Applying for a Restricted Hire Vehicle licence

Restricted Hire Vehicle licences are issued with no licence issue fee and are for pre-booked commercial passenger vehicle work for the carriage of passengers for:

• vehicles manufactured at least 25 years prior to the date of licence application. These vehicles can be used for general passenger transport services
• vehicles with a seating capacity for between eight and nine people including the driver used in connection with a tour package. A tour package is defined as a combination of services provided for a price comprising the hiring of a commercial passenger vehicle and as a substantial component of the package, accommodation or other services or facilities appropriate to tourists
• vehicles constructed or equipped in a manner to provide a passenger transport service of a kind that no other category of vehicle is capable of providing (for example motorcycle tours, tricycle tours and 4WD off-road tours).

How to apply

Please familiarise yourself with the Restricted Hire Vehicle licence conditions for your vehicle type before applying:

• Restricted Hire Vehicle licence conditions – Tours (PDF, 16 KB, 2 pp.)
• Restricted Hire Vehicle licence conditions – 25 years old (PDF, 74 KB, 3 pp.)
• Restricted Hire Vehicle licence conditions – 4WD tours (PDF, 55 KB, 2 pp.)
• Restricted Hire Vehicle licence conditions - Motorcycle (PDF, 44 KB, 2 pp.)
• Restricted Hire Vehicle licence conditions - Tricycle (PDF, 36 KB, 2 pp.)

Custom and Personalised Number Plates where an agreement between VicRoads and the purchaser is signed, cannot be issued to any vehicle which is licensed or becomes licensed as a commercial passenger vehicle under the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983 (Vic). The only exemption from the above is where the agreement was signed prior to 1 January 1994.

In the future, the VTD will require special identifying number plates to be displayed on Restricted Hire and Special Purpose Vehicles.

Complete and submit the following documents to the Victorian Taxi Directorate (VTD):

• Application for a Commercial Passenger Vehicle Licence – Restricted Hire Vehicle form (PDF, 377 KB, 12 pp.)
• Relevant Person form (PDF, 431 KB, 8 pp.)
• Proof of Identity form (PDF,112 KB, 2 pp.)
• A current (issued within the last 6 months) National Police Certificate (NPC) (PDF, 130KB, 1 p.)
• ASIC company extract (if applying in the name of a company)
• Application fee ($170 - 2011/12 - made payable to the 'Victorian Taxi Directorate').

The VTD will assess your application and respond within 10 to 15 business days.
Approved applications

Should your application for issue of a commercial passenger vehicle licence be approved, the VTD will request the following:

• A current roadworthy certificate for the vehicle to be used as a Restricted Hire Vehicle (no older than 30 days) and the vehicle's registration certificate.
• Payment of the annual licence fee, calculated pro-rata to July 31 (full 12 month fee is $138 – 2011/12 - made payable to the 'Victorian Taxi Directorate').

The vehicle must be registered in the name of the applicant before a commercial passenger licence certificate and special identifying windscreen label is issued.

Transferring Restricted Hire Vehicle licences

Restricted Hire Vehicle licences are issued under section 141B of the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983 (Vic) and are non-transferable.