North East · driver medicals

Taxi driver medical in Darlington

Which doctor Darlington 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 Darlington’s answer and nobody else’s.

What Darlington requires

• “In line with DVLA recommendations, the Council applies the DVLA Group 2 driver standard for medical fitness for hackney carriage and private hire drivers”
• How long it lasts: 6 months from the date of examination. Between 6 and 12 months old it can be propped up by a letter from the same GP confirming no change in medical fitness; once the medical is 12 months old a letter will not be accepted and a fresh medical is needed
• How often: On initial application, then from age 45 every 5 years to 65, and annually from 65. On a three-year licence a medical falling mid-licence means producing a new certificate on your 50th, 55th, 60th and 65th birthday
• Form: Darlington's own 'Medical Examination Report for a Private Hire/Hackney Carriage Driver Licence' (Group 2), downloadable from the new drivers page or posted out by the licensing team on request

Taken from Darlington Borough Council Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Licensing Policy 2021 - the 'Medical Assessment' section, paragraphs 90 to 98. 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 Darlington compares

Of the 315 UK licensing areas checked so far, Darlington is one of 105 taking that line, which is the most common arrangement in the country.

Who may sign it elsewhere in North East

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
Durham	Any registered doctor with your records
Middlesbrough	Your own GP, or a doctor with your records
Newcastle	Your own GP, or a doctor with your records
Gateshead	Any registered doctor with your records
North Tyneside	Any registered doctor with your records
Northumberland	Your own GP, or a doctor with your records
Stockton-on-Tees	Your own GP only
Sunderland	Any registered doctor with your records
Redcar and Cleveland	Any registered doctor with your records
Hartlepool	Your own GP, or a doctor with your records
South Tyneside	Your own GP, or a doctor with your records

What it costs to be licensed in Darlington

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

Every line above is taken from Darlington’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