Renewing a Renfrewshire private hire driver licence: aim for six weeks before expiry

The council's guidance puts the whole responsibility for a timely renewal on the licence holder. This guide sets out what the council's driver licence page, guidance pack, fee table and immigration check page say, including where they disagree and what they leave out.

Written by Ajay Singh, a private hire driver licensed by Renfrewshire Council since January 2025 · updated 1 November 2026 · sources linked at the bottom

The short version

The fee table lists £133 to renew a taxi or private hire driver licence. A renewal is normally granted for two years. The guidance says to lodge it ideally around six weeks before the licence expires, and pay when you lodge. All application fees are non-refundable.

The fee table has no date or financial year on it, so check the current page before you pay.

The deadline: six weeks is advice, expiry is the line

The guidance notes say licence holders are "solely responsible" for lodging on time, ideally around six weeks before the expiry date. They then add that failing to lodge before the current licence expires may result in the licence lapsing.

A first licence runs out sooner than a renewed one

The council says a new grant generally lasts a year, while a renewal is normally granted for two. So if you're on your first licence, your first renewal comes round after about a year. Check the expiry date on your own licence rather than going by either figure.

What the council asks for

The driver licence page and the guidance notes list these, and they apply to renewals unless marked otherwise:

Two coloured passport photographs, as JPEGs or as originals with your full name written on the back.
Your full driving licence, showing your current home address. Both documents mention the photocard and the counterpart.
Evidence of your entitlement to work in the UK. More on that below.
The name and address of the private hire company you intend to work for, which the guidance notes say you must complete on the form.

What you don't need: the check on previous convictions is only listed for applicants seeking a new licence who were born or have lived outside the UK for six months or more. The council still sends every application to Police Scotland.

The right to work check depends on your status

The council's immigration page sets out two lists of acceptable documents, and the guidance notes repeat them.

List A is for no restrictions on your right to work. Once the council has done the check and kept a copy, it says it "may not have to repeat" the check when you renew. That's a may, so have the documents to hand.

List B is for time-limited permission. The status is checked every time you renew or extend, and the licence can only run up to the end of your permission to be in the UK and work. So a List B renewal may not get the usual two years.

Online or in person: the pages don't line up

The driver licence page says you can apply, upload and sign your documents and pay online, through the council's MyAccount service. The immigration page says you must attend the Customer Service Centre in person to produce original right to work documents. The guidance notes go further: they say you'll have to make an appointment, and that your original driving licence is checked and handed back when you lodge.

The pages don't say whether a renewal with no right to work check due needs an in-person visit at all. A suggestion, not the council's wording: start early enough that an appointment wouldn't put you past expiry, and ask licensing on 0300 300 0300 or at customerservice.licensing@renfrewshire.gov.uk if you're unsure. Your application may not be treated as valid until the original documents have been produced and the fee has been paid, which is one more reason not to leave it until the last week.

After you apply

A copy of your application goes to Police Scotland, who report back to the licensing section. Under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 an application must be considered within three months, and a decision made within nine.

If an objection or representation comes in, you're sent a copy of the letter and called to a hearing at a Regulatory Functions Board meeting, where you can address the Board.

If a renewal is refused or granted with conditions, you can ask the council for its reasons within 21 days of the Board considering it, then appeal to the Sheriff on certain grounds. A granted renewal can also be appealed by an objector. The guidance notes say you may want independent legal advice for an appeal.

Licence conditions that catch up with you at renewal

Change of address: you must tell the council in writing within 14 days. Your driving licence also has to show your current home address before an application can be accepted.
DVLA licence renewal: if your driving licence comes up for renewal during your private hire licence, you must show the council evidence of the new one within 14 days of the DVLA renewal date.
Medical conditions: anything capable of affecting your driving must be disclosed to the council immediately, and you may be asked for a medical certificate.
If your licence has run out: within three months you must tell the council and return your licence and driver's identification. The same applies if you stop working as a private hire driver while the licence is still in force.

If you also hold the car licence

This guide covers the driver licence. The private hire car licence has its own page, its own pack and its own fee line, £363 to renew. For a car renewal the page lists a vehicle inspection pass certificate from the council's inspection centre at Underwood Road, an MOT certificate if the car is over three years old, and a comprehensive insurance certificate and schedule showing private hire use. The same page says cars should be replaced at seven years from registration, or eight for a wheelchair accessible MPV.

Things the pages don't tell you

Whether you can keep working if you lodge before expiry and the decision comes after it. None of the pages listed below covers this, so ask licensing before relying on it.
What happens after a licence lapses, and whether a late application is treated as a renewal or a new grant. The guidance only says it "may" lapse.
How early you can lodge. Six weeks is the only timing given, and no earliest date is published.
Whether there's a late fee. The fee table doesn't list one.
Anything about an HMRC tax check code, which Glasgow's guidance asks for. The silence isn't an answer either way, so ask licensing.
Anything about a training certificate or a knowledge test for renewals. Neither is mentioned on the pages listed below.
How current the guidance is. The pack's filename says 2024, its conditions say last updated 1 April 2019, and the web pages show no last-modified date.
What to do without a counterpart. Both documents still ask for one, and neither explains what to do if you only have a photocard.

Driving in Glasgow instead? The Glasgow renewal guide covers a process with different fees and paperwork. You can also see fees compared across councils.