PCO Licence Requirements

These are the PCO licence requirements in 2026: every condition TfL checks before it will grant a London private hire driver licence. Use this page as a checklist before you apply. If you can't meet one of them yet, it is far cheaper to wait than to lose the non-refundable £138 application fee.

"PCO" is the old name for TfL's Public Carriage Office, and drivers still use it. Today the licence is a private hire vehicle (PHV) driver licence issued by Transport for London. Every requirement below comes from TfL's private hire driver licence page, checked on 19 October 2026. UK Driver Licence Prep is an independent study aid, not part of TfL. The step-by-step process (what to do first, second and third) is on our PCO licence guide; this page is about whether you qualify.

TfL PCO licence requirements at a glance

Requirement	What TfL asks for
Age	21 or over when you apply; no upper limit
Driving licence	Full DVLA, Northern Ireland or EEA licence held for at least 3 years
Right to work	The right to live and work in the UK
Tax	First-time applicants confirm they know HMRC's guidance; others need a tax check code
Good character	Enhanced DBS check through TfL's provider, plus the DBS Update Service
Overseas history	Certificate of good conduct for any country lived in for 3+ months in the last 10 years
Medical	DVLA Group 2 medical standards
Safeguarding	TfL's free online Safeguarding Awareness course before the SERU
Assessments	SERU, English speaking and listening, Topographical (unless exempt)
Work	Once licensed, you must work for a licensed London private hire operator

Key fact: Meeting every requirement doesn't guarantee a licence. TfL must be satisfied you are "fit and proper", which means it looks at the whole picture: your record, your honesty on the form and your conduct.

Personal requirements

Age: 21 or over

You must be at least 21 at the time you apply. There is no upper age limit, provided you meet the other requirements. Older drivers face more frequent medicals (see below), but age alone does not stop you.

A full driving licence held for three years

You need a full DVLA (Great Britain), Northern Ireland or other EEA state driving licence that is at least three years old. A provisional licence does not count.

If you hold a licence from outside the EEA, TfL's rule matters. Some countries' licences can be exchanged for a UK licence. TfL counts only the time you have held the UK or EU/EEA licence: the years you held the original foreign licence before exchanging it don't count towards the three. Check whether your licence can be exchanged on GOV.UK's exchange a non-GB licence service. If it can't, you would need to pass a UK driving test, and the three years start from then.

The right to live and work in the UK

You must show you have the right to live and work in the UK. TfL publishes separate guidance for EU and EEA nationals on the evidence it accepts. If your right to work is time-limited, TfL may grant a licence that ends when your permission ends.

TfL also asks that all given names on your identity documents appear on your licence, and strongly recommends that your documents match, with consistent spelling and order. Mismatched names are a common cause of queries.

HMRC tax obligations

• First-time applicants confirm on the form that they are aware of HMRC's guidance on tax. If licensed, you must register with HMRC to pay tax on what you earn.
• Anyone who holds, or held in the last 12 months, a taxi or PHV licence (from TfL or any other licensing authority) must complete an HMRC tax check and give TfL the 9-character code. The code is valid for 120 days. GOV.UK explains how to complete a tax check for a taxi or private hire licence.

Character requirements

Enhanced DBS check

You must be of good character, and TfL checks this through an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check from its authorised provider. TfL lists the fee as £56.42 including the ID check. If you had an enhanced disclosure including both barred lists, under the workforce code "Other" in a relevant occupation, in the last four months, TfL may treat you as exempt from a further check.

The DBS Update Service

Since 1 July 2024 every applicant must register with and subscribe to the DBS Update Service. TfL will not grant a licence until you have registered, and you must keep the subscription running for as long as you are licensed. GOV.UK's DBS Update Service page says it costs £15 a year and that you must register within 30 days of your certificate being issued.

Certificates of good conduct

If you have lived in a country other than the UK for one or more continuous periods of three months or more in the last ten years, you need a certificate of good conduct from each of those countries. TfL says extended holidays count. You also complete TfL's "Living abroad" form (TPH/205). Some countries take weeks to issue a certificate, so request yours early.

Criminal records and convictions

A criminal record does not automatically stop you, but it is assessed against TfL's Taxi and Private Hire Driver Policy. TfL's licence page lists situations where an application is unlikely to succeed. In summary:

• a conviction for a major violent offence, or more than one conviction for violence;
• still serving a custodial sentence, including a suspended sentence or early release on licence;
• a conviction, caution or other penalty for a serious sexual offence, or for more than one sexual offence of any kind;
• being on the children's or adults' barred list;
• a penalty for touting (offering a ride to people in the street) in the last 12 months, or more than one in the last five years.

TfL stresses that this list is not complete and that decisions are made case by case. We can't tell you whether a specific record will be accepted; read the policy and contact TfL's licensing team before applying if you are unsure. Always declare everything: an undisclosed conviction that the DBS check reveals is a serious problem in itself.

Key fact: Once licensed, drivers granted a licence on or after 1 July 2024 must report any arrest, charge, caution or conviction to TfL within 48 hours, including driving offences that lead to penalty points.

Medical requirements

The DVLA Group 2 standard

You must be medically fit to the DVLA Group 2 standards, the same standards that apply to bus and lorry drivers. They are stricter than for an ordinary car licence, covering eyesight, heart conditions, diabetes treated with insulin, epilepsy, sleep disorders and more. The detailed standards are in the DVLA's guidance for doctors, Assessing fitness to drive.

In most cases a doctor with access to your full medical history (usually your GP) completes TfL's medical form, and the doctor sets the fee. TfL suggests you talk to your GP before applying if you have a condition that might be a problem.

Medical exemptions and repeat medicals

TfL's page lists two cases where you don't need to complete the medical form with your application:

• you hold a full or provisional DVLA Group 2 licence; or
• you have an active application with TfL, have already completed TfL's medical and are under 45.

Active applicants and licensees over 45 need a medical if their last one was more than three years ago, or if an age-related medical applies.

Disabled drivers

Becoming a driver is open to disabled people who meet the medical standard. Some licensed vehicles are adapted, for example with hand controls. Drivers who use adaptations are assessed by a medical professional and a driver assessor, and the equipment must be fitted by an authorised Motability installer. Contact TfL's licensing team before having adaptations fitted.

Knowledge and skills requirements

The safeguarding awareness course

TfL expects every applicant to complete its free online Safeguarding Awareness course before sitting the SERU. It covers protecting children and adults at risk from harm and abuse, which the SERU also tests.

The three TfL assessments

Assessment	What it checks	Fee
SERU	Safety, equality and regulatory rules from the PHV Driver's Handbook; also your reading and writing in English	£40 (re-sit £30)
Speaking and listening	A 15 to 20 minute conversation by secure video or phone link at a TfL centre	£40 (re-sit £30)
Topographical	Map reading and route planning in London	£40 (re-sit £30)

The SERU and the speaking and listening test together make up TfL's English language requirement, at a level equivalent to B1 on the Common European Framework. Our guides explain each one: the SERU test, the TfL English test and the Topographical test. Fees are as of October 2026, from TfL's March 2026 fee notice.

Who is exempt from the Topographical test

You don't sit the Topographical test if you are a previously licensed PHV driver who passed a TfL topographical test, a licensed London taxi driver (All London or Suburban), or a professional London tourist guide such as a Blue Badge guide. The exemption for vocational qualifications was removed on 1 February 2020.

Working requirement: a licensed operator

All licensed private hire drivers in London must work for a licensed private hire operator. TfL's page says that once licensed you can work for any operator licensed in London. App companies such as Uber and Bolt are operators; their own sign-up rules are covered in our guide on how to become an Uber driver in London.

Uber PCO licence requirements: are they different?

People often search for "Uber PCO licence requirements", but there is only one licence. Every London private hire driver meets the same TfL requirements on this page, whichever operator they plan to drive for. Operators then add their own onboarding checks and vehicle rules. If an operator's website lists different licence requirements from TfL's, TfL's are the legal minimum.

Documents to have ready

Most delays start with a missing or unreadable document. Before you start the online form, gather:

• your full driving licence (photocard) and your DVLA licence check details;
• your passport or other identity documents, with names matching across all of them;
• evidence of your right to work in the UK;
• proof of your addresses for the DBS check, with no unexplained gaps;
• a photograph that meets TfL's photo guidance;
• your HMRC tax check code, if you held a taxi or PHV licence in the last 12 months;
• certificates of good conduct and the TPH/205 "Living abroad" form, if you lived overseas for three months or more in the last ten years;
• the completed medical form, or your Group 2 licence if you are exempt.

Scan everything clearly and in full. TfL's March 2026 notice asks for complete, legible documents and for any requested information to be sent in one go.

Check yourself before you apply

Run through this list honestly. If any answer is "no" or "not yet", sort it out before you pay the application fee.

1. Am I 21 or over?
2. Have I held a full DVLA, Northern Ireland or EEA licence for three years (counting only time since any exchange)?
3. Can I prove my right to work, with names that match across my documents?
4. Have I lived abroad for three months or more in the last ten years? If so, have I requested the certificates of good conduct?
5. Can my GP complete a Group 2 medical, and do I know of any condition that might fail it?
6. Am I ready to declare my full criminal record, if I have one?
7. Am I ready for the SERU, English and Topographical assessments?

For the costs involved, see PCO licence cost. For timescales, see how long a PCO licence takes.

Your study plan

1. Today: take the free SERU diagnostic, 20 questions in the style of the real assessment.
2. This week: read our free driver licensing note, which covers these requirements as the SERU tests them.
3. Next: complete TfL's free safeguarding course, then work through our SERU mock test guide.
4. Before booking: score 85% or more on three mocks in a row, starting with the free mock 1.
5. Then: apply, book your assessments, and follow the process on our PCO licence guide.