Step 1: Check you are eligible before spending anything
Before you pay a single fee, confirm you meet the basic conditions — age, driving licence history, right to work in the UK and anything on your record that TfL would need to consider. Our eligibility guide covers this, and if you have points or past convictions, read that guide too.
Five minutes of honest checking here saves people hundreds of pounds.
Step 2: Start the slow items immediately
Do not wait for one item to finish before starting the next. They run in parallel.
- Apply for your enhanced DBS check — this is usually the longest single wait
- Book your medical with a suitable doctor and take your glasses, medication list and medical history with you
- Gather your identity and right-to-work documents and check the names and addresses match exactly
Step 3: Prepare for your assessments while you wait
The waiting period is free study time. Work through the SERU syllabus, practise map reading daily for the topographical assessment and shore up your English reading if that is a weak point.
Applicants who use this window well tend to pass first time. Applicants who wait until their DBS lands then start revising are the ones paying for resits.
Step 4: Submit a complete application
- Full address history with no gaps — this is the single biggest cause of DBS delays
- Names spelled identically across every document
- The correct, current medical form completed and signed properly
- Honest and complete declarations — undisclosed matters cause far more damage than the matters themselves
- Copies of everything you send, kept somewhere you can find them
Step 5: After you apply
TfL may come back with questions or ask for more information. Answer quickly and completely — an application sitting waiting on you is the easiest delay to avoid.
When your licence is granted you can start work with a licensed operator. If you do not have a vehicle yet, many new drivers rent a licensed vehicle for the first few months.
How our done-for-you service works
With our Gold VIP package we arrange your medical, handle the enhanced DBS, include the TfL licence fees, prepare and submit your application and give you a dedicated advisor to chase the loose ends. Your training for SERU, topographical and the English requirement is included too.
What we cannot do is speed up TfL or influence the outcome. There is no priority processing and no guaranteed licence — the decision is theirs. What we can do is make sure nothing goes in incomplete.
Let us handle the paperwork
Our TfL Gold VIP package is our full-support option: training and study material, medical and enhanced DBS arranged, TfL fees covered and your application prepared and submitted with you. £1,250.
We prepare and support your application. The decision to grant a licence, and the outcome of every TfL assessment, always rests with Transport for London.
Frequently asked questions
Related TfL guides
PCO Licence
What a TfL private hire driver licence is and how the process works.
Eligibility
Age, licence history, right to work and the other basic conditions.
DBS Check
The enhanced criminal record check and the DBS Update Service.
Medical
The Group 2 style medical, who can sign it and what to prepare.
PCO Licence Cost
The costs to budget for: TfL fees, medical, DBS and training.
TfL PCO Licensing & packages
Our main London page: training, full application support and pricing.
This guide is general information based on our day-to-day experience supporting London applicants. Rules, fees and requirements are set by Transport for London and can change — always check the current TfL guidance before you apply, and contact us if you would like help understanding your own situation.
