East of England · driver medicals

Taxi driver medical in West Suffolk

Which doctor West Suffolk 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 West Suffolk’s answer and nobody else’s.

Who can carry it out

Any registered doctor with your records

You are not tied to your own surgery, which usually means a shorter wait and a lower fee. The condition is the records: the doctor must have seen your full history, not just examined you on the day.

What West Suffolk requires

“2.35 Applicants must submit to the council the supplied medical form (available on the website West Suffolk Council - Taxi and private hire licensing) which has been completed by a doctor who holds a current licence to practice medicine registered with the General Medical Council. The assessor must have access to the applicant's full medical records electronically or on paper at the time of their ”
How long it lasts: 4 months from the date of the assessment
How often: one medical on application which lasts to the 45th birthday, then at 45, 50, 55, 60 and 65, then annually. Note the trap the council spells out: a first application at 47 means the next medical is at 50, not 52
Form: council's own cover certificate stapled to the DVLA D4 - the downloadable pack is the WSC medical certificate followed by the full 'DVLA Medical examination report for a Group 2 (bus or lorry) licence'. The application page calls it 'A D4 medical form and declaration'

View official source ↗ ⚑ Report a change

Taken from West Suffolk Council - Apply for a new combined driver's licence (badge). 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 West Suffolk compares

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

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
East Cambridgeshire	Any registered doctor with your records
Mid Suffolk	Your own GP, or a doctor with your records
Babergh	Only a provider the council names
Breckland	Only a provider the council names
Cambridge	The council does not say
Braintree	Your own GP, or a doctor with your records
South Cambridgeshire	Any registered doctor with your records
King's Lynn and West Norfolk	The council does not say
South Norfolk	Any registered doctor with your records
East Suffolk	Any registered doctor with your records
North Norfolk	Any GMC-registered doctor

What it costs to be licensed in West Suffolk

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

Every line above is taken from West Suffolk’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