1.1 PDVL Eligibility, Application Process & Medical Screening
Key Takeaways
- Applicants must be Singapore Citizens aged at least 30 who have held a valid Class 3 or 3A Singapore driving licence for more than 1 year at the point of application.
- English proficiency is proven by a D7 or better in GCE 'O' or 'N' Level English Language, or a Level 3 pass in Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) Listening, Reading and Speaking.
- Self-employed CPF MediSave contributions must be paid up in full or covered by an active GIRO arrangement before LTA processes the application.
- The pipeline is: GoBusiness application with a $40 non-refundable fee, LTA approval to attend the course, medical examination with chest X-ray, the mandatory PDVL course, then the assessment.
- The PDVL assessment has three papers - Paper A (road safety and passenger engagement), Paper B (rules and regulations for PHC drivers) and Paper C (route planning) - and all three must be passed.
1.1 PDVL Eligibility, Application Process & Medical Screening
Core Principle: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) regulates Singapore's point-to-point (P2P) passenger transport sector under the Road Traffic Act 1961 and the Point-to-Point Passenger Transport Industry Act 2019. Anyone who drives a chauffeured private hire car (PHC) to carry passengers for hire or reward must hold a valid Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL).
Section 110(1) of the Road Traffic Act states that a person must not drive a public service vehicle on a road unless he or she holds a vocational licence. A chauffeured private hire car is a public service vehicle, so driving one commercially without a PDVL is an offence. Where the Act prescribes no special penalty, the general penalty in section 131(2) applies: a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 3 months or both for a first conviction, and a fine not exceeding $2,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or both for a second or subsequent conviction.
1. Statutory Eligibility Criteria
Every criterion below must be met. LTA does not refund the application fee if an application is rejected.
| Eligibility Parameter | Requirement | How It Is Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Citizenship | Singapore Citizen | Singpass/NRIC verification during the GoBusiness application. |
| Minimum Age | At least 30 years old at the point of application | NRIC date of birth. |
| Driving Licence | Valid Class 3 or Class 3A Singapore driving licence held for more than 1 year at the point of application | Traffic Police licence record. A licence that was suspended or disqualified counts once the suspension or disqualification has ended. |
| English Proficiency | Able to speak and read basic English | D7 or better in GCE 'O' or 'N' Level English Language, or a Level 3 pass in Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) for Listening, Reading and Speaking. |
| CPF MediSave | Self-employed MediSave contributions up to date | LTA checks with the CPF Board. The application is processed only if MediSave is paid in full or an active GIRO arrangement is in place. |
| Criminal Record | Clean criminal record | Serious offences such as rape, murder and kidnapping result in automatic rejection. Less serious offences are considered after the sentence has been completed. |
[!IMPORTANT] The one-year requirement runs from the date the Class 3/3A licence was obtained, and the licence must still be valid and not under suspension or disqualification when the application is made.
2. CPF MediSave Compliance
Self-employed persons in Singapore must contribute to their CPF MediSave Account on their net trade income. LTA will not process a PDVL application - or a later renewal - unless MediSave is settled.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| CPF MediSave Verification Protocol |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Applicant submits PDVL application on GoBusiness |
| | |
| v |
| LTA checks MediSave standing with CPF Board |
| +------------------+------------------+ |
| v v |
| [Paid in full OR active [Arrears with no |
| GIRO arrangement] GIRO arrangement] |
| | | |
| v v |
| Application proceeds Application not processed |
| until MediSave is settled |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Two compliant options exist: pay the outstanding liability in full, or set up a GIRO instalment arrangement with the CPF Board and keep it from defaulting.
3. Application Workflow
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| End-to-End PDVL Licensing Pipeline |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1. Apply on the GoBusiness licensing portal + pay the $40 non-refundable fee |
| 2. LTA screening (criminal record, driving record, MediSave) -> approval to |
| attend the vocational licence course |
| 3. Medical examination + chest X-ray by a registered doctor |
| 4. Attend the mandatory PDVL course with an LTA-appointed training provider |
| 5. Pass Papers A, B and C at the LTA-appointed testing provider |
| 6. Digital LTA Vocational Licence issued on the Singpass app |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Step 1: Apply on GoBusiness
Applicants log in to the GoBusiness licensing portal with Singpass, complete the vocational licence application, upload supporting educational documents, and pay the $40 non-refundable application fee.
Step 2: LTA Approval to Attend the Course
LTA screens the application against Traffic Police, police and CPF records and issues an approval letter to attend the vocational licence course. The training provider will not enrol a candidate without this letter.
Step 3: Medical Examination and Chest X-ray
A registered doctor must certify the applicant medically fit, supported by a VL medical examination report and a chest X-ray examination report. With effect from 2 February 2026, doctors submit medical forms to LTA and the Traffic Police digitally through the Harmonised Medical Examination Report (HMER); candidates no longer submit hardcopy medical forms to LTA.
Step 4: The Mandatory PDVL Course
Candidates must enrol with an LTA-appointed training provider. LTA lists two:
- ComfortDelGro Taxi (training hub)
- NTUC LearningHub
The programme is 10 hours in total - 8 classroom hours plus at least 2 self-study hours - and is delivered either as one full day or across several shorter part-time sessions. Trainees must attend all lessons and complete the classroom exercises before they are allowed to sit the prescribed tests. Since the curriculum was revised in March 2022, it places extra weight on on-the-road competencies such as planning routes using mapping and navigational tools and road safety practices, and it introduces topics on electric vehicles and digitalisation.
The course is organised around three modules, which map one-to-one onto the three assessment papers:
- Module A - Road Safety & Passenger Engagement Technique: applying on-the-road safety practices and passenger engagement techniques.
- Module B - Rules and Regulations: complying with the rules and regulations that apply to PHC drivers.
- Module C - Routes: applying the principles of route planning using a printed street directory and digital navigational tools.
Step 5: The Three-Paper Assessment
Since January 2022 LTA has separated training from testing: training providers teach, and a separate LTA-appointed testing provider runs the assessment. Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) has been the appointed testing provider for TDVL, PDVL and PDVL-to-TDVL conversion assessments since 17 August 2026; Republic Polytechnic, the previous provider, stopped accepting registrations on 21 August 2026 and ceased on 16 September 2026.
| Paper | Scope |
|---|---|
| Paper A | Apply on-the-road safety practices and passenger engagement techniques |
| Paper B | Comply with rules and regulations for PHC drivers |
| Paper C | Apply principles of route planning using a printed street directory and digital navigational tools |
All three papers must be passed. The assessment is delivered as a computer-based e-test.
[!NOTE] LTA and its appointed providers do not publish the number of questions per paper, the time allowed per paper, or a numeric pass mark for the current PDVL assessment. Older published figures - for example the two-paper, 50-question, 80%/86% structure used by the Singapore Taxi Academy before it ceased training and testing on 31 December 2021 - describe a superseded assessment and should not be relied on. If a candidate fails a paper, only the failed paper needs to be re-sat, and a re-test fee is payable per registration and per paper.
Which of the following states the eligibility criteria for a Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) in Singapore?
Which credential satisfies LTA's English proficiency requirement for a PDVL application?
An applicant has outstanding CPF MediSave liabilities when submitting a PDVL application on GoBusiness. What must happen before LTA will process the application?
How is the current PDVL assessment structured?