Enhanced DBS check for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers

Please note: we can only carry out DBS checks for individuals who have applied to us for a driver's licence. If you are applying to a different council, you must contact that council to arrange your DBS check.

All applicants for hackney carriage or private hire driver's licences must obtain an enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS - formerly the Criminal Records Bureau). Renewing drivers are also required to undergo an annual DBS check.

The information divulged on the DBS certificate will help us when we decide your application, as we have to be satisfied that applicants are 'fit and proper' to drive taxis or private hire vehicles before we can grant a licence.

Taxi and private hire drivers are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that any convictions or cautions can be taken into consideration, even if they would ordinarily be considered 'spent', due to our obligation to ensure the safety of the public. Please see our Suitability Policy (pdf) .

To apply

The licensing team now provide an online application process for applying for a DBS certificate. This can either be done at home, with your operator or in the council offices.

To register and submit a DBS application, click here https://gbg.onlinedisclosures.co.uk/Authentication/Login . You will need to register with password details which can be found below:

Organisation Reference: 164377
Password: Taxi

The online application form should take no more than ten minutes to complete if you have all information to hand. However, you can't save a part completed form to finish later, so please ensure you have all the information you will need before you start. In particular, please note:-
• Details of all your addresses for the last 5 years.
• National insurance number.
• Valid Passport and DVLA licence details.

Once you have completed the online form, you will need to provide the council with three proofs of identity and make the payment of £56.50.

PLEASE NOTE THAT AN APPLICATION FOR A DBS WILL NOT BE SENT OFF UNTIL THE PAYMENT OF £56.50 AND DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED BY THE COUNCIL. IF YOU ARE A NEW DRIVER, YOUR DBS APPLICATION WILL NOT BE SENT OFF UNTIL YOU HAVE MADE AN APPLICATION FOR A LICENCE AND PAID THE RELEVANT FEE.

Please Note: If a document in the List of Valid Identity Documents is: • denoted with * it should be less than three months old • denoted with ** it should be issued within the past 12 months • not denoted it can be more than 12 months old
This list is subject to amendment.

DBS Update Service

The Update Service allows you to pay a subscription fee of £13 direct to the Disclosure and Barring Service, in return for ongoing monitoring of the official records for information relating to you. Subscribers will be able to give employers and licensing authorities permission to carry out a status check, in order to verify whether an original DBS certificate remains valid, even if it is several years later.

We will allow taxi and private hire drivers to use the Update Service as an alternative to obtaining a new certificate. In such cases, the original certificate must:

• be an enhanced level disclosure (standard or basic disclosures are not acceptable)
• give the job title as 'taxi driver', 'private driver' or similar (certificates issued for unrelated jobs are now acceptable)
• include the words 'Other Workforce' under job title (this indicates the types of checks that have been carried out)

You must have subscribed within 19 days of the issue of your last certificate. If you let your subscription lapse, or if the police records show new information about you since your certificate was issued, we will not be able to obtain a status check, and you will need to apply for a new disclosure certificate.

More information

For more information about DBS checks, please visit the Disclosure and Barring Service website, or contact the Disclosure and Barring Service on 03000 200 190.