 12 months
- a utility bill
- a benefit statement
- a document from central or local government
Update service
You must subscribe to the DBS update service. The service allows you to keep your certificate up to date and for us to complete online checks.
You can register with either your DBS application form number, which will be provided at your appointment, or with your DBS certificate number. You must do this within 30 days of the certificate being issued.
When your subscription is confirmed, make a note of your unique ID number and keep it secure. Keep the DBS certificate safe.
Payments are taken from your bank card, not your account. If your card has changed since your last payment, you must update your payment details. You can do this within the 30 days before your payment due date, except on the last day of your subscription.
Changes in your circumstances
Contact us at the details below to tell about any changes in your circumstances. This includes:
- a new address or contact details
- being investigated for any criminal offence, whether you are charged or not
- any changes to your medical condition
- any changes or convictions on your DVLA licence
Failure to tell us could have an impact on your taxi driver’s licence. Read more about this in our hackney carriage and private hire handbook.
Replacement licences and badges
You must display your driver’s badge at all times. Contact us if you need a replacement licence or badge.
Provision of personal data to the Cabinet Office
We are required by law to protect the public funds that we administer. To do this we sometimes need to share the personal data you have given us with the bodies responsible for auditing or administering those funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud.
The Cabinet Office requires us to participate in the National Fraud Initiative, a data-matching exercise to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud against ourselves and other public-sector organisations. We regularly provide particular sets of data to the Cabinet Office for this purpose, as set out in the code of practice.
Find out more about the fair processing of data.
