Apply for your private hire licence online
Private Hire Driver Licences

When you have completed your online application form, you will receive an email acknowledgement.

To process your application, you must have:

  • A 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 (available 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
    • In order to assist the process please email your Right to Work documentation to driver.lic@wolverhampton.gov.uk and quote your WTP reference you are provided once your application has been submitted.
  • An acceptable image of all pages of your full enhanced DBS certificate for the position of "other workforce - Taxi licensing" dated within the last 3 months or enrolled on the DBS Update Service.
    • 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 have a manual DBS certificate, you will be unable to subscribe to the DBS Update Service and will need to provide a new DBS certificate every six months.
    • If you do not have a DBS certificate, you can obtain one via TaxiPlus Wolverhampton.
    • You can read more about the DBS Update Service here.
  • 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 Private Hire Training & Assessment Programme within three attempts and no longer than 12 months before your application date (If you have not done so already, you can book this here.
  • 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. Your renewal application is deemed incomplete if you have failed to provide an HMRC Tax Check Code as part of your renewal application.  Your current licence will expire and you will no longer be able to drive a Licensed Private Hire Vehicle. Complete a tax check for a taxi, private hire or scrap metal licence.
    • HMRC has powers to obtain information from Licensing Authorities using ‘Schedule 23 to Finance Act 2011 (Data Gathering Powers) and Schedule 36 to Finance Act 2008 (Information and Inspection Powers), grant HMRC powers to obtain relevant information from third parties. This includes licensing bodies being required to provide information about licence applicants.’  Further guidance with regards tax registration obligations can be obtained from the following:

Once an application has reached the front of the queue, it will be looked at and if the application is incorrect then it will take longer to process. There is no guaranteed time in which your application will be processed and these timescales are indicative only.

You will then receive an email notifying you of how to collect your licence, or of any problems with your application.

We are currently processing new private hire driver licence applications received on: 

Please do not contact the Council about your application if you applied after the above date. Your application is in the queue and will be dealt with as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience. 

Start standard application

When will the process take longer?

We cannot process your application until we are in receipt of correct and complete versions of all relevant documentation. You can check the status of your application here.

  • Names on all documents must match and be spelt in the same way. If there are any discrepancies with the names, addresses or signatures on the documents then the application will not be able to be processed further until the documents have been rectified.
  • If your DBS certificate or DVLA licence check reveals convictions for offences that are not clear of our guidelines, it will take longer to process your application.

Please do not contact licensing until you have been contacted about your application; it will be in a queue.

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.

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

Private Hire Vehicle Licences

To process your application, we require:

  • An image of the Vehicle Registration Document (V5), it must include all pages and both sides. If you are not the vehicle’s registered keeper, you must also provide proof of vehicle hire.
  • You have an electronic copy of the current Vehicle Insurance Certificate/Cover Note ready to upload. This may be postdated up to one month in the future, however the cover must have commenced on the day of your inspection.
  • You must have a photograph or scanned copy of a valid MOT certificate (or vehicle is brand new with delivery miles only) dated within 10 days from a City of Wolverhampton Council and DVSA approved testing station.
  • The vehicle meets the Council’s Private Hire vehicle licence requirements policy (found in the ‘Downloads’ section at Taxi licences)
    • A vehicle will only be plated until it is 12 years old. Therefore, at the time of application, the vehicle must be no older than 11 years and 6 months. The iApply online system will not allow you to continue with your application if your vehicle is too old.
  • From 1 April 2021, if vehicle licence applicants are not a driver licensed by City of Wolverhampton Council, you must provide a Basic DBS certificate from the UK Government. If the applicant is a company or partnership, each director and partner must provide a basic DBS certificate. Certificates must be dated within the 12 months prior to application for new applications or 12 months prior to licence expiry for renewal applications. You must upload your basic DBS certificate as part of the application process. If you hold a Private Hire Driver licence with City of Wolverhampton Council, you do not need to provide a basic DBS certificate, as you have provided an enhanced DBS certificate already.

When you have completed your online application, you will receive an e-mail acknowledgement.

Once an application has reached the front of the queue, it will be looked at and if the application is incorrect then it will take longer to process. There is no guaranteed time in which your application will be processed and these timescales are indicative only.

You will then receive an email notifying you of an appointment to collect your plates, or of any problems with your application.

We are currently processing private hire vehicle licence applications received on:

Please do not contact the Council about your application if you applied after the above date. Your application is in the queue and will be dealt with as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience. 

Start standard application

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