Short answer: you book the SPSV test by calling the NTA on 0818 064 000. Have your PPS number and driving licence ready, pick your county and one of five test centres, and pay 90 euro by card. Confirmation comes by email or letter. There is no online booking form.
That is the whole process. The rest of this page is the detail that saves a wasted trip: what the call asks for, where the centres are, what to bring, and how to know you are ready before you spend the 90 euro. Facts are from the NTA test page, the NTA centres page and Chapter 11 of the Official Manual 8.1, checked in October 2026.
Looking for the vehicle suitability test instead, the 45 euro inspection of the car? Same phone number, different appointment: the taxi suitability test checklist has how to book it and what the inspector checks.
Before you call
The NTA does not check whether you are prepared; the test does, at 90 euro a go. Only about a third of candidates pass at the first sitting, and each module needs 75%: 41 of 54 Industry questions and 27 of 36 Area questions. A sensible rule is to book when a timed mock exam puts you over 75% in both modules three times in a row. The mock here runs the same 54 + 36 minute clock as the test centre.
Also make sure you qualify for the licence you are going to apply for afterwards: a full driving licence held for at least 12 months without endorsement, tax clearance in your own name and no disqualifying conviction. The list is in how to become a taxi driver in Ireland. The test fee is not refunded if the Garda later turn you down.
What you need for the call
- Your contact details, so the confirmation reaches you.
- Your PPS number.
- Your full driving licence: Irish, or from another EU, EEA or recognised state.
- The 90 euro fee. Debit or credit card over the phone; the NTA also accepts a postal order, and the Manual lists cheque.
- The county you want to be licensed in. The Area Knowledge module is set for that county, and it is printed on your driver display card as the area where you may stand or ply for hire. Choose the county you will actually work in.
Tell the operator about any special requirements. With an official educational or medical document you can get extra time, or one-to-one assistance in the form of a reader who reads each question aloud (and may not help with the answer). For questions about support, the NTA gives taxis@nationaltransport.ie as well as the phone line.
The five test centres
You can sit the test at any of them, whatever county you are testing for. All are shared with vehicle inspections; the phone number for each is the same 0818 064 000.
| Centre | Address | Eircode |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin, Greenhills | Greenhills Inspection Centre, Hibernian Industrial Estate, Greenhills Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24 | D24 PX63 |
| Dublin, Northpoint | Northpoint Inspection Centre, Northpoint Business Park, Naul Road, Swords, Co. Dublin | K67 EH30 |
| Cork | Cork Inspection Centre, Unit 6 Karlbrook Enterprise Park, Douglas Industrial Estate, Wilton, Cork | T12 A722 |
| Galway | Galway Inspection Centre, Unit 5 Merlin Commercial Park, Doughuisce, Merlin Park, Galway | H91 XT29 |
| Sligo | Sligo Inspection Centre, Unit 7 Rathedmond Industrial Estate, Sligo | F91 TEH4 |
Athlone, Cavan, Letterkenny, Killarney, Kilkenny, Limerick and Westport are vehicle inspection centres only; the NTA lists them separately and they do not run the driver test.
After you book
When the application is processed you get an email or letter with the date, time and location, and a reminder of the documents to bring. The Manual does not publish waiting times, and neither do we; slots depend on the centre. If you are already working to a start date with a rental company or dispatch operator, book as soon as your mocks say you are ready rather than waiting for a round-number date.
On the day
- Bring your current driving licence and proof of identity. Both are checked when you arrive.
- Personal items, including your phone, are locked away before you sit down at the workstation.
- The appointment is up to 1 hour 58 minutes: a 28-minute tutorial on using the screen, then 54 minutes for Industry Knowledge and 36 minutes for Area Knowledge. You do not need to know how to use a computer.
- Multiple choice by mouse or touch screen. Some questions ask for two answers. Within a module you can change answers and skip questions; skipped ones are highlighted at the end, but once a module is finished it is locked.
- An invigilator watches and the room is on CCTV. Talking, notes or a phone mean disqualification and a ban from future tests for a period.
Results and resits
Marking is automatic and the result is on screen at once. Pass both modules and you receive the SPSV Skills Development Certificate at the centre the same day; it goes into your Garda application with the 250 euro licence fee receipt. Fail one module and you rebook only that one, again for 90 euro, and you have 12 months from the first test to pass it. Fail both, or run past the 12 months, and the whole test is booked again. The format and the pass marks are in the SPSV Driver Entry Test guide; what the rebooked Area module tests since the 2025 rewrite is in the Area Knowledge guide.
Licensed already and adding a county?
Same phone number, same 90 euro. A licensed SPSV driver who wants to stand or ply for hire in a second county books the Area Knowledge module for that county on its own. The 36-question module is the whole test in that case, and the county practice here covers every county, not only the cities.