South East · driver medicals

Taxi driver medical in Thanet

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

What Thanet requires

• “Every three years, we will require a new criminal records check (following the Disclosure & Barring Service Code of Practice) and a medical examination that meets the "Group 2" standard”
• How often: every 3 years, matching the 3-year licence term, at all ages (live pages). Draft policy would change this to every 3 years up to 65 and annually thereafter - the draft carries an unresolved tracked-change reading 'Drivers aged change to 70 instead of 66 or over are required to undergo a medical assessment annually', so the trigger age is genuinely undecided
• Possible exemption: PSV/HGV accepted in the DRAFT policy only, not adopted - 'Holders of Public Service Vehicle (PSV) and/or Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) Licences, where the holder is able to produce proof of current medical examination less than 3 months old, which is approved by the authority, are not required to undergo a medical examination on first application.' Note it removes the medical on FIRST APPLICATION only. Nothing on the live pages offers this, so a driver should not rely on it without ringing the council
• Their own sources disagree on this. CONFLICT: Thanet's detailed medical rules exist only in a DRAFT policy still under consultation as at June 2025, while the live application pages publish nothing beyond 'Group 2 standard every 3 years'. Unusually, Thanet uses a flat 3-year cycle rather than age bands. Caution: th Ring them before you book anything.

Taken from Thanet District Council - Private Hire Drivers Licence New Application (live application 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 Thanet compares

Of the 315 UK licensing areas checked so far, Thanet is one of 35 that publish nothing on who may carry it out.

Who may sign it in nearby areas

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
Dover	Your own GP, or a doctor with your records
Canterbury	Any registered doctor with your records
Swale	Any registered doctor with your records
Folkestone and Hythe	Any registered doctor with your records
Ashford	Any GMC-registered doctor
Southend-on-Sea	Any registered doctor with your records
Rochford	Only a provider the council names
Maidstone	Your own GP only

What it costs to be licensed in Thanet

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

Every line above is taken from Thanet’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