Scotland · driver medicals

Taxi driver medical in Argyll and Bute

Which doctor Argyll and Bute will accept, how often you have to repeat it and which form they want. Councils disagree with each other on every one of those, so this is Argyll and Bute’s answer and nobody else’s.

What Argyll and Bute requires

• “This will be referred to a third party and you will be invited for an appointment”
• How often: No routine medical for applicants under 65, at first application or at renewal. From age 65 a Group 2 standard medical is required with every application for a taxi driver's / private hire driver's licence, so in practice every 3 years (the licence runs 3 years, fee £133 - 3 years). Additionally, a driver who reaches their 65th birthday DURING the currency of a licence must contact the Licensing Office to arrange a medical appointment mid-licence - it is not deferred to the next renewal. Applicants on insulin for diabetes must at any age provide evidence of satisfying C1 medical standards. Drivers must notify the Licensing Authority of medical conditions within seven working days
• Form: No council medical form and no D4 is published. The application form (civform - Taxi Driver (Grant) / renewal) carries only a self-declaration question, 'Does the applicant suffer from, or have any disability, allergy or other condition likely to affect their fitness to operate?', and lists 'Medical Certificate (if applicable);' among documents to enclose. Where a medical is actually required it is 'TO BE UNDERTAKEN BY A COUNCIL APPROVED PROVIDER' - the Council refers the applicant to a third party and invites them to an appointment, so the provider's own paperwork is used
• Possible exemption: Not published. No HGV/PSV/PCV or existing Group 2 licence exemption is stated. Group 2 is referenced only as the standard of fitness adopted ('Group 2 standards ... applied by DVLA in relation to bus and lorry drivers are applied to taxi drivers in Argyll and Bute'), which under the batch rule is NOT an exemption. In practice under-65s need no medical at all, so no exemption clause is needed

Taken from Taxi driver - application for new licence (civform, updated Sept 2023) - the age-65 NOTE in capitals sits on the form, not on the web page. Rules change and councils rewrite their pages without notice, so confirm before you book and pay. If something here is wrong please say and I will check it against the council and fix it.

How Argyll and Bute compares

Of the 315 UK licensing areas checked so far, Argyll and Bute is one of only 11 that carry the examination out in-house.

Who may sign it elsewhere in Scotland

Neighbouring authorities do not follow each other on this, and a certificate accepted in one is regularly refused in the next. Check the area whose badge you actually hold.

Licensing area	Who can carry out the medical
Dundee	Your own GP, or a doctor with your records
Edinburgh	The council does it themselves
Aberdeen	The council does it themselves
Falkirk	The council does it themselves
Highland	The council does it themselves
North Lanarkshire	The council does not say
Renfrewshire	The council does not say
West Lothian	The council does it themselves
South Lanarkshire	The council does not say
Fife	The council does it themselves
Glasgow	Only a provider the council names
Dumfries and Galloway	The council does it themselves

What it costs to be licensed in Argyll and Bute

The medical is one bill among several. See what Argyll and Bute charges for the driver, vehicle and operator licences, taken from the same published sources.

Every line above is taken from Argyll and Bute’s own published guidance and read by hand against that source. Nothing here is from trade press, a forum or an estimate. This is not medical or legal advice.

← Medical rules for every UK licensing area