If you want to drive a licensed hackney carriage (HC) or private hire (PH) vehicle in Middlesbrough then you must hold a HC/PH driver licence issued by us (the council). It's a criminal offence to drive a licensed vehicle without this licence.

This page lists the legal requirements you'll need to meet to be granted a licence, and what information we need from you before we consider your application. There are also step by step instructions on how to submit an application.

The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 says we can't grant you a licence unless:

• we're satisfied that you're a 'fit and proper' person to hold a driver's licence
• you've held a full driving licence for a period of at least twelve months. Only full driving licences issued in the UK, the European Community (EC), or one of the other countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) will be accepted. We can also accept Northern Irish driving licences.

You'll need to complete an online application and provide some additional information before we can process your application. All information received will be treated in confidence.

You must be honest in your licence application. You should never, under any circumstances, make false statements in order to get your licence. This is a serious criminal offence and may prevent you from being granted a licence.

All applications for a new licence or licence renewal will automatically be checked on the National Register of Taxi Licence Refusals and Revocations (NR3). Find out more about NR3 and how your data is used.