Renewing an Edinburgh private hire driver licence: a counter visit and a three-day course
Edinburgh is the one to plan ahead for. You can't apply online, there's mandatory training on top of the licence fee, and missing the expiry date can land you with the new-licence process.
What it costs
| Private hire driver licence | Fee |
|---|---|
| Renewal, one year | £151 |
| Renewal, three years | £231 |
| New driver, one year | £246 |
| Intermediate training course, when it's due | £326 |
Licence fees: Taxi and PHC licence fees, valid 2026/27, dated 01.04.26. Course fee: Driver training, renewing your licence. Both read on 1 November 2026.
The three-year renewal works out at £77 a year against £151 for one year. Application fees are non-refundable, and any refund request for exceptional circumstances goes in writing to the Licensing Manager.
The expiry date matters more here than the fee
The renewal guidance notes (updated April 2026) say a renewal made before expiry keeps your existing licence in force until a final decision. Miss it and they say the application will be treated as a new licence application, with the fee that goes with it.
There's one narrow way back. The council's late applications policy says an application made up to 28 days after expiry may be accepted if good cause is shown. You send a written explanation with it. Good cause isn't defined, but the policy gives bereavement and serious illness as examples. It says it won't include being unable to secure permissions, consents, leases or vehicles.
A refused late application can't be appealed
Under the same policy, the decision on whether to accept a late renewal is final, with no right of appeal or review. It also won't accept good cause if your licence is suspended at expiry or subject to court proceedings. Until a late application is accepted, the licence expires on the date printed on it.
You have to go in person
The driver licence page says applications can't be made online. You take everything to the Licensing Hub at 33 Murrayburn Road, EH14 2TF, where staff check your documents and tax code and take your photograph. Document checks don't need to be booked. The hub is open 08:30 to 16:30 Monday to Thursday, and 08:30 to 15:30 on Friday.
What to take
The guidance notes say an application without these can't be accepted, so check them against the form's own checklist:
- The current renewal form, fully completed. The driver licence page says out-of-date forms aren't accepted.
- Your driving licence, paper or photocard, showing your current home address, plus a DVLA check code from GOV.UK so the council can see endorsements.
- Right to work evidence. British citizens bring a current passport, or original documents from List A if they don't have one. Everyone else brings a share code or original documents from List B.
- Your nine-character HMRC tax check code. You do the check yourself, and the notes say it should only take a few minutes.
- Your completed criminal convictions list, and any overseas criminal record checks the notes ask for if you were born or have lived outside the UK for six months or more. Those must be from the last six months and translated into English.
- A debit or credit card for the fee.
The training course: three days the first time
Since November 2023, the council's training page says existing drivers renewing a licence must complete a three-day Intermediate course. It costs £326, including lunch and refreshments, and runs over 8 units at the Licensing Hub from 08:45 to 5pm each day. After that, a one-day refresher is required after three years at each renewal.
The booking form can go in with your renewal application when you attend for your document checks. There's a £50 re-booking fee if you cancel with less than five working days' notice. Dates are published on that page, and when it was read they included May 2027.
Medical
The driver licence page says a medical examination is required, and that there are extra costs for failing to attend one. The form also asks whether you've been examined by the council's medical examiner in the six months before applying, and whether you have a medical condition. There's a separate fee line in the fee list for missed medicals.
After you apply
Your application goes to Police Scotland, and the guidance notes say the council can't decide until at least 28 days after a valid application, during which anyone can object. Most applications with no objections take four to six weeks. The council has up to six months. If there's an objection, you're sent a copy and invited to address the Licensing Sub-Committee. Renewals are normally granted for one or three years.
The notes also say a breach of a licence condition is a criminal offence, so it's worth reading the conditions rather than filing them. For your car, see the insurance guide: Edinburgh's conditions say a certificate has to be in the vehicle.
Things the pages don't tell you
- How early you can lodge a renewal. No earliest date is given.
- Whether a medical is needed at every renewal or only where the council asks. The page just says one is required.
- How to choose between one and three years, other than the fee. The notes say renewals are "normally" one or three years, and the form offers both.
Comparing councils? See private hire licence costs across Scotland, or how it works in Dundee.
Sources
- Private hire car driver licence — City of Edinburgh Council (read 1 November 2026)
- Renewal of a Taxi or Private Hire Car Driver Licence, guidance notes (updated April 2026, v2)
- Taxi and PHC licence application fees and charges (valid 2026/27, dated 01.04.26)
- Policy on acceptance of late licence renewal applications (undated, read 1 November 2026)
- Taxi and private hire car driver training: renewing your licence (read 1 November 2026)