Home Office outlines current taxi driver immigration check procedures following MP’s questions
- Perry Richardson
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Home Office has responded to questions from Rupert Lowe MP regarding the immigration status checks of taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers, confirming current procedures and future enforcement plans.
In a written response to the Independent MP for Great Yarmouth, Seema Malhotra, Minister for the Home Department, referred local authorities to published guidance detailing how immigration checks should be carried out on all applicants for taxi and PHV licences. The guidance was last updated in June 2024.
Licensing authorities are under a legal duty not to issue driver or operator licences to anyone disqualified by immigration status. This includes individuals without valid permission to stay or work in the UK, or where their status restricts the type of work allowed.
Authorities must confirm a person’s right to work using one of three methods: a manual document check, digital verification via an Identity Service Provider for British and Irish passport holders, or the Home Office online checking system for non-British and non-Irish applicants.
Malhotra clarified that enforcement actions, including visits and spot checks, are intelligence-led and not sector-specific. However, the Home Office intends to increase enforcement activity across various industries, including taxi and PHV driving, during 2025–26.
The guidance sets out that licences granted to individuals with time-limited immigration status must be issued only for the permitted duration. If immigration permission lapses or is revoked, the licence automatically expires and must be returned to the issuing authority. Failure to do so is a criminal offence.
While Malhotra did not provide figures on enforcement actions over the past three years, she reiterated that the Home Office encourages licensing authorities to share data where immigration status affects licence validity. This supports wider enforcement and the potential revocation of driving licences.
The guidance confirms that licensing authorities are not required to perform ongoing checks after issuing a licence. However, they must repeat immigration checks when a licence is renewed or extended, unless the individual holds indefinite leave to remain.
Malhotra said via a written response: “The Home Office issues guidance to local authorities on preventing illegal working in the taxi and private hire sector. The guidance can be found on GOV.UK at: Licensing authority guide to right to work checks - GOV.UK
“Enforcement visits are intelligence led and undertaken across all employment sectors. The Home Office is committed to increasing illegal working enforcement visits across a range of sectors throughout 2025-2026.”
