How to Apply for a Coventry Private Hire Driver Licence

Last checked: October 2026. Requirements and fees can change. Always check Coventry City Council's official taxi and private hire pages before you apply or pay anything.

Before you start

Coventry has no minimum or maximum age. Its Taxi Licensing Policy 2026-2031 (clause 4.1.2) says so directly: "There is no minimum or maximum age as such." What it does require is:

• You must have been authorised to drive a car in the UK — for example, holding a full UK driving licence, or a full licence issued by a state in the European Economic Area — for a minimum of one year, and hold a current DVLA UK photocard-style driving licence.
• You must have lived in the UK for a continuous period of 5 years. If you have not, you will be asked to supply a Certificate of Good Conduct from any relevant non-UK country, or references vouching for your time there.
• You must have the right to work in the UK.
• You must have employment status to work in the UK and not be on restricted hours. If it turns out you cannot legally work, or are on restricted hours, no refunds are made on applications, courses or tests already booked.
• The council advises you not to buy, rent or licence a vehicle before you have been granted your driver's licence and badge.

If you have never held a Coventry HC/PH driver's licence, or you held one but it expired more than 6 months ago, you apply for a "First Grant."

Step 1: Get your documents ready

Before doing anything else, complete your DBS online application form. This has to happen before you submit anything else.

You will also need:

• Three forms of identity, one of which must be your DVLA UK photocard driving licence (front and counterpart)
• Two identical colour passport-sized photographs, to passport photo standard
• A DVLA driving entitlement enquiry code (see Step 2)
• An Immigration Share Code, if you do not hold a British passport

Do not forget to declare all convictions and cautions on your application form. Coventry can prosecute for a false declaration, with a fine of up to £1,000 and refusal, suspension or revocation of your licence — and this applies even to old or "spent" convictions. Taxi and private hire driving is an exempted occupation under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, so nothing is automatically wiped from consideration except formally "Protected Convictions or Cautions."

Step 2: Get your DVLA code and Immigration Share Code

• DVLA driving entitlement code: go to viewdrivingrecord.service.gov.uk, enter your licence number, National Insurance number and postcode, then use "Share your licence information" to generate a code. Print it and bring it with you.
• Immigration Share Code (if you do not hold a British passport): obtain this at gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status and bring it, or email it to the Taxi Licensing Office.

Step 3: Apply for your DBS

The Taxi Licensing Office will send you a DBS invite by email, followed immediately by a second email to set a password and start your application. Once submitted, you will receive a DBS code. Bring your identity documents, this code and the DBS fee to the Taxi Licensing Office to be verified against your application.

Coventry will only accept a DBS application made through its own procedure — one applied for through another organisation or council will not be accepted. All drivers are expected to register with the DBS Update Service once their certificate is issued, so the council can check status at intervals of at least every 6 months.

Step 4: Complete and submit your application form

Fill in Form 1A (hackney carriage) or Form 2A (private hire) yourself — the council will not accept a form completed on your behalf. Write in pen, in block capitals. The council's instructions are to bring the completed form, your fee, your identity documents, and your DVLA and DBS codes to the Taxi Licensing Office. The document doesn't describe any way of applying by post.

You will be asked to attend a short interview with an officer at the Taxi Licensing Office to go through your application. This can sometimes happen on the same visit you submit it.

Step 5: Book and attend the Driver Training Course

The Driver Training Course is compulsory for all first grant applicants. It runs across a single day, organised by Accessible Transport Group Ltd in partnership with the Taxi Licensing Office and Children's Safeguarding.

• Book it in person at the Taxi Licensing Office and pay the fee by card. Courses run roughly every 2 to 6 weeks.
• Arrive by 9:15am — if you're late and the course has started, you will not be let in, and you'll need to rebook and pay again.
• The day runs to around 4:00pm, with a short break mid-morning and a lunch break of 30–45 minutes. Drinks and biscuits are provided; lunch is not, though there's a vending machine (card only).
• Bring something to write with — you're encouraged to take notes and ask questions.

The test is at the end of the day, in two parts:

After lunch (30 minutes):

• Road Knowledge: 10 locations drawn from a published list of 80 sites across Coventry — you need to correctly name the road for at least 8 of them
• Communication & Numeracy: three short papers, 16 marks total, you need at least 12

At the end of the day (25 minutes):

• Customer Service, Disability Awareness and Taxi Licensing: three separate 8-question papers — you need at least 6 correct on each one
• Child Sexual Exploitation: a separate multiple choice paper — you need 100% to pass

You must pass every paper. Failing any one of the three end-of-day papers, or the CSE paper, means failing the course, and you'll need to rebook and pay again — there's no partial credit carried forward. If you fail the Communication & Numeracy test specifically, an officer will contact you with advice on what to do.

Your result is sent by second-class post within 14 days. It will not be given over the phone, by email, or at the counter, so don't ask.

Read the two supporting documents before you go: Driver Training Course Notes 046 and, for the road knowledge section, Hackney Carriage Driver and Private Hire Driver Sites and Road Location Information Document 045a. Both come in your application pack or are available from the Taxi Licensing Office.

Step 6: Book and pass your driving assessment

Private hire applicants need to pass the Coventry City Council driving assessment. Book by phone or in person — if demand is high, appointments can be several weeks out, so book early.

You'll need your own vehicle (not a licensed private hire vehicle, since you can't legally drive one before you hold the licence), proof of insurance, your DVLA licence and check code, and your National Insurance number on the day.

Your certificate is valid for 1 year and must be presented to the Taxi Licensing Office before it expires.

(Hackney carriage applicants additionally need a wheelchair assessment, including a practical demonstration of loading and securing a wheelchair passenger — this isn't required for private hire.)

Step 7: Pass your medical

You'll need a Group 2 medical, completed on the Certificate of Fitness 009 form, by a medical practitioner. After your first grant, this is repeated every 5 years up to age 65, then annually.

Step 8: Wait for processing, then collect your licence

Once everything is submitted and checks are complete, you'll be asked to come to the Taxi Licensing Office to be issued your licence and identity badge. Before it's issued, you'll present your DVLA licence again and sign a second declaration confirming everything is accurate.

If you're issued a private hire licence, you'll get a photocopy of your certificate and badge, which you hand to your operator.

Ongoing requirements once you're licensed

• DBS renewal: every 3 years, or more often if the council considers it necessary
• DVLA driving entitlement check: every 3 years
• Group 2 medical: every 5 years up to 65, then annually
• Three-yearly driver training refresher course (covering CSE, Customer Service and Disability Issues) — your licence cannot be renewed without it
• Report any conviction, caution, or arrest — Coventry requires notification within 48 hours of an arrest, release, charge or conviction for any sexual offence, any offence involving dishonesty or violence, and any motoring offence

Applications that sit uncompleted for more than 12 months are normally discontinued, with no refund of fees paid. If yours is likely to take longer, contact the Taxi Licensing Office in writing to ask for an extension.

Fees

These are the private hire driver fees in the council's own document (printed 27/08/26). The document itself says fees may change, so check with the Taxi Licensing Office before paying.

Adding up the council's fees for a first grant, without the medical or the optional Update Service, comes to £630.00. Licensing fees are paid to the Taxi Licensing Office by card.

Later fees: the three-yearly refresher course costs £60.00, a renewal for 3 years is £265.00 (only if renewed on or before expiry), and a re-grant is £285.00 (only if your application is received within 6 months of expiry). A replacement badge is £10.00 and a replacement licence certificate is £5.00.

Contact

Coventry City Council Taxi Licensing Office
Phone: 024 7683 2183 or 024 7683 2138
Email: taxi.licensing@coventry.gov.uk

Where to go next

Applying elsewhere in the West Midlands? We have application guides for other councils too:

• How to apply in Tamworth
• How to apply in Sandwell
• How to apply in Dudley
• How to apply in Birmingham
• How to apply in Solihull
• How to apply in Wolverhampton

To prepare for the test, see the PHV Prep UK app page. The app is on the App Store and Google Play.

Official sources

• Coventry City Council — Taxi and private hire licensing

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