When you make an application online, you'll also need to make an appointment with a Licensing officer to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service certificate (criminal record check).

This involves a search of your personal records to establish whether or not you're a safe person to drive members of the public, some of whom may be vulnerable, elderly, or infirm. The DBS is a government department which deals with all criminal records checks for the council's Licensing department.

In order to apply for a DBS, you'll need to provide evidence of your identity. View a list of acceptable forms of ID for DBS checks.

Please note, having a previous criminal record doesn't necessarily stop you from applying for a licence. View guidelines relating to criminal convictions.

If an applicant hasn't been a UK resident for the past 5 years, an enhanced DBS disclosure won't usually be enough to satisfy the council that they're a fit and proper person. This is because the DBS doesn't usually provide criminal records information from countries outside the UK. These applicants will need to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct or an equivalent document, translated into English, from each country where they've been resident/domiciled.

Further information on criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

If you have previous criminal convictions, you may need to appear before the Licensing Committee, where the council's Elected Members will make a decision on whether or not to grant you a licence.

Receiving your DBS certificate

The DBS will send the disclosure certificate to your home address. You must then provide the original disclosure to us by posting it in the designated secure postbox outside Middlesbrough House (on the Pine Street side, adjacent to the Empire nightclub). We'll take a copy, which will form part of your application, and the original certificate will be posted back to you. The information in your disclosure will be stored and used in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

To drive a HC/PH, you must be physically able to perform the duties of a licensed driver. This may involve lifting heavy objects such as luggage and wheelchairs.

To decide whether you're fit to drive a HC/PH, you must undergo a medical examination with your own GP, or another doctor who has full access to your medical records. This examination will be carried out at your own expense.

The standards we expect of drivers follow the advice offered by the DVLA regarding best practice. These require applicants to successfully meet the Group 2 medical standards which also apply to bus and lorry drivers.

New applicants should be aware that the Group 2 standard is higher than that expected of a normal road user. It's possible that someone who is legally allowed to drive a private car wouldn't satisfy the medical standard required for us to grant a HC/PH licence.

View the medical requirements and medical examination certificate.

View the DVLA guidelines for Group 2 Drivers ('Fitness to Drive' booklet for medical professionals).

A HC/PH driver must have a good knowledge of the area in which they intend to work. It's also important to have a good knowledge of the laws and rules governing the HC/PH trade, and a sound knowledge of all traffic regulations, i.e. the Highway Code.

The driver knowledge test is made up of several different sections which test this knowledge.

One section will test your standard of written English. It's important that a HC/PH driver can communicate effectively with their passengers, not only when discussing fares, but also in the event of an emergency. As well as being able to communicate verbally with passengers, drivers will sometimes need to give a passenger a receipt for their journey. This means you must have sufficient skill in written English to correctly complete a receipt. Any applicant who is unable to pass the literacy and numeracy sections will fail the whole test.

Another section of the test relates to your knowledge of the rules of the hackney carriage trade.

You'll also be tested on your knowledge of the Highway Code. You'll be asked a series of questions, similar to those asked during a DVLA driving test, and these will include questions relating to road signs. All the information you need to pass this section is included in the Highway Code. It's advisable to study the Highway Code before taking the test.

Another section of the test relates to your knowledge of the Middlesbrough area. You'll complete a series of multiple choice questions where you'll be asked to identify the location of a specific road or landmark within, or close to, the Middlesbrough area.

The following documents will help you prepare for your test:

• Hackney Carriage - rules, regulations and routes
• Private Hire - rules, regulations and routes

You'll need to book your appointment for this test using your online account as part of the application process.

Anyone applying for a licence, or to have their licence renewed, must prove that their immigration status doesn't stop them from holding a licence. You can do this by submitting to us (in person) one of a number of acceptable documents which show that you have permission to be in the UK and work as a driver. Your application will be refused if you don't provide this evidence.

The Home Office, via the UK Border Agency, has compiled a list of documents which prove that someone has the right to remain and work (RTW) in the UK.

You'll need to provide one document from List A, which shows an ongoing RTW in the UK. If you don't have a document from List A, you must provide relevant documents from List B. These documents will show restrictions on RTW in the UK.

View the documents in List A and List B, and guidance notes

If you produce acceptable documents from List A and you're subsequently granted a licence, we won't need to carry out any further checks when you apply to renew your licence.

If you provide a document from List B to prove your RTW in the UK then your licence will only be valid until the expiry date on the document. When the document expires, you'll need to provide further documentation showing that you're allowed to keep working in the UK if you want to renew your licence.

Sometimes we might need the Home Office to verify your RTW because:

• you've provided a Certificate of Application which is less than six months old and indicates that work is permitted
  or
• you've not provided acceptable documents because you have an outstanding application for permission to be in the UK, or your appeal or administrative review is pending.

In these cases, we'll give you a licence which will last for six months from the date of the decision, providing we have confirmation of your immigration status.

You must bring us your RTW documents in person, and they must be original copies; we won't accept photocopies, scans, or faxes. You'll need to make an appointment with a Licensing officer to provide these documents. We'll take copies and keep these in the file we hold about you.

All applicants must comply with the RTW policy and provide the necessary documentation to us.

A licence will lapse when the holder no longer has permission to be in the UK.

It's illegal to discriminate on the grounds of race, colour, ethnicity, or nationality, and we'll never make assumptions about anyone's RTW in the UK based on their background, appearance, or accent.

Anyone applying for a HC/PH licence must undertake council-approved Safeguarding Vulnerable Passengers Awareness Training. The training will equip you with the knowledge and skills to identify the signs of potential abuse, and teach you how to respond. You'll need to provide the certificate showing you've passed the training before we can grant you a licence.

Access the Safeguarding Vulnerable Passengers Awareness Training.

Anyone applying for a HC/PH licence must undertake council-approved Disability Awareness Training. The training will give you the confidence and self-assurance to provide disabled people with the same high level of service you give to everyone else.

The approved courses are provided by JD Training Solutions and Great Expectations.

You can book your session at JD Training Solutions by emailing pam@jd-training.co.uk or calling 01642 602600. The course costs £33.60.

You can book your session at Great Expectations by visiting Calvary House, 36-40 Grange Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 5BQ, or calling 01642 220777 or 01642 220778. The course costs £30.

You'll need to provide the certificate showing you've passed the training before we can grant you a licence.

Please note, if you already have the Level 2 BTEC award in Transporting of Passengers by Taxi and Private Hire, you won't need to complete the Disability Awareness Training. This is because these issues are dealt with in some detail as part of the course.