Applying for a taxi permit
Do you wish to commercially carry people by taxi? In order to do so, you require a taxi permit.
New applicants will receive a licence that is valid for no longer than two years. Subsequent licences will be valid for no more than five years.
Holders of a taxi permit have the following obligations:
- Business obligation You must maintain your business operation, also at night if necessary.
- Carriage obligation You can only reject work (even short trips) if this cannot be reasonably expected of the driver. For example, this is the case of persons who are significantly under the influence of alcohol.
- Tariff obligation Within the obligatory carriage area which applies to you, the price of a journey is determined in accordance with the local prices which are in force. The obligatory carriage area is usually the city or district of the place of business.
The taxi must be equipped in the required manner. The following provisions apply:
- The car must have a sign on the roof.
- The number required by the approval authority must be displayed in the rear window.
- The colour of the taxi is generally prescribed by law (light ivory) In Baden-Württemberg, you can replace this with a different colour in accordance with generally applicable exception permits of the local government. The change must be notified to the responsible approval authority. The approval authority will record this in the licence document. You can find further information in the general regulations of the Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart relating to the granting of exceptions from the required taxi colour dated 11.11.2005
- Inside the vehicle, the company address must be displayed in a visible location.
- The meter must display the fare in a manner which is visible to the passenger.
Taxis may wait at the authorised taxi ranks and be flagged down by customers, either on the road or at the place of business of the driver.
Should you wish to carry persons in a rental vehicle, you require a rental vehicle permit.
Prerequisite
- The operator or company management must be reliable and professionally suitable.
- The business must be on a sound footing. For example, it is not permitted be in arrears on tax payments or social security contributions, and the vehicle upkeep must be impeccable.
- The business must be financially sound.
- The company’s business locations must be entered in the commercial and company registers and situated in Germany.
Note: Unlike car hire, taxi concessions are not available indefinitely. The number of available permits depends on local circumstances; the rural district office or city administration can provide further information.
Responsible department
- if your future place of business is in an urban district: the city council (Stadtverwaltung)
- if your future place of business is in a rural district: the rural district office (Landratsamt)
Standard port
Enter the location of your premises in the Location field.
Procedure
You must apply to the responsible authority if you require a taxi permit. Depending on the service offered, you can download an application form from the Internet.
Tip: You can also obtain application forms from specialist publishers and professional organisations:
- Verband des Verkehrsgewerbes Nordbaden
- Verband des Verkehrsgewerbes Südbaden
- Verband des Württembergischen Verkehrsgewerbes
The responsible body will request statements from the following in the course of the hearing:
- Communities
- Trade supervisory authorities
- The chamber of industry and commerce
- The responsible trade union
- The association of people carriers and professional associations
Following the expiry of the deadline for the submission of statements, the responsible body will take a decision concerning the application and will inform the applicant of the outcome in writing.
Required documents
- Proof of personal suitability (must not be more than three months old at the time of application), for example:
- Extract from the Federal Central Register (certificate of good conduct)
- Extract from the Central Register of Trade
- Extract from the Central Traffic Register
- Extract from the register of trade or co-operatives (certified transcripts)
- Copy of the articles of association and list of shareholders
- In case of legal persons: Proof of power of representation
- Proof of financial suitability (must not be more than three months old at the time of application):
- Certificates of good standing of the tax office
- Certificate of good standing of the responsible district
- Certificate of good standing of the social security provider:
- from health insurance companies with which you insure or have insured employees and
- for yourself, if you are or have been voluntarily or privately insured.
- Certificate of good standing of the Berufsgenossenschaft für Transport und Verkehrswirtschaft (may not be more than three months old at the time of application)
- Certificate of funds and any additional certifications (may not be more than twelve months old at the time of application)
- The amount of funds depends on the number of vehicles intended to be used: For the first vehicle, you must provide proof of funds to the sum of 2,250 EUR and 1,250 EUR for each additional vehicle.
- Proof of professional suitability:
- Examination certificate of the professional exam at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce or
- technical certification from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) confirming that you have acted in a management capacity for a taxi company for at least three years, or
- Proof of recognised equivalent final examination (for example merchant examination for railways and road traffic with focus on the carriage of persons).
- Should you appoint other persons to company management, you must submit the following documents for these persons:
- Certificate of good conduct
- Extract from the Central Register of Trade
- Extract from the Central Traffic Register
- Proof of professional suitability
- Proof of the employment relationship (employment contract)
Note: The competent authority may request additional documents.
Costs
Framework fee for the permit: EUR 100.00 - 1,465
For standard cases, this is as follows:
- For the first vehicle: EUR 150.00
- For each additional vehicle: EUR 40.00
These sums are not binding on the licensing authority. In case of disproportionately high administration costs, the licensing authority can deviate from these sums up to the maximum sum of the framework fee.
Note: Further costs will be incurred by you for register information and other proof.
Processing time
Under normal circumstances, the competent authority will make a decision concerning your application within three months. This period may be extended by another three months at most. This is conditional on the competent authority sending a written interim notice in due time (within the first three months).
Miscellaneous
Taxis must be equipped with a meter and alarm.
Advertising is permitted on all parts of the taxi’s bodywork.
Release note
The German original version of this text was drafted in close cooperation with the relevant departments. The Verkehrsministerium released it on 05.10.2020. Only the German text is legally binding. The Federal State does not assume any liability for the translated texts.
In cases of doubt or if you have any questions or problems, please contact the relevant authorities directly.