Private hire operators licence

A private hire operators licence is needed in order to be able to accept bookings for private hire vehicles. If you are a vehicle proprietor you may work for any existing operator. But, if you wish to apply for your own licence to operate from premises which will be used as a booking office, you need to contact the Council's Planning Department as planning permission may be required.

An operators licence lasts for a maximum of 5 years and there is no additional charge for having multiple vehicles on your licence.

Application form and conditions

How to apply

To apply for a private hire operator licence complete the online form below. The form will take 10 minutes to complete. 

Once you have submitted the form call our customer contact centre on 0300 123 5015 to pay the fee.

Documents required to apply

You are required to provide the following documents:

• Individual applicants only - Council have a duty to only issue licences to individuals who can demonstrate that they have the ‘Right to work in the UK within the taxi trade’. Provide copies of Document(s) from either List A or List B (PDF, 111KB) which proves your entitlement.

• If you do not hold a Cheshire East Joint Driver Licence you will be required to obtain a basic criminal record disclosure by applying online using the Disclosure and Barring Service website. If you need further help you can contact the Disclosure and Barring Service on 0300 020 0190.

  We can only accept the originals of your qualification and criminal record disclosure. We cannot accept copies.

To find out how we use your information see our privacy notice (opens in a new window).

Tax conditionality

From 4 April 2022, the government have introduced new tax checks that require councils to undertake Tax Conditionality checks when processing applications for private hire operator licences.

This has been brought in via the Finance Act 2021, which contains a clause that has introduced the Tax Conditionality checks to certain licence applications. The check is solely to confirm that you are registered for tax and does not give any financial details to the Council.

You will be required to produce a tax code if you’re:

• renewing a licence
• applying for the same type of licence you previously held, that ceased to be valid less than a year ago
• applying for the same type of licence you already hold with another licensing authority

For guidance and details on how to obtain a tax code please visit the GOV.UK Complete a tax check webpage.

Fees and conditions

• Private Hire Operators Licence - £420.00 (5 years)
• Private Hire Operator Conditions (PDF, 152KB)

Make a change to your licence

To make a change to your licence such as changing the company name or increase the number of licensed vehicles operating under your licence email your request to the Licensing Team. 

Page last reviewed: 02 August 2024