How to get an operator licence: steps, documents and timescales

You apply for a GB operator licence online through the Vehicle Operator Licensing (VOL) service. First gather your organisation and transport manager details, bank evidence of financial standing, vehicle and maintenance details, and, for lorries, a local newspaper advert. Apply at least nine weeks before you need the licence. Simple cases often get a decision in about 7 weeks.

This guide covers goods vehicle (lorry and van) and PSV (bus and coach) licences in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own system. Every rule below is taken from GOV.UK and was checked on 2 October 2026. The main sources are Apply for a vehicle operator licence and the goods vehicle operator licensing guide.

Do you need a licence, and which type?

You usually need a goods vehicle operator licence if you use a vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross plated weight to carry goods for hire or reward or in connection with a business. You need a PSV licence to carry 9 or more passengers for hire or reward, or to charge separate fares in a smaller vehicle.

Vans of 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes need a standard international licence only when they carry goods for hire or reward in Europe (GOV.UK vans guidance). Some vehicles are exempt. Our guide do I need an operator licence? covers the weight rules and exemptions, and recovery vehicles and horseboxes covers two uses people often ask about.

Then pick the licence type:

• Restricted (goods): carry your own goods only. No transport manager is needed.
• Standard national: carry your own goods in the UK or abroad, or other people's goods for hire or reward in the UK only.
• Standard international: carry your own and other people's goods in the UK and on international journeys.

PSV licences come in standard national, standard national and international, restricted (up to 2 vehicles) and special restricted (for taxi and private hire licence holders) (PSV operator licences). See operator licence types for the full comparison.

In the DVSA operator licence data, file dated 7 September 2026, 30,757 of the 64,036 goods licences in Great Britain were restricted, 23,553 standard national and 9,726 standard international (HaulierScope analysis).

Requirements checklist

Every licence holder must be fit to hold a licence, have enough money, and have proper maintenance arrangements. Standard licences add good repute, financial standing at the higher rate, an established business base and a qualified transport manager.

Good repute "includes relevant convictions and fixed penalty notices that the operator or any of their employees have had in the last five years" (goods guide). A transport manager must be resident in the UK. Read our transport manager CPC guide before you name one.

Step-by-step application

GOV.UK lists four things to do before you start: get information about your organisation and team, get evidence of money, get information about your vehicles, and advertise your application (Apply for a vehicle operator licence). Then you apply online.

Step 1: Gather organisation and team details

You will give your business type (limited company, sole trader, partnership, LLP or other), name, address and contact details, and the people responsible for it. "If you're a limited company, the organisation name and details you provide must match the details on Companies House or your application may be rejected" (GOV.UK).

You must also declare the team's history:

• financial history, such as bankruptcy, receivership, administration or director disqualification
• licence history, such as current or past licences, refusals, revocations, suspensions and public inquiries
• relevant convictions or cautions of directors, partners, transport managers, employees and agents

For a standard licence, name a transport manager. You will give their date of birth, contact details, proof of qualification (for example a copy of their Certificate of Professional Competence), the time they will spend on the role, and any convictions.

Step 2: Get your financial evidence

The Office of the Traffic Commissioner works out a sum based on your licence type and the number of vehicles. "You must prove you have enough money for all the vehicles you're planning to operate, not just the ones you'll operate straight away" (GOV.UK financial evidence).

Accepted evidence includes bank or building society statements covering the last 28 days, credit card accounts, an opening balance, a written overdraft or credit facility agreement, invoice finance agreements, or audited accounts certified by a qualified person. The documents must be in the applicant's name. For a limited company or LLP, the money must be held within the company. Our financial standing guide covers the rules in detail, and the financial standing calculator works out the amount for your fleet.

Step 3: Prepare vehicle, maintenance and operating centre details

You will give vehicle registration numbers and weights. You can add them later if you do not have the vehicles yet. Ask for enough authorisation to cover growth and breakdowns, because the licence sets a maximum.

You must declare how often vehicles will be inspected and who does it. If another company does your safety inspections, you need a contract with it.

For a lorry licence, you must name an operating centre: the place you normally keep the vehicles. It needs safe access, off-street parking for every vehicle and trailer kept there, and the site owner's permission. Van-only licences need no operating centre. See operating centre rules.

Step 4: Advertise the application (goods HGV licences only)

Place an advert in a local newspaper that circulates near the operating centre. The advert must appear at least once between 21 days before and 21 days after the date the application is received. PSV and van-only applications need no advert. The next section has the details.

Step 5: Apply online and pay

Apply through the VOL service. You need a debit or credit card, and you can save the form and finish it later. Pay the £257 goods application fee or the £209 PSV application fee, and upload an image of the whole newspaper page with your advert. The page must show the newspaper's full name and the publication date.

The GOV.UK page for the old GV79 paper application form now redirects to the online service (former GV79 page, checked 1 October 2026).

Step 6: Publication and objections

The traffic commissioner publishes goods applications in the weekly Applications and Decisions. Police, local authorities and some trade bodies can object within 21 days of publication, on operating centre suitability or the licence requirements. Nearby owners or occupiers can make representations about environmental effects on their land. PSV applications appear in Notices and Proceedings, and only the police and listed local authorities can object.

Step 7: Grant and the issue fee

If the commissioner grants the licence, pay the £401 goods issue fee within 15 working days of the grant. PSV licences have no issue fee. You then receive the licence and a vehicle identity disc for each specified vehicle. A goods vehicle must not be used until its disc is displayed. Full fee details are in operator licence cost.

Advertising the application

Goods applicants for heavy goods vehicles must advertise. "If you do not advertise your application correctly, your application will be rejected" (GOV.UK advertising).

The newspaper must:

• be local, not regional or national
• cover the area where the operating centre is
• carry stories as well as adverts (free sheets are not accepted)
• carry other public notices, such as planning applications

Use the GOV.UK advert template, or fill in our operator licence advert generator. The timing window is strict: an application received on 1 June must be advertised between 11 May and 22 June. An advert outside the window makes the application "out of time", and you must re-advertise or reapply. If your operating centres are covered by different local newspapers, publish an advert in each. Check that the vehicle and trailer numbers, the operating centre address and the postcodes in the advert match your online application (goods guide).

Timescales

Apply at least nine weeks before you need the licence. GOV.UK says simple applications usually get a decision within 7 weeks, and longer if documents are missing.

"It is illegal to operate your vehicle before a licence (or interim licence) is issued. If you do, you could be liable to prosecution and your vehicle could be impounded" (goods guide).

A typical timeline

Our worked example for a goods licence needed on 1 September, using GOV.UK's lead time and advert window (dates are illustrative):

1. By early June: gather financial evidence (28 days of statements), transport manager details and maintenance arrangements.
2. 30 June: submit the application online, nine weeks before 1 September. Pay the £257 application fee.
3. Between 9 June and 21 July: the newspaper advert appears, inside the window of 21 days before to 21 days after the application date.
4. Weekly bulletin: the application is published in Applications and Decisions; objections can be made for 21 days from publication. See how to object to an operator licence application.
5. Decision: if the licence is granted, pay the £401 issue fee within 15 working days of the grant.

Interim licences

An interim licence lets a goods operator run vehicles while the full application is decided. It costs £68 and lasts up to 6 months. The traffic commissioner considers one only when your application is complete.

Request it in the "Review and declaration" section of the online application. GOV.UK gives examples of when you might need one: customers are waiting, or your organisation is changing or moving and you want to keep working (Apply for a vehicle operator licence). An interim licence ends on the date set in it, when the full licence is granted, or when the application is withdrawn or refused. You receive an identity disc for each vehicle.

New goods applicants may be given a time-limited interim licence and asked for "three months of bank statements… within four months" (STC statutory document summaries). For an existing licence, the same idea is called an interim direction, for example to add vehicles or a new operating centre before the variation is decided.

Common reasons for refusal

Applications fail most often on missing evidence, a faulty advert, or a requirement the applicant cannot meet. GOV.UK says: "Your application will be refused if you do not provide the correct evidence" and "Your application will be refused if you do not advertise your application correctly" (Apply for a vehicle operator licence).

Other grounds come from the licence requirements:

• not enough money for the vehicles applied for
• company details that do not match Companies House
• no qualified transport manager on a standard licence
• doubts about fitness or good repute, including relevant convictions
• an operating centre that is too small, unsafe to access or environmentally unsuitable

The traffic commissioner can also grant a licence for fewer vehicles than you asked for, or attach conditions, for example on the hours an operating centre may be used (goods guide). Our guide to operator licence undertakings and conditions explains the promises you give when you apply. Where there are concerns, the commissioner may hold a hearing, called a public inquiry, before deciding. You can appeal a refusal, or conditions you think are unjustified, to the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber).

New licences each week

New licences appear in the DVSA operator licence file once they are granted. Our weekly licence changes page lists licences that are new in each DVSA file, alongside status changes and licences no longer in the file. HaulierScope data is updated when DVSA publishes a new file (the newest is dated 7 September 2026). See our methodology for the source.

Once your licence is granted, you can find it by name or number with our operator licence search. Customers who vet hauliers will see the same record.

Frequently asked questions

How hard is it to get an operator's license?

It is straightforward if you meet the requirements and submit complete evidence. You need enough money (from £3,100 for one restricted goods vehicle), maintenance arrangements, and for lorries a suitable operating centre and a correct newspaper advert. A standard licence also needs a qualified transport manager and good repute. GOV.UK says incomplete evidence or a wrong advert leads to refusal.

How long does it take to get an operator's license?

Apply at least nine weeks before you need the licence. GOV.UK says you will usually get a decision within 7 weeks if your application is complete. The traffic commissioners' target is an average of 35 working days for applications decided without a hearing. In 2025-26 they averaged 35 for goods applications and 42 for PSV applications. An interim licence can let a goods operator start sooner.

What documents do I need to apply for a goods vehicle operator licence?

You need financial evidence, such as bank statements covering the last 28 days, in the applicant's name. You also need details of your organisation, its people and their financial, licence and conviction history. A standard licence needs your transport manager's CPC certificate. Lorry applications need an image of the whole newspaper page with your advert. You also give vehicle, maintenance and operating centre details.

What are the requirements to obtain an Operator licence?

All applicants must be fit to hold a licence, have enough money, have satisfactory maintenance arrangements and be able to obey drivers' hours and loading rules. Lorry licences also need a suitable operating centre. Standard licences add good repute, an established business base, financial standing of £8,000 for the first vehicle and £4,500 for each extra one, and a qualified transport manager.

How do I apply for a new operator licence?

Apply online through GOV.UK's Vehicle Operator Licensing service. Prepare your organisation and team details, financial evidence, vehicle and maintenance details and, for lorries, a local newspaper advert. Then submit the application, upload the advert and pay the fee: £257 for goods or £209 for PSV. A goods licence costs £401 more when it is granted.