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You usually need a vehicle operator licence to transport goods or carry passengers for a fare.

If you plan to use vehicles:

• to transport goods and the vehicles are over a certain weight, for example a lorry or van - find out what type of goods vehicle operator licence you need
• to carry passengers for a fare, for example a bus or taxi - find out what type of Public Service Vehicles (PSV) operator licence you need

Check if the vehicles you own are exempt before you apply for a vehicle operator licence.

When to apply and how long it takes

Before you start your application, there are 4 things you need to do.

1. Get information about your organisation and team.

2. Get evidence that you have enough money to apply.

3. Get information about your vehicles.

4. Advertise your application.

After that, you can apply for a vehicle operator licence.

You鈥檒l usually get a decision within 7 weeks. It can take longer if you do not provide the right supporting documents when you apply.

Apply for an interim licence

If you鈥檙e applying for a goods vehicle operator licence and need one sooner, you can ask for permission to operate while your application is considered. This is known as an interim licence. An interim licence lasts for up to 6 months.

You might need an interim licence if, for example:

• you have customers waiting and want to start working as soon as possible
• your organisation is changing or moving and you want to continue working while your new application is processed

The traffic commissioner will only consider giving you an interim licence if you鈥檝e completed a full application for an operator licence.

When you apply, you鈥檒l be asked:

• whether you鈥檙e a limited company, sole trader, partnership, limited liability partnership or other organisation
• the name of your organisation聽
• what the organisation does聽
• your address and contact details聽
• the names of the people responsible for your organisation, for example the owner, transport manager, company directors or safety inspectors

Employing or hiring a transport manager

If you鈥檙e applying for a standard licence, you鈥檒l be asked to name a transport manager. That person could be you or someone else.

You鈥檒l need to provide:

• their date of birth
• their contact details
• proof that they鈥檙e qualified to be a transport manager for goods vehicles or public service vehicles, for example a copy of their Certificate of Professional Competence聽
• how many hours a day they鈥檒l spend on transport manager duties
• a list of any convictions or cautions

Your transport manager also needs to be one of the following:

• already working for your organisation聽
• somebody you hire
• somebody you contract聽

Your team鈥檚 history

To prepare for your application, you鈥檒l need to find out some information about your team. The Office of the Traffic Commissioner will use this to check your organisation can hold a vehicle operator licence.

Financial history

When you apply you鈥檒l need to tell the Office of the Traffic Commissioner whether any directors, partners or transport managers have been:

• declared bankrupt, had their estate seized or been the subject of an
• involved with an organisation that has gone or is going into receivership
• involved with an organisation that has gone or is going into administration or a Company Voluntary Arrangement
• previously disqualified from acting as a company director or managing a company

Licence history聽

You鈥檒l need to tell the Office of the Traffic Commissioner whether any directors, partners or transport managers have:

• an operator licence in any traffic area currently
• ever had or applied for an operator licence in any traffic area
• ever been disqualified from having an operator licence in any traffic area
• ever had an operator licence application refused by a traffic commissioner for Great Britain, the Northern Ireland Transport Regulation Unit or by any EU licensing authority
• ever had an operator licence taken away, suspended or limited by a traffic commissioner for Great Britain, the Department for Infrastructure for Northern Ireland or by any EU licensing authority
• ever taken part in a public inquiry held by a Traffic Commissioner
• bought assets or shares in a company that holds or has held an operator licence in any traffic area

Convictions and cautions

You鈥檒l need to declare if any of the following people and companies you work with have certain convictions or cautions:

• directors, partners and transport managers
• companies that are (or have been) directed by anybody you鈥檝e named
• your parent company, if you鈥檙e a limited company
• your employees and agents

Setting up your IT systems

If you want to join the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) earned recognition scheme, you鈥檒l need .

The DVSA earned recognition scheme collects data so you can prove your organisation meets driver and vehicle standards. This means that your vehicles are less likely to be stopped for inspections.

You can join the DVSA earned recognition scheme once you鈥檝e had an operator licence for at least 2 years.

Get help joining the DVSA earned recognition scheme

You can get help from DVSA to start the process of joining the DVSA earned recognition scheme if you鈥檙e a new vehicle operator. You鈥檒l need to do this within the first 6 months of getting your new vehicle operator licence.

As part of your application, the Office of the Traffic Commissioner will calculate a sum of money based on how many vehicles you鈥檒l use and what type of licence you need.

You must provide evidence that shows you have enough funds to cover this amount.

If you plan to expand your organisation, you must prove you have enough money for all the vehicles you鈥檙e planning to operate, not just the ones you鈥檒l operate straight away.

How much money you need

Restricted licence

Vehicle type	First vehicle	Each additional vehicle
Heavy goods	拢3,100	拢1,700
Passenger service	拢3,100	拢1,700

Standard National licence

Vehicle type	First vehicle	Each additional vehicle
Heavy goods	拢8,000	拢4,500
Passenger service	拢8,000	拢4,500

Standard International licence

Vehicle type	First vehicle	Each additional vehicle
Heavy goods	拢8,000	拢4,500
Light goods	拢1,600	拢800
Passenger service	拢8,000	拢4,500

Types of evidence you can use

All financial documents should be in the same name as the person applying or the person holding the licence.

If your organisation is a partnership, the financial documents need to be in the names of one or more of the people in the partnership applying, or the licence holders.

If your organisation is a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), the funds must be held within the company.

You need to submit at least one of the following types of evidence:

• bank or building society account statements covering the last 28 days
• credit card accounts
• an opening balance
• formal written agreement from your bank of an agreed overdraft or credit facility
• invoice finance agreements
• audited accounts certified by someone who鈥檚 properly qualified

You鈥檒l be contacted by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner if they need more information about the evidence you provide.

You鈥檒l be asked for your vehicles鈥� registration number and weight. If you do not have your vehicle details yet you can provide them later.

Decide how you鈥檒l maintain your vehicles

When you apply, you need to declare how often your vehicles will be inspected and who is responsible for the inspections.

Once you have an operator licence, you鈥檒l need to carry out safety inspections of your vehicles.听

You鈥檒l need to provide the contact details of your safety inspectors. If you鈥檙e using a different company for your safety inspections, you鈥檒l need a contract.听

Where you鈥檒l keep your vehicles

The place you normally keep your vehicles is known as an operating centre.听

You need to make sure that the operating centre you鈥檙e planning to use has:聽聽

• safe access聽聽
• off-street parking spaces for all the vehicles and trailers you want to keep there
• permission from the site owner to park there聽聽

When you apply, you need to give the following information about any operating centres you鈥檙e planning to use:聽

• 补诲诲谤别蝉蝉听
• numbers of trailers and vehicles you鈥檒l keep there

If you鈥檙e applying for a goods vehicle operator licence, you also need to be able to show that your operating centre will not disturb people living nearby. This includes:

• noise
• fumes
• pollution
• vibration
• visual intrusion

The Traffic Commissioner may ask you to provide evidence of this to support your application or ask you to attend a public inquiry.

If you have more than one operating centre

You need a separate operator licence for each traffic area where you have an operating centre.

In England, Wales and Scotland, there are 8 traffic areas. There is in Northern Ireland.

If you鈥檙e applying for a goods vehicle operator licence for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), you need to pay to advertise your application in a local newspaper in the traffic area that your organisation operates in.

You do not need to advertise if you are applying for a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) or light goods vehicle operator licence.

You must write your advert using the template.

The newspaper you鈥檙e advertising in must:

• be local (not regional or national)
• cover the traffic area where the operating centre is based
• include stories as well as adverts - free sheets will not be accepted
• include other public notices, for example planning applications

If you鈥檙e applying for more than one operating centre

You need to publish separate adverts if the local areas of the operating centres are covered by different local newspapers.听

If they鈥檙e in an area covered by the same local newspaper, you only need to publish one advert that includes:

• each operating centre鈥檚 address
• the number of vehicles and trailers you鈥檒l be keeping at them

Sending evidence of your advert聽

Once your advert has been published, you鈥檒l need to upload an image of the whole newspaper page. Do this when you apply for your licence.

The image of the advert needs to include:

• the newspaper鈥檚 full name
• the publication date

Goods vehicles

You do not need a goods vehicle operator licence if any of the following apply to your vehicle:

• it was first used before 1977, has an unladen weight of 1,525 kilograms or less and a maximum gross plated weight over 3,500 kilograms
• it鈥檚 using public roads for less than 6 miles a week whilst moving between private land聽 belonging to the same person as the vehicle聽
• it鈥檚 being used for excavation or demolition
• it鈥檚 being used on trade plates
• it鈥檚 being used to transport passengers

Find out more about goods vehicles that are exempt.

Exempt vehicles聽

You do not need an operator licence for:

• military vehicles
• snow ploughs and gritters
• emergency service vehicles (including those used by gas, electricity, water and telephone companies)
• hearses
• recovery vehicles (only if they鈥檙e used exclusively for that purpose)
• tractors and agricultural vehicles used in certain circumstances

Vehicles that are not exempt

You need an operator licence for:聽

• mobile exhibition vehicles
• catering vehicles
• mobile shops
• mobile medical screening vehicles
• vehicles that have equipment fixed or bolted down and are carrying goods that are not essential for the equipment to work
• towing a trailer that鈥檚 carrying goods

Apply for an operator licence online once you鈥檝e read the guidance and prepared the information you need to provide.听

You鈥檒l need:

• a debit or credit card
• your username and password if you鈥檝e used the service before

You can register in the service if you鈥檝e not used it before.

Once you鈥檝e started your application you can save your form and complete it later.

You can also use this service to pay any application or licence fees.听

What you need to know

After you apply online, you鈥檒l usually get a decision within 7 weeks. It can take longer if you do not provide all the right supporting documents when you apply.

Evidence you鈥檒l need

To support your application, you need to send financial evidence that proves you have enough money to run your organisation.听

You need to name a transport manager and a safety inspector. You also need to provide the financial, licence and conviction history of people who work for your organisation.

If you鈥檙e applying for a goods vehicle operator licence for heavy goods vehicles

You must advertise your application in a local newspaper in the traffic area your organisation operates in. You鈥檒l need to upload a copy of your advert when you apply.

Fees

The fees you鈥檒l pay depends on the type of licence you鈥檙e applying for.

Fees for a goods vehicle operator licence

You鈥檒l have to pay:

• an application fee
• a fee to issue the licence
• a fee to issue an interim licence, if you need one

You鈥檒l then have to pay a continuation fee every 5 years to keep your licence active.

Action	Fee
Application for a licence	拢257
Issue of a licence	拢401
Continuation of a licence after 5 years	拢401
Issue of an interim licence	拢68
Major change to a licence	拢257

Fees for a public service vehicle operator licence

Once you鈥檝e got your licence it will not have an expiry date, but the Traffic Commissioner鈥檚 Office will ask you to confirm your details every 5 years. You鈥檒l need to pay a continuation fee if you鈥檝e got a special restricted (taxi) licence.

Action	Fee
Application for a standard licence	拢209
Application for a restricted licence	拢209
Application for a special restricted (taxi) licence	拢61
Continuation fee for a special restricted (taxi) licence (payable every 5 years)	拢61
Make changes to a licence	拢122

Paying online

You can pay any application or licence fees when you apply for a vehicle operator licence online.

Paying by phone

You can pay by calling the Drive and Vehicle Standard Agency (DVSA) helpline.

Paying by post

Send a cheque or postal order made payable to 鈥�DVSA鈥� to the Central Licensing Office.

Help with your application

If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, contact DVSA to get help with your application.

If you live in Northern Ireland, contact the Transport Regulation Unit to get help with your application.

The Office of the Traffic Commissioner will review your application. They might ask you to provide more information to support your application.

If the Office of the Traffic Commissioner has concerns about your application, they could invite you to a public inquiry to help them make a decision.听

Your application will also be made public and there may be an objection to your licence. If there鈥檚 an objection, you might have to attend a public inquiry.听

After you apply online, you鈥檒l usually get a decision within 7 weeks. It can take longer if you do not provide all the right supporting documents when you apply.

If your application is not approved

You can appeal if your application for an operator licence is refused. You have 1 month to apply for permission to appeal.

Find out how to appeal.

If your application is approved

You鈥檒l receive your operator licence and you can legally operate your vehicles.听

As a vehicle operator, you鈥檒l need to:

• maintain your vehicles
• check your drivers have the correct licence and training
• tax your vehicles
• tell the Office of the Traffic Commissioner if you need to make changes to your operator licence, for example the number of vehicles on your licence

If you have a goods vehicle operator licence, you鈥檒l have to pay a continuation fee every 5 years to keep your licence active.

If you have a public service vehicle operator licence, it will not have an expiry date.听You鈥檒l need to confirm your details every 5 years. You鈥檒l need to pay a continuation fee if you鈥檝e got a special restricted (taxi) licence.