Guidance for Taxi Driver and Private Hire Car Driver's Licence

Who should apply?

Individuals who want to operate as a Taxi Driver or Private Hire Car Driver within the Glasgow City Council boundary can apply for a licence by completing an Application Form.

What is the difference between Taxi and Private Hire Car?

A licensed Taxi Driver licensed by Glasgow City Council can operate any Taxi or Private Hire Car licensed by Glasgow City Council. A licensed Private Hire Car Driver licensed by Glasgow City Council can operate any Private Hire Car licensed by Glasgow City Council.

Both Taxis and Private Hire Cars can be pre-booked through licensed booking offices. The main difference is that a Taxi (or Hackney Cab) can be 'hailed' in the street or from a recognised Taxi Stance; a Private Hire Car can only pick up passengers who have pre-booked their journey.

What are the minimum requirements for applying?

Before you can apply for a Taxi Driver's or Private Hire Car Driver's Licence (grant, renewal or temporary) you must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Be at least 21 years of age;
• Be able to live and work legally in the UK;
• Be medically fit to drive to Group 2 Standards;
• Have held for a continuous period of one year prior to the date your application is lodged a Driving Licence that entitles you to drive in the UK; and
• Have obtained the Certificate in Introduction to the Role of the Professional Taxi and Private Hire Driver at SCQF Level 5 and be able to produce a copy of your award certificate (grant and temporary applications from 1 January 2020).

If you are applying for a Taxi Driver Licence you must also have passed the Topographical Test of Knowledge for Taxi Drivers administered by this Council. More information on the Topographical Test can be found on our website.

Please note that once you pass the Topographical Test you are required to submit your application within 6 months of passing the test. Failure to submit the application in this timescale will result in you having to re-sit the Topographical Test. 

Are there different types of applications?

Depending on your circumstances you can apply for one of three types of application. If you do not currently hold a licence with this Council you can apply for the following:

How do I apply? (All types of applications)

To apply for a Licence you can must complete the Online Form and make the appropriate payment by BACs as detailed on the appropriate page.  Your application must be accompanied by the required supporting documents set out below.

What needs to accompany the application? (All Applications)

Depending on the type of application various documents need to be uploaded with the form.  

Passport Photograph 

A passport type of photograph of the applicant must be uploaded with the application which must have been taken within the last month and must be of the applicants heand and shoulder on a white background.  The photograph to be sent in jpg format in small format size.

Driving Licence

Your current Driving Licence showing your current home address issued by DVLA must be uploaded with the application. The front and back of the photocard must be provided along with all pages of your Driver Licence Summary - see section below for more details.

Copy of current Driving Licence Record held by DVLA

When lodging your application you will need to provide a copy of your current electronic Driving Licence Summary record held by DVLA. You can do this by using the 'View or Share your Driving Licence Information' service.

The full summary of your Driving Licence record (2 pages) must be dated no more than 21 days prior to the date of your application being lodged with the Licensing Section (in pdf format).  Example of Full Summary Licence shown here:

Criminal Record Check

• For grant applications where you have never previously held a Taxi Driver's Licence or Private Hire Car Driver's Licence with this Licensing Authority
  In section 6 of the application form you will be asked if you have resided within the UK for a period of five consecutive years prior to applying for the licence. If you have not, you will be asked to provide details of any countries outside the UK that you have lived since you were born. For each country you have lived in since the age of 16, you must produce a Criminal Record Check for that country authenticated by the appropriate Consulate/Embassy in the Uk obtained within six months from the date of submitting the application. This is required to evidence whether you have been convicted of any offences whilst living in that country.
• For grant applications where you have previously held a Taxi Driver's Licence or Private Hire Car Diver's Licence with this Licensing Authority
  If you have previously held a taxi or private hire car driver's licence with this Licensing Authority, a criminal record check is only required for any period in which you have lived outwith the UK for a period of 6 months of more since the expiry of your last licence. You must produce a Criminal Record Check for that country obtained within six months from the date of submitting the application. This is required to evidence whether you have been convicted of any offences whilst living in that country. 
• For Renewal Applications
  There is no requirement to produce a Criminal Record Check.
• For all Criminal Record Checks
• The Criminal Record Check provided must be translated into English and verified by the relevant UK based Embassy, Consulate or High Commission. Alternatively the document can be verified by way of an Apostille Certificate if the document was issued by a designated authority in a country where the Hague Convention of 1961 Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation of Foreign Public Documents (the Apostille Convention) is in force.

Evidence of Right to Live and Work in the UK

The Council has a statutory duty under the Immigration Act 2016 to check and verify that every applicant has the right to live in the UK and work as a Taxi Driver or Private Hire Car Driver.

As part of the application process you must provide certain original documents to evidence your right to live and work in the UK. If you cannot provide the required evidence your application cannot be granted. The types of document that can be accepted as evidence have been prescribed by the Home Office; the Council does not have discretion to accept documents other than those specified by the Home Office.

Please Note: Biometric Cards/Permits will not be accepted.

If the document(s) you have supplied are sufficient to evidence your right to work then your application will be accepted and processed as normal.

If you attempt to supply evidence with your application which is not accepted during the right to work check, your application will not be accepted. The Licensing Section will advise you why your application has not been accepted and what steps, if any, you can take in order to submit your form.

These checks apply to all applications including applications for renewal of existing licences. If an existing licence holder cannot provide the necessary evidence, their licence cannot be granted.

Copy of your certificate in introduction to the role of the professional Taxi and Private Hire Driver at SCQF Level 5

Grant and temporary from 1 January 2020.

Renewals with effect from 1 January 2022 - please note that any drivers who have an expiry date on or after 1 January 2022, irrespective of when you lodge your application, must have completed the training for your application to be accepted.

Please note that any attempt to provide any documentation which has been falsified will result in your application being deemed incompetent and, if necessary, the matter being referred to Police Scotland.

Tax Conditionality - Changes from 2 October 2023 for applicants

The UK Government has created tax requirements for applications of particular licences across the UK. The rules for completing a tax check changed on 2 October 2023 in Scotland. The new rules have already been implemented in England and Wales from 4 April 2022. Tax checks will be required for a taxi driver's licence.

The table below details when a tax check should be carried out prior to lodging an application and when confirmation of being aware of the HMRC guidance relating to tax checks is sufficient.

Please note that all renewal applications require the applicant to provide a 9 character tax code on the application form. Renewal applications will not be accepted by the Licensing Authority without an applicant's 9 character tax code provided by HMRC. The tax code provided from HMRC is valid for 120 days so please ensure when submitting a renewal application that a valid tax code is provided on the application. To complete a tax check click here.

For most grant applications, an applicant will be required to confirm they are aware of their HMRC tax obligations when submitting an application however, there may be circumstances (see table below) when a 9 character tax code will be required.

To find out more information about your tax registration obligations please visit:

• Register for Self Assessment
• Pay Corporation Tax
• How You Pay Income Tax

How much is the application fee?

The current application fees are detailed below; the amount you pay is dependent on the duration. By submitting your application online you agree to pay the Licensing Authority the relevant fee once your application has been submitted.

Applications can only be lodged online.

How to make Payment?

Applications can only be lodged online and payment for your application should be made by BACS Transfer (electronic banking) to the Licensing Board Account. 

When making payments please quote your licence reference number if you are a current licence holder or provide your Surname/Postcode if you are a new licence holder as detailed below:-

Payment submitted by post should be in the form of Cheque or Postal Order. All Cheques and Postal Orders should be made payable to Glasgow City Council. Do not send cash by post.

Please note that your application will not be formally lodged until payment has been received.  The fees are non-refundable. 

How will the application be processed?

A 28 day consultation period begins on receipt of your application. For grant and renewal applications any person can object to your application at this stage. For temporary applications there is no right to object however Police Scotland can submit a letter to the Licensing Authority if Police Scotland has concerns that the applicant is not a fit and proper person. During the 28 day consultation period your application will be sent to Police Scotland. The Police may object or make a representation to the application if they do not consider you a 'fit and proper person' to hold a licence. The Police may also charge you with an offence if you have made a false statement on your application form or failed to declare convictions.

If necessary, your details may also be passed to the Home Office in order to confirm your immigration status and/or right to work in the UK.

Once the 28 day consultation period is complete, we will review your application.

If the Council has a concern regarding your fitness to drive, we will normally ask you to undergo a medical examination at this stage. The Council will pay for this examination.

If no adverse comments have been received and there are no other issues with your application, then it will be considered 'straightforward' and placed on a list of applications to be granted under delegated authority. We will then contact you, in writing, once the application has been granted. Please note that your licence may be granted for a limited period if there is a restriction with your Right to Work and Immigration Status. 

If there is an issue with the application such as a Police Scotland objection we will refer the application to a meeting of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee for a decision. If this happens you will receive a citation by email requesting your attendance at the meeting and explaining the reason you are being asked to attend. Although you are not legally required to attend it is recommended that you do so. We will contact you, by email, after the meeting to advise you of the Committee's decision. Please check your spam/junk email folders for any responses.

How long will it take?

The Council is allowed 9 months to consider your application but we aim to deal with all applications as soon as possible, usually within 3 to 4 months. Applications which are not straightforward (e.g. Police Scotland object to the application) have to be referred to the Licensing and Regulatory Committee and usually take 4 to 6 months. This is due to the volume of applications that the Committee can consider at each meeting.

What happens after my application is granted?

You will receive a letter advising that your application has been granted. The letter will include your licence and identification badge detailing any additional conditions or requirements you are subject to - for example submitting to a medical examination annually. 

What happens if my application is refused?

You will receive an email advising that your application has been refused. You have the right to appeal the decision at Glasgow Sheriff Court (unless your application was for a temporary licence). An applicant wishing to appeal normally requires to first obtain a written Statement of Reasons for the decision. This can be obtained on written request to the Licensing Section within 21 days of the decision. The Council cannot provide guidance on making an appeal; if guidance is required you should consider taking your own independent legal advice or, alternatively, you can contact the Sheriff Clerk at Glasgow Sheriff Court, 1 Carlton Place, Glasgow, G5 9DA.

Are there conditions attached to the Licence?

There are standard conditions attached to all Taxi Drivers and Private Hire Car Drivers Licences. A copy of these conditions can be found below.

If necessary, the Council can attach further conditions to a licence. As a licensed driver you will be expected to comply with every condition. Failure to do so could result in the Council suspending or revoking your licence.

Conditions Attached to this Application

• Taxi Driver's or Private Hire Car Driver's Licence Conditions