Short answer: a taxi licence in Ireland is really two licences. The SPSV driver licence is for you: pass the 90 euro NTA test, pay 250 euro, get vetted by the Garda. The vehicle licence, the “taxi plate”, is for the car: the NTA issues it, and right now it only issues new ones for wheelchair accessible taxis and hackneys, local area hackneys and limousines. Most people searching for an SPSV licence in Ireland need the first one, and that guide walks through the eight steps.
The two licences side by side
| SPSV driver licence | SPSV vehicle licence (plate) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it allows | You may drive a taxi, hackney or limousine | One named car may be used in one SPSV category |
| Who grants it | An Garda Síochána, after vetting; the NTA issues your ID cards | The NTA |
| Test | SPSV Driver Entry Test, 90 euro | Initial Suitability Inspection of the car, 45 euro (none for a local area hackney) |
| Fee | 250 euro | 125 euro (wheelchair accessible taxi or hackney), 1,000 euro (limousine), 50 euro (local area hackney) |
| Main conditions | Driving licence held at least 12 months without endorsement, tax clearance, Garda vetting, safeguarding course | Tax clearance, a suitable car you own or lease, SPSV insurance in your exact name, NCT within 90 days of the inspection |
| How long it lasts | Up to five years | 12 months, 6 months for older cars, or until the car reaches its age limit |
| Held by | A person | A person or a company |
| Can it be sold? | No | No |
The driver licence
This is the licence every taxi, hackney and limousine driver holds, and the NTA says one regular SPSV driver licence covers all three. The conditions: a pass in the SPSV Driver Entry Test, the free Safeguarding and Disability Awareness course, tax affairs up to date, Garda vetting, and an Irish, EU, EEA or recognised driving licence held for at least 12 months without endorsement. You pay 250 euro to the NTA and hand form PSV15 in at a Garda station.
The test is the step you control and the one people fail. It is 54 Industry Knowledge questions on the NTA Manual and 36 Area Knowledge questions on the county you choose, 75% needed in each. The full order of steps is in how to become a taxi driver in Ireland, and our practice questions cover both modules for every county.
The vehicle licence, or “taxi plate”
The NTA’s vehicle licensing page, updated on 17 September 2026, says it is currently accepting new vehicle licence applications for wheelchair accessible taxis, wheelchair accessible hackneys, local area hackneys and limousines only. No new standard saloon taxi licences are being issued.
| Category | Licence fee | Inspection fee | Car age when first licensed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheelchair accessible taxi | 125 euro | 45 euro | Under 6 years |
| Wheelchair accessible hackney | 125 euro | 45 euro | Under 6 years |
| Limousine | 1,000 euro | 45 euro | No limit |
| Local area hackney | 50 euro | None | Under 10 years |
The NTA sets out five steps. Pick a car from its Suitable Vehicle List. Send in the application (form VL1) with a recent proof of address. If it is approved you get a Conditional Offer letter, valid for 90 days for that car; for a taxi, its provisional licence number is what the meter, roof sign and door branding are ordered against. Equip the car. Then book the Initial Suitability Inspection on 0818 064 000 and bring the insurance certificate in the identically spelled name of the applicant, an NCT certificate issued within 90 days of the inspection and proof you own or lease the car.
The Conditional Offer is not a licence. Operating without a current vehicle licence is a criminal offence with a penalty of up to 5,000 euro. What the inspector checks on the day is in the suitability inspection checklist. A wheelchair accessible car can be part-funded by the NTA grant; the 2026 amounts are in the WAV grant guide.
Can you buy a taxi plate?
No. The Manual says it plainly: a vehicle licence cannot be sold, and a company that is sold or taken over loses its licence automatically. The NTA’s 2026 guide on handing on a licence adds that SPSV licences cannot be transferred to another party at any time, with one exception: the holder can nominate a successor, who may take the licence over after the holder dies.
So a “taxi plate for rent” ad on DoneDeal or Adverts.ie is a licensed car rented out by its licence holder. That is legal: SPSV regulations let a vehicle licence holder rent the insured car to a licensed driver, as long as the holder notifies the NTA. What the holder and the driver each have to do is in renting a taxi in Ireland.
Which one do you need?
To drive for a living, you need the driver licence whatever else you do: rented taxi, your own wheelchair accessible taxi, Uber or FreeNow jobs. The vehicle licence only matters once you want your own car on the road, and the holder does not even have to be the driver. Start with the driver licence. The first step is the SPSV Driver Entry Test, so take a free mock exam and see how far you are from 75%.