Two organisations are involved. An Garda Síochána is the licensing authority: it vets you and grants the SPSV driver licence. The National Transport Authority (NTA) runs the entry test, collects the fee and issues your driver ID cards. You deal with both, in this order.
At a glance
| Step | Who | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax clearance, NDLS licence history | Revenue, NDLS | Free | Days |
| SPSV Driver Entry Test | NTA, 0818 064 000 | 90 euro per sitting | Slot in 2 to 4 weeks, result same day |
| Safeguarding and Disability Awareness course | NTA, online | Free | A few hours |
| Driver licence fee | NTA | 250 euro | Receipt by post, about a week |
| Application, form PSV 15, vetting | Garda | Free (photos 10 to 15 euro) | 12 weeks or longer |
| Driver ID cards | NTA | Included | By post after the Garda decision |
Total if you pass first time: about 350 euro and two to four months. The NTA reports candidates average close to three attempts at the test, so the realistic figure is nearer 530 euro and an extra month or two; the timeline guide shows where the weeks go and the cost guide has every fee, including the vehicle side.
1. Check you qualify
Before spending anything, make sure you meet the conditions in section 2.2 of the Manual and on the NTA website:
- A full, current driving licence for category B or higher, from Ireland, the EU/EEA or a recognised country, held for at least 12 months before you apply, continuously and without endorsement. The 12 months is on the NTA’s driver licence page (updated 21 January 2026); the Manual says the same without the number. No full licence yet? That comes first, starting with the driver theory test; theorytestpractice.ie has practice for it.
- Tax clearance with Revenue, in the same name as on your driving licence. The NTA checks this online and you also hand proof to the Garda.
- No conviction for the offences listed in the Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. Some carry a lifetime ban; others a fixed period (for example five years after release from prison, or your driving disqualification plus three to five years for drink or drug driving).
- Garda vetting confirms you are a suitable person.
2. Study the Official Manual
The test is written from the Official Manual for Operating in the SPSV Industry, Edition 8.1 (September 2026). It is free on nationaltransport.ie and 222 pages; our chapter-by-chapter guide to the Manual shows where to get the current edition and what each chapter covers. Everything in the Industry Knowledge module comes from it: licensing, fares, the regulations, wheelchair accessible vehicles, customer service, driving safely. Read it once, then drill questions. Our Industry Knowledge practice follows the chapters and cites the page for every answer.
3. Sit the SPSV Driver Entry Test
Book by phone on 0818 064 000 with your PPS number, driving licence details and the 90 euro fee (how to book the SPSV test has the centres and the call checklist). The test runs at five centres nationally on a computer: 54 Industry Knowledge questions in 54 minutes, then 36 Area Knowledge questions in 36 minutes for the county you want to work in. You need 75% in each module. Fail one and you can resit only that one, at the same fee, but both must be passed within a year of your first sitting. Full details in our test guide.
When you pass you receive the SPSV Skills Development Certificate. Keep it safe; the Garda need the original.
4. Complete the Safeguarding and Disability Awareness course
A free online professional development course run by the NTA. It is mandatory for new applicants and takes a few hours. Do it straight after the test while you wait for other paperwork.
5. Pay the 250 euro licence fee
Call 0818 064 000 and pay by card. The NTA posts a paper receipt, which goes into your Garda application. The fee is non-refundable and valid for one application only, so the Manual advises paying it only after you have passed the test and are sure you meet every other condition.
6. Apply to the Garda with form PSV 15
Bring the checklist from Manual section 2.3 to your local Garda station, or the Carriage Office if you live in Dublin:
- SPSV Skills Development Certificate and the licence fee receipt.
- Proof of tax clearance.
- Your driving licence and your driver licence history from the NDLS.
- Three passport-standard photographs, roughly 10 cm by 7 cm.
- A signed statement that you will not drive an SPSV for more than 11 hours on any three consecutive days.
- Details of any other employment. If that job involves driving, proof you have told the employer about your application.
- Statements about your health, medication and that you have not been convicted of the listed offences.
The Garda review, including the background check, can take 12 weeks or longer.
7. Collect your licence and ID cards
The Garda grant the licence (paper form PSV 17) and tell the NTA. The NTA then posts two cards: a large driver display card for the dashboard, showing the area you may stand or ply for hire in, and a small smart card you must carry whenever you drive an SPSV. Lose either and you report it to the Garda PSV Office immediately.
8. Decide how you will drive
You now hold a driver licence, not a vehicle licence. Options: rent a licensed taxi, drive for someone who holds a vehicle licence, or buy a car and apply for your own vehicle licence. That is a separate process with its own fees and inspections; see driver licence vs vehicle licence and the cost breakdown. Renting has its own rules, covered in renting a taxi in Ireland, and if you plan to take Uber, Bolt or FreeNow jobs, read driving for the apps. If you license your own car, the NTA checks an SPSV insurance certificate in your exact name at the inspection; taxi insurance in Ireland explains the cover and what sets the price. The apps, rental fleets, brokers and accountants that take new drivers are listed by county on after you pass.
Taxi, hackney or limousine?
Your driver licence covers all six SPSV categories. The vehicle licence is what differs. A taxi can be hailed, work ranks and the airport, use with-flow bus lanes and charges by taximeter. A hackney is pre-booked only: agreed fare, booking record on board, no roof sign, no ranks, no bus lanes. A limousine follows hackney rules for wedding, funeral and executive work. The catch for a new entrant: the NTA currently issues new vehicle licences only for wheelchair accessible taxis, wheelchair accessible hackneys, local area hackneys and limousines. An existing standard taxi or hackney licence cannot be bought: it stays with its holder, so the way into a standard taxi is to rent one. The differences and fees are in the hackney licence guide, and the inspection your car must pass is in the suitability inspection checklist.
Which county to choose
The Area Knowledge module is sat for one county, and that county is printed on your driver display card as the area where you may stand or ply for hire. Pick the county you will actually work in, not the one whose test looks easiest. Dublin has by far the most work and the hardest module (pedestrianised streets, one-way systems, 27 closed streets in the city centre alone); a smaller county is a shorter study but a smaller market. What the module now tests, since the NTA rewrote it in October 2025, is in the Area Knowledge guide, and there is a free sample for every county on the practice page.
Renewals
A regular SPSV driver licence is valid for up to five years. You can renew from three months before expiry, and the NTA sends reminders. Renew on time and the fee is 250 euro; up to 30 days late it is 300 euro; from 30 days to 12 months late, 400 euro. After 12 months the licence cannot be renewed and you start from scratch, test included. No test or safeguarding course is needed for a normal renewal, but tax clearance, the NDLS history, photographs and Garda vetting are. Form PSV 18, the documents and the vehicle licence renewal are in the SPSV licence renewal guide.