1.5 Digital LTA Vocational Licence and PDVL-to-TDVL Conversion

Digital LTA Vocational Licence and PDVL-to-TDVL Conversion

The final piece of the eligibility-and-issuance picture covers two related topics: how the licence itself is now delivered in digital form, and the shortcut path available to drivers who already hold a Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) and want to convert to a TDVL.

The Digital LTA Vocational Licence

Since 1 April 2023, LTA has issued vocational licences — including the TDVL — as a Digital LTA Vocational Licence accessed through the Singpass app, rather than as a default physical card. When the system launched, all existing vocational licence holders were automatically issued a digital version of their licence; new applicants since then receive the digital licence as their standard credential.

Key practical points:

• No physical card is issued by default for a new vocational licence granted after the digital system's launch.
• A driver who still wants a physical card can request one for an additional administrative fee of S$21.80.
• The Digital LTA Vocational Licence carries the same legal standing as the older physical card — it is not a lesser or provisional document, simply a different presentation format.
• Drivers must have Singpass registered and the Singpass app installed to view their licence.

For a new TDVL holder specifically, the practical sequence is: pass the assessment papers, receive a temporary TDVL on the day of passing, then receive the Digital LTA Vocational Licence via the Singpass app within 20 working days (as covered in Section 1.4).

Registering for Singpass Before Testing Day

Because the Digital LTA Vocational Licence is delivered through the Singpass app, a new TDVL holder benefits from registering for Singpass well before completing the assessment papers, not after. An applicant who waits until passing the test to set up Singpass risks a gap between finishing training and being able to display a valid licence on the app, even though the temporary TDVL issued on test day covers that gap in the interim.

Why Digital-First Matters for Enforcement

Because the licence lives in the Singpass app rather than a driver's wallet, an authorised officer checking a driver's credentials during a roadside check will expect the driver to be able to produce the licence on their phone. A driver who has not registered for Singpass, or who does not keep the app updated, may struggle to demonstrate current licensing status — which is itself relevant to the driver-conduct topics covered later in this study guide.

PDVL-to-TDVL Conversion: A Shorter Path

Not every TDVL holder starts from zero. A driver who already holds a Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) and wants to add taxi-driving authority can apply to convert their PDVL to a TDVL, rather than completing the full direct-applicant assessment path from scratch.

The key distinction tested on the TDVL exam is the number of assessment papers required for conversion. Republic Polytechnic's LTA Assessments page, an LTA-appointed testing provider, states plainly that the standard TDVL assessment has three papers — Paper A, Paper B and Paper C — but the PDVL-to-TDVL conversion assessment consists of only 2 papers: Paper B and Paper C. Paper A is not required for conversion applicants, because a PDVL holder has already demonstrated the foundational knowledge Paper A covers through their existing PDVL training and testing.

Conversion Application Fee

The application fee for a PDVL-to-TDVL conversion is S$28.04 — lower than the standard S$40 direct-application fee — reflecting the narrower scope of what LTA needs to re-verify for a driver who is already a licensed vocational-licence holder.

Comparing the Two Paths

TDVL Versus PDVL: What Each Licence Actually Authorises

It is worth being precise about why this conversion exists at all. LTA states that a TDVL holder may provide chauffeured services using either a taxi or a private hire car, while a PDVL holder is licensed for private hire cars only. In other words, TDVL is the broader authority. A private-hire driver who wants the flexibility to also drive a taxi needs the conversion described above; a taxi driver does not need a separate PDVL, since the TDVL already covers private-hire-car driving.

Exam Takeaway

Two numbers anchor this section for test purposes: 3 papers for a direct applicant and 2 papers, B and C, for a PDVL-to-TDVL conversion. Pair that with the digital-licence facts — the Singpass app, 20 working days, and the S$21.80 optional physical-card fee — and this section's testable content is fully covered.