Taxi and private hire car (PHC) booking office licence

Apply for or renew a licence

A booking office licence is required where:

  • bookings are taken for more than three taxis or private hire cars
  • bookings are taken from members of the public
  • a booking office used to operate the booking service

What is a booking office?

A booking office is any premises used for a business that takes bookings from the public for the hire of a taxi or private hire car.

Bookings can be taken by any method, including:

  • telephone
  • email
  • online systems
  • mobile apps
  • other forms of communication

If your business uses premises to take bookings for more than three relevant vehicles, you must have a taxi and private hire car booking office licence.

Apply for or renew a licence online

Licence duration

Once granted, a licence is valid for 3 years. Licences may be issued for a shorter period in certain circumstances, such as if the Licensing Committee determine that the licence be issued for a lesser period than the 3 year, or if the applicant has a restriction on their right to work.

Highland Licensing Committee

Applications for which objections or representations are received, or applications which are outwith the Council's policy may require to be referred to the Council's Licensing Committee to be determined.

View Highland Licensing Committee dates

Find out more about the Highland Licensing Committee

Licence renewal

It is the responsibility of the licence holder to ensure that they submit an application for renewal prior to their existing licence expiring.

Page last modified: 21 September 2026