GOV.UK updates taxi licensing right to work guide for October checks
03 Oct 2026
If you hold a UK visa and want to apply for or renew a taxi or private hire vehicle licence, this affects you directly. GOV.UK has published an accessible version of its guidance for licensing authorities on preventing illegal working in the taxi and private hire sector, confirming the guidance "applies to right to a licence checks carried out from 1 October 2026."
The guidance sets out three ways a licensing authority can check your right to hold a licence: a manual document check, a Home Office online check, or a check through a digital verification service provider. For the online route, you use the Home Office service to "prove your right to work to an employer: get a share code," which the guidance describes as producing "a 9-character long share code which will begin with the letter 'W'." Your eVisa is the underlying record the authority is checking against, since the guidance defines an eVisa as "an online record provided by the Home Office of an individual's immigration status and the conditions of their permission to enter or stay in the UK."
If you drive for a living or are planning to apply for a taxi or private hire licence, make sure you can access your eVisa account and know how to generate a share code before you go to your local licensing authority. These checks already apply now that 1 October 2026 has passed, so having your eVisa and share code ready will avoid delays to your licence application or renewal.
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