How to renew your TfL PHV driver licence: timeline, documents and SERU

A London private hire (PCO) driver licence normally lasts three years, and renewing it is not automatic. TfL treats a renewal as, in its own words, "effectively an application for a new licence" — you resubmit documents, pass fresh checks and pay again. Drivers who leave it late can end up unable to work while they wait. This guide sets out what TfL actually asks for, the dates that matter and a simple plan for renewing without a gap. Everything below comes from TfL's own published material, which is linked so you can check it yourself.

When you can renew

TfL's portal guidance says a driver licence "can be renewed within the period of 4 months before your current licence is due to expire and up to 90 days after your current licence has expired" (TfL: How to renew your driver's licence). TfL also says it will send you a notification when it is time to renew.

Two points are easy to miss:

• You cannot work once the licence has expired. TfL's driver policy says a PHV driver who applies after expiry "must cease working ... immediately", and the new licence only takes effect from the date it is issued. Working on an expired licence is an offence and, TfL warns, is likely to invalidate your hire and reward insurance.
• More than three months late means starting again. If you apply more than three months after expiry you are treated as a new applicant, including a new medical (TfL London taxi and PHV driver policy, section 4.26.5).

Unlike licensed taxi drivers, a PHV driver's existing licence does not automatically stay in force while a renewal is processed. If you applied before expiry and the delay is outside your control, the policy says TfL may issue a short-term licence, usually valid for four weeks, provided nothing else is outstanding. That is a discretionary safety net, not something to plan around.

How long does a renewal take?

TfL does not guarantee a turnaround. In its March 2026 notice it said it aims to review renewal applications "within around 10 working days of receipt", prioritises drivers due to expire within the next six weeks, and urges drivers to submit "as early as possible" because GP appointments, DBS processing and other third-party checks are outside its control (TPH Notice 06/26). A review within 10 working days is not the same as a new licence in 10 working days, so treat the four-month window as your planning time, not a buffer you can ignore.

What you need for a TfL PHV renewal

Section 4.26.1 of TfL's driver policy lists what every renewing driver must submit:

• A fully and correctly completed application form (done online in the Taxi and Private Hire portal).
• A passport-style photograph.
• Evidence of your DBS Update Service subscription. TfL requires licensed drivers to keep a continuous subscription; it costs £15 a year (GOV.UK: DBS Update Service).
• Evidence of your right to live and work in the UK.
• A copy of your driving licence, and a DVLA share code if your licence was issued by the DVLA (GOV.UK: view or share your driving licence). Your photocard must be in date — TfL will not renew while it has expired.
• An HMRC tax check code no more than 120 days old (GOV.UK: tax checks for taxi and private hire licences). Without it the application cannot proceed.
• A Living and Working Abroad form (TPH/205) and Certificate of Good Conduct if you have lived abroad for three months or more and have not already given TfL a certificate for that period. Since 1 July 2024 TfL looks back 10 years (since age 18).
• The fee, paid by card in the portal.

If you hold an exemption (for example from carrying assistance dogs or wheelchairs) that ends with your licence, you need to apply for it again alongside the renewal.

The medical: age 45 and over

TfL's policy says PHV drivers "aged 45 or over on the date of the expiry of the existing licence" must provide a medical declaration (form TPH204) completed by a doctor with access to their full medical history. From age 65, medicals are required every year (section 4.19.3). GP appointments are one of the delays TfL itself flags, so book yours as soon as your renewal window opens.

The fee

TfL's PHV driver licence page lists a £138 application fee and a £205 grant of licence fee. TfL's renewal guidance only says you pay "the required fees" during the online form, so check the amount the portal asks for before you pay. TfL's policy says that if an application is refused or withdrawn, the grant fee can be refunded; the application fee cannot.

Do you need to re-take any tests?

This is where most confusion comes from, so here is what the policy says, test by test:

• Topographical assessment: no. Renewing PHV drivers do not have to re-take it.
• English language (speaking and listening): TfL describes it as "a one-off assessment". If you have already satisfied TfL's English requirement, you do not re-submit evidence or re-take it.
• SERU: yes, unless you have already passed it. TfL says "all renewing PHV drivers must have passed the SERU assessment in order for their renewal application to be considered complete", and drivers who passed SERU "based on the current version of the handbook" do not need to re-take it.

So if you were first licensed before SERU existed and have never passed it, you need to pass it before your renewal can be completed. Booking it late is a classic way to end up with an expired licence. The assessment costs £40, or £30 for a re-sit (TfL: SERU for private hire drivers). Our SERU test guide explains the format, and the SERU hub covers booking and retakes.

A renewal timeline that avoids a gap

1. Five months before expiry: check your DVLA photocard expiry date (field 4b), your DBS Update Service subscription and whether you have passed SERU. If you have not passed SERU, start revising now.
2. Four months before expiry (window opens): book your GP medical if you will be 45 or over at expiry, and book SERU if you need it.
3. As soon as you have the documents: get your HMRC tax check code and DVLA share code (the tax code lasts 120 days, so do not get it months early), then submit the renewal in the portal.
4. After submitting: use "Track Your Application" in the portal, check all email folders and voicemail, and upload anything TfL asks for through "Upload Additional Information". TfL says slow replies are one of the most common causes of delay.
5. Six weeks before expiry: if you have heard nothing, contact TfL through your online account. Drivers this close to expiry are TfL's stated priority.

Things that can sink a renewal

• Undeclared convictions, cautions or endorsements. You must tell TfL about any arrest and release, charge, caution or conviction during your licence. If the DBS or DVLA check reveals something you did not declare, TfL may refuse the renewal, and after a refusal on that basis TfL says it will not consider a further application for at least 12 months from the date the current licence expires.
• A missing tax check code or DBS certificate. Without the tax check code the application is discontinued; if you fail to provide your DBS certificate when asked, the renewal is refused.
• Vehicle signage. Licences granted or renewed since 1 July 2025 carry a condition that the PHV you drive displays TfL signage, unless it is exempt. Check your vehicle before your new licence starts.

Renewing outside London?

Everything above is specific to Transport for London. Councils elsewhere set their own renewal rules, medical intervals and tests, so look up your authority on our council directory and read our DBS and medical guide for how those checks usually work. If you are licensing in London for the first time rather than renewing, start with the London PHV licence guide instead.