Private hire vehicle licences last for 1 year and must be renewed annually.

How to apply

Before applying for a private hire vehicle licence you'll need to make sure that you and your vehicle can meet the conditions of our hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy.

Please note that our vehicle age policy states that on initial licensing as a private hire, a vehicle shall not be more than 4 years old from the date of first registration.  This means that if you apply to licence a vehicle which is more than 4 years old, the application can't be automatically granted by an officer and will have to be considered by the licensing sub committee who may grant of refuse the application.  The purchase of any vehicle is at your own risk.

You'll need to telephone us to make an appointment to come into the office.  You'll need to bring the following documents with you to your appointment:

  • A completed and signed private hire vehicle application form
  • The current vehicle registration certificate (V5) for the vehicle showing yourself as the owner
  • A completed original vehicle inspection report form.  The form will only be accepted it is has been printed on double sided and is stamped with the garage's official authentication stamp
  • A current insurance certificate or cover note (to be a minimum of £1,000,000).  This must show the vehicle registration number, the name of any persons insured to drive the vehicle and must specify that the vehicle can be used as a private hire vehicle.

If your vehicle is more than 3 years old you'll need to make sure it has a valid MOT.  We will check this online.

Vehicle inspection

You'll need to bring the vehicle to your appointment where it will be inspected by one of our licensing officers.  At the time of inspection, the vehicle will need to have:

  • A fire extinguisher
  • A first aid kit
  • No smoking signs clearly displayed inside the vehicle

If any of these are missing, the officer won't be able to issue your licence.

Payments

You will need to pay a fee for your private hire vehicle licence.  Please make sure you are aware of how much this will cost.

Data Protection

Any personal information which you provide will be held and used by East Devon District Council for the purpose of the Licensing Service to process your private hire licence application(s) and administer any licence(s) which are granted. Your information may also be shared within East Devon District Council for the purposes of carrying out our lawful functions. Otherwise your personal information will not be disclosed to anybody outside East Devon District Council without your permission, unless there is a lawful reason to do so, for example disclosure is necessary for crime prevention or detection purposes. Your information will be held securely and will not be retained for any longer than is necessary. There are a number of rights available to you in relation to our use of your personal information, depending on the reason for processing. Further detail about our use of your personal information can be found in the relevant Privacy Notice.