Licensing and permits

New tax regulations

You must complete a tax check to renew a taxi, private hire, taxi operator or scrap metal licence, or to apply for the same type of licence with a different licensing authority. We will not be able to process your application without your tax check code. Find out how to complete a tax check on GOV.UK

1. Produce a Certificate of Good Conduct

If you want to apply for a new taxi licence and have lived outside the UK for three months or more since the age of 18, you need a Certificate of Good Conduct from the country, or the countries, you lived in.

All drivers renewing a licence must have a Certificate of Good Conduct if they have lived outside the UK, or have been on holiday outside the UK, for more than three months since their last licence was issued.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has links to all Embassy and High Commission websites where you can find out how to apply for a Certificate of Good Conduct.

Can I apply for a licence without a Certificate of Good Conduct?

No. You cannot apply to become a taxi driver in Liverpool and should not start any training until these certificates have been verified by a licensing officer.

How do I get my certificates verified?

Please email scanned images or clear photographs of the documents below to regulatory.licensing​@liverpool.gov.uk:

  • your original Certificate of Good Conduct written in English, dated within the last six months. If your original Certificate of Good Conduct is not in written English we will charge you £60 to get it translated. We cannot accept a translation from anyone else 
  • the receipt for your Certificate of Good Conduct from the embassy or consulate that issued it

A licensing officer will email you within 10 working to let you know if your documents have been approved or refused. You cannot apply for a licence online until you have approval. 

I can’t provide a Certificate of Good Conduct – what do I do?

You cannot apply to become a taxi driver in Liverpool if you do not have an original certificate, dated within the last six months, and a receipt from the embassy or consulate that issued it.

I have asylum seeker/refugee status

Status granted before the age of 18?

If you were granted asylum or refugee status before the age of 18, and have not left the UK for three months or more since turning 18, you can make an application once your right to work documents have been approved. 

Status granted after the age of 18?

If you were granted asylum or refugee status after the age of 18, you do not have to produce a Certificate of Good Conduct from the country you are claiming asylum from but you must email the documents listed below to regulatory.licensing​@liverpool.gov.uk. You cannot apply for a taxi licence or start any training until these documents have been verified.

  • Current, in date and original proof of asylum status - a Home Office letter or residence card. A residence card will only be accepted if it clearly states that you have refugee status.
  • Any other documents that prove your status as a refugee in the UK.
  • A statutory declaration.
  • A Certificate of Good Conduct from each country you have lived in outside the UK for more than three months since the age of 18, if applicable. 

The officer will write to you within 10 working to let you know if your documents have been approved or refused. You cannot apply for a licence or start your training until you have a letter of approval.