North East · driver medicals

Taxi driver medical in Sunderland

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

What Sunderland requires

• “Produce a Medical Certificate signed by a registered medical practitioner to confirm that they are physically and mentally fit to be a Licensed Driver”
• How long it lasts: 3 months. Between 3 and 12 months old it can be kept alive by a letter from the same medical professional confirming your fitness has not changed; after 12 months you need a whole new report
• How often: On first application. From age 45, every five years until 65, then every year
• Form: The council's own Medical Examination Report, completed to DVLA Group 2 standard. It can be returned to the Licensing Section directly by the doctor

Taken from Statement of Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Licensing Policy 2024-2029, section 12. 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 Sunderland compares

Of the 315 UK licensing areas checked so far, Sunderland 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
Redcar and Cleveland	Any registered doctor with your records
Hartlepool	Your own GP, or a doctor with your records
Darlington	Any registered doctor with your records
South Tyneside	Your own GP, or a doctor with your records

What it costs to be licensed in Sunderland

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

Every line above is taken from Sunderland’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