1.3 Application, Fees & 2026 Test Status

Section 1.1 explained why the test exists; Section 1.2 explained who may sit. This section explains how to apply, what it costs, how long your form lasts, and the 2026 status change that reshapes new applications and the current combined-test materials that applicants must study.

Form TD 321 and the Fee

Commercial vehicle driving tests—including the taxi written pathway—use Transport Department form TD 321. Treat TD 321 as the administrative ticket that links your identity, licence class, fee payment, and test type.

Fee

GovHK's Online Booking for Driving Tests page states plainly: "The driving test form fee for both the commercial and non-commercial vehicles is HK$510." That single fee covers the driving test form itself, whether you are booking a private-car written test or a taxi/commercial written test. Confirm the live amount on TD/GovHK before you pay, because fees can be revised by government notice.

What the Fee Buys

The fee supports the driving test form process for the commercial application path. It is not a separate “study pack” purchase and it is not refundable merely because you later decide not to sit—or because court suspension disqualifies you before test day (Section 1.2).

Form Validity: 18 Months

After you successfully obtain the test form arrangement, TD’s commercial driving-test practice treats the form as valid for 18 months. That window is your operational deadline to book and complete the relevant test steps covered by the form.

Planning Implications

• Do not pay and then leave the form idle while you “might study later” for a year and a half
• Build a study calendar that finishes syllabus mastery well inside the 18-month validity
• If your life schedule is unstable (shift work, travel, court dates), book earlier rather than later
• An expired form means restarting administration and paying again—avoidable waste

How to Apply and Book

TD supports modern digital booking and traditional paper routes for commercial tests.

Online via GovHK

Where enabled, book driving tests through the GovHK driving tests online service. Online booking typically requires:

• A valid commercial test application / form state accepted by the system
• Identity credentials used on GovHK
• Selection of available written-test sessions at TD’s designated centre

Postal / Counter Commercial Applications

Commercial vehicle applications may also proceed by post (and related counter processes as TD publishes). Postal routes matter if you cannot complete an online path, need to submit supporting documents, or are following a commercial checklist that still uses physical forms.

Documents Mindset

Whatever channel you use, prepare:

• Hong Kong Identity Card or accepted identity proof
• Driving licence showing full PC or LGV status and dates needed for the experience rule
• Completed TD 321 fields accurately (name spelling must match ID)
• Fee payment proof as the channel requires
• Any supporting statements TD requests for commercial applicants

Errors on names, licence class codes, or dates cause delays that consume your 18-month validity.

Test Centre Snapshot (Logistics Preview)

While full test-day procedure belongs in the next chapter, applicants should know early that the Taxi Written Test is held at TD’s written test centre at 2/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon. On screen you may choose Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, or English. Build your study language to match the language you will select on the computer.

CRITICAL CURRENT FACT: The Taxi Written Test Is Closed to New Applicants

This is the status fact every 2026 candidate must understand without panic and without denial.

What TD Did

The Transport Department closed the standalone Taxi Written Test to new applications and replaced it with a new combined paper. The published dates are exact, so learn them exactly:

Note the one-day trap: the cut-off was prior to 00:00 on 2 August 2026 — in practice the end of 1 August — not "any time on 2 August".

What Replaced It

The replacement has an official name: the Taxi and Ride-hailing Vehicle Combined Written Test. It arrived alongside Hong Kong's new ride-hailing regulatory regime, so one paper now serves both taxi drivers and ride-hailing vehicle drivers. Its published structure is:

For historical comparison only, the former standalone Taxi Written Test used Part A 40 / pass 34 and Part B 35 / pass 30, with 45 minutes overall. The current combined test has 20 operation + 9 location + 1 route questions in Part A. It adds ride-hailing permissions, platform and owner-driver requirements and other current operation material. Part B retains 35 Road Users’ Code questions with a pass mark of 30; that does not mean the same questions appear on every paper.

Official Arrangements If You Already Passed or Already Hold a Licence

TD published the transition rules; these are exam-worthy in their own right:

• A Taxi Written Test pass still supports a full taxi driving licence application made within three years of the passing date, and within one year of completing the Pre-Service Course for Taxi Drivers.
• If more than three years have elapsed since the pass when you apply, the pass no longer carries you — you must sit the Taxi and Ride-hailing Vehicle Combined Written Test.
• Someone who already holds a valid full driving licence to drive a taxi may apply for a ride-hailing vehicle driving permit direct and is not required to sit the combined test.

What This Does Not Mean

Read the following carefully — this is where candidates make costly mistakes:

• Taxi operation and Road Users’ Code knowledge remain useful, but the current Taxi and Ride-hailing Vehicle Operation Booklet, Guide and supplementary scope are the preparation sources for the combined test
• It does not mean candidates holding an existing Taxi Written Test appointment should ignore the published taxi syllabus
• It does not automatically cancel a pre-existing booking without TD notice — follow your TD appointment instructions
• Part B retains the published 35-question / pass-30 format; prepare from the current Road Users’ Code and supplementary scope

What You Should Still Study

Use the current combined-test Guide for administration, the Taxi and Ride-hailing Vehicle Operation Booklet for Part A, and the Road Users’ Code plus supplementary scope for Part B. Earlier taxi-only chapters remain useful foundations, but they do not replace the combined booklet’s additional ride-hailing material. The new operation component is not simply a subset of the former taxi-only paper.

For example, ride-hailing services require a permitted private car, a driver’s ride-hailing driving permit and a licensed platform; the vehicle must be registered to an individual and driven by that owner. Unlike taxi street hails, these services must be booked and dispatched through a licensed platform. These distinctions belong in current Part A preparation alongside taxi fares, passenger duties, TDOP, the official location list and route selection.

Decision Table for Candidates in 2026

After You Pass: Road Test and Pre-service Course

Passing the written test is necessary but not the whole licensing story.

Normally No Separate Taxi Road Test for Entitlement

For the taxi written pathway TD describes, a candidate who passes the written requirements is normally not required to take a separate road test solely for taxi entitlement in the classic model. That is a major difference from some other commercial classes where a practical driving test is the main gate. Your written pass still sits inside the broader licence-endorsement process; it is not a street-hail permit by itself.

Pre-service Course for Taxi Drivers (Applications on/after 1 October 2020)

If you applied for the test on or after 1 October 2020, you must obtain the Pre-service Course for Taxi Drivers certificate as part of the post-pass requirements TD applies. The course covers service quality, passenger handling, and professional conduct that the multiple-choice paper cannot fully examine.

Remember the timing rule:

• The trigger is when you applied for the test, not merely when you happen to pass months later
• Candidates in the on/after 1 Oct 2020 cohort should budget time and money for the pre-service course in parallel with written-test study so licence endorsement is not blocked after a pass

End-to-End Mental Model

1. Confirm eligibility (age, PC/LGV experience, conviction/suspension status)
2. Apply with TD 321, pay HK$510 (confirm live fee), keep the form inside 18 months
3. Book via GovHK or accepted postal/commercial channels
4. Respect the closure of standalone Taxi Written Test applications (deadline prior to 00:00 on 2 August 2026); new applicants now sit the Taxi and Ride-hailing Vehicle Combined Written Test
5. Sit the current 65-question / 45-minute combined test using official materials
6. After pass, complete Pre-service Course certification if your application date requires it, then finish TD’s remaining licence steps

Study Priority While Administration Changes

Administrative product names can change faster than taximeter law. Your highest-ROI study actions remain stable:

• Drill all current Part A components until you consistently exceed 25/30; at most five errors are permitted
• Memorise official locations and practise one route method
• Cover RUC clusters until missing fewer than 5 of 35 is realistic
• Re-read TD’s latest PDF revision dates before test week

The next chapter turns from who may apply to test-day procedure, scoring mechanics, retakes, and licence follow-up—the operational details you need once eligibility and application status are settled.