Guide Private hire

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7. Renewal of a private hire vehicle licence

A private hire vehicle licence runs for 1 year. You'll need to apply to renew your licence before it expires.  We try to remind licence holders when their licence is due to expire but it is the responsibility of each proprietor to re-apply for their licence before it expires.

How to apply

You'll need to send us everything to renew your vehicle licence at least 4 weeks before your licence is due to expire.   Documents can be sent via email to licensing@eastdevon.gov.uk or by post to Blackdown House, Border Road, Honiton EX14 1EJ.  You must send us:

We can only renew your licence if all of your other documents are up to date.  You need to make sure that we have:

  • A current 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.  If your vehicle is less than 8 years old it needs to have this inspection yearly.  If it is over 8 years old, it'll need a vehicle inspection every 6 months.
  • 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.

If a vehicle proprietor or private hire operator does not already hold a hackney or private hire driver licence, that person will have to provide a basic DBS certificate no less than 1 month old.

Vehicle inspection

You'll only need to bring your vehicle in for inspection if it's over 14 years of age or if a licensing officer has asked to see it.

If your vehicle is over 14 years of age, it cannot automatically be renewed and will need to be inspected by a licensing officer.  If your vehicle is over 14 years old please telephone us to book an appointment. 

If, when the vehicle is inspected, it isn't considered to be of sufficient standard, your application will be referred to the Licensing Sub Committee.

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 renewal.

Payments

You will need to pay a fee for the renewal of your private hire vehicle licence.   We will accept a cheque, or you can either pay over the phone, or request a payment link to be emailed to you when you submit your application, that you can use to make payment online with a card.  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.

Start the journey

More info about the journey

Before we can consider your application, we'll need to have:

  • a completed application form
  • the application fee.  This can be paid by cheque, cash or card.

You may also need:

  • a completed vehicle inspection report
  • current insurance certificate

We can't consider your application until we have all of the documentation we need.  The licensing officer looking after your case will let you know if there is information we are waiting for.

Once we have all of the information we need, your vehicle licence will either be granted by a licensing officer or it may need to be considered by the licensing sub committee.  If your application needs to be considered by the licensing sub committee we will let you know and you'll be sent notice of hearing documentation so that you can attend the hearing.