How to Apply for a Birmingham PHV Licence

This guide explains how to apply for a Birmingham private hire licence with Birmingham City Council, in the order the council sets out. The important thing to understand up front is the sequence: the checks and the knowledge test come first, and the application form comes last.

Everything below is drawn from the council's published pages, linked at the bottom.

Check first: are new applications open?

Birmingham's applications page carries a notice stating that the council is not currently accepting new driver applications unless applicants have already completed a medical and obtained a DBS certificate through its occupational health service.

That notice has sat on the page for some time while the newer guidance pages describe the full new-applicant route, so the two do not read consistently. Before you spend anything, email licensing@birmingham.gov.uk and confirm the current position for new applicants.

Step 1 — Read the Guide to Driver Licences

The council's own Guide to Driver Licences is the authoritative document, and it asks you to read all of it before contacting the office to arrange a knowledge test. It is also where the full document checklist lives.

Step 2 — Medical assessment

You book and pay for your medical appointment through the council's online form. If you need a wheelchair or dog exemption booking instead, email taximedicalanddbs@birmingham.gov.uk and the team will contact you to book the appointment and take payment. The same address handles medical and DBS enquiries.

Step 3 — DBS check

You must complete a conviction disclosures check (DBS) and/or prove previous good character by other means, as set out in the driver guidance. The council provides its own apply-and-pay route for the DBS rather than leaving you to arrange it independently.

Step 4 — Driving test

New applicants are required to take a driving test with the Birmingham City Council Driving School. To book, or for enquiries, phone 0121 303 3311 between 9:00am and 12:00pm or 1:00pm and 3:00pm. You may reach an answerphone, as assessors are often out on jobs.

Step 5 — Knowledge test

Private hire knowledge tests are organised and conducted by TTC Group. TTC also offer an optional training course for candidates who want help preparing, and have produced a short video on how to prepare. You book the test, or the course, by contacting TTC directly by email.

The paper is 18 questions in three sections of 6 — Legal, Licence Conditions and Plying for Hire — in 45 minutes, and it is marked by section rules rather than an overall score. Every Plying for Hire question must be correct. Our guide to passing the Birmingham PHV test explains the rules in full.

You can practise for it in the PHV Prep UK app, which builds Birmingham papers to the same shape and marks them against the real section rules. It's on the App Store and Google Play.

Step 6 — Application form and appointment

Once you have passed the knowledge test, download and complete the application form, then make an appointment to bring the form in along with the other documents listed in the driver guidance. General enquiries go to licensing@birmingham.gov.uk.

What about the vehicle?

If you are licensing a vehicle as well, note Birmingham's age rule: new and replacement private hire vehicles must be younger than 8 years from the date of first registration when the application is submitted. A vehicle older than eight years will not be licensed, and imported vehicles are assessed from their first registration in the country of origin where that is earlier.

How much does it cost?

Birmingham publishes a separate licensing schedule of fees and charges, and the medical, DBS, driving test and knowledge test are each paid for individually. Fees change, so we won't quote figures here — check the council's current schedule and confirm the TTC test fee with TTC before you budget.

Where to go next

The paperwork is the easy part — the test is the hurdle. See how to pass the Birmingham PHV test and the Birmingham PHV test FAQs. Applying elsewhere in the West Midlands? We have guides for Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Tamworth and Wolverhampton too.

Official sources

• Birmingham City Council — Taxi and private hire
• Birmingham City Council — Apply for a hackney carriage (taxi) or private hire licence
• Birmingham City Council — Private hire and hackney carriage applications
• Birmingham City Council — Guide to Driver Licences

PHV Prep UK is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with, authorised by, or endorsed by Birmingham City Council or any licensing authority. Always check the council's official guidance for the latest application requirements and fees.