You must hold a driver licence issued by Norwich City Council to drive a licensed hackney carriage or private hire vehicle in Norwich. The council is responsible for ensuring applicants are safe and suitable to hold licences to transport members of the public.
It is your responsibility to apply to renew your licence. You must lodge your renewal application and pay the initial fee before the expiry date of your current licence to allow you to continue to drive whilst your renewal application is being processed.
Who can apply
We need to make sure that you continue to be suitable to hold a driver licence by checking your medical history, criminal conduct, motoring convictions and any other relevant information.
Please read the guidance on determining suitability to check the likelihood of you getting a licence before you apply.
When renewing your licence you will need to complete a tax check with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if you are:
- applying for the same type of licence you previously held, that ceased being valid less than a year ago
- applying for the same type of licence you already hold with another licensing authority.
You will need to set up a Government Gateway user ID and password and complete a tax check (GOV.UK) and obtain the tax check code to give to us.
Please note, we only receive confirmation that you have completed the check with HMRC and we do not have access to information about your tax affairs.
How to apply to renew
Please do not complete the online application form until you have all your supporting documentation ready.
To apply to renew your licence you’ will need to complete the online renewal application form and book an appointment with us to bring in the supporting documents.
Follow the steps 1 to 7 below to ensure you provide us with the correct documentation, otherwise we cannot accept your application.
1. Download and complete the Medical certificate questionnaire
2. Ask the doctor with access to your medical records to complete the medical certificate questionnaire within one month of you applying for your licence.
3. Provide a passport-size photograph of yourself taken within three months of you applying.
4. Ensure your DVLA driver’s licence (photo card) is in date and shows your current address.
5. You will need two forms of identification eg passport and utility bill (for gas, electric or telephone showing your current address). See what other documents can be accepted.
6. As part of your driver licence application, we require an enhanced criminal record check certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) including a check of both the Adults and Children Barred Lists.
You can apply for this though Taxi Plus website which includes online ID verification.
Completing your DBS check application with Taxi Plus means it is submitted faster, the check is carried out quicker and a licence decision can be obtained sooner.
If you register for the DBS update service, we can check your certificate status online in the future without having to apply for a new check. Find out more about the DBS update service on GOV.UK.
7. Provide one item of evidence of your National Insurance number so that we can perform a search on the National register of taxi licence refusals and revocations examples below:
- P45 or P60.
- Bank statements showing payments by direct debit for Class 2 National Insurance contributions or receipt of state benefits.
- Pay slips or salary statement or works pension statement. These must show your National Insurance number.
- Official letter sent to you by the Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre or HMRC tax department (not handwritten).
- National Insurance card.
When you have carried out steps above (1 to 7), please complete the online application form below:
Apply to renew your driver licence
On submitting the above form, you will need to pay an initial fee using a credit or debit card:
- Hackney carriage: £275
- Private hire: £218
Please note that the initial fee is non-refundable.
DBS update service
This service allows you to keep your standard or enhanced DBS certificate up to date and allows us to check your certificate online. Within 30 days from the date of issue of your DBS certificate you must sign up to the DBS update service, at a cost of £13 per year.
What happens next
Only when the application form and supporting documentation are complete can the application be processed. This process can take 30 days or more and could take longer if there are any motoring or criminal convictions to consider requiring a referral to the regulatory sub-committee.
When the renewal application is granted, we will email you a link to pay the remaining additional fee online prior to issue of the licence. Your licence will be sent to you thereafter.
If you do not renew your licence
If you do not renew your licence before it expires then you will not be a licensed driver.
If your current licence has expired you’ll need to restart the application process and apply for a new licence.
If you are unsure whether you will be able to renew on time for any reason, then contact the licensing team.
Contact details
If you have any questions about your application, email licensing@norwich.gov.uk or call 01603 989400.
