How to appeal a refusal of a taxi licence

1 - About this appeal

You can make an application to appeal to the District Court if your taxi licence issue or renewal has been refused by An Garda Síochána and you believe that the decision was unfair or incorrect. 

The notice of appeal must be filed in the court office within twenty eight days of receipt of refusal of the licence. The application must be made in the District Court district where the applicant resides or carries on business. 

An Garda Síochána may refuse your licence based on:

• Being a suitable person,
• History of criminal record,
• Failure to provide required information.

Who can help

This application can only be applied for when the taxi licence relates to a Category B vehicle. You can contact your local Garda station for further information and guidance about the process here:
You can find more information on what licence you have at the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS). 

Appeals can be complicated. You should consider getting legal advice to better understand the options available to you.

2 - How to make your appeal

You can download your application form Form 40D.01.Appeal of a Refusal of a Taxi Licence or contact your local court office and they can send an application form to you by post. The person making the application it the claimant and the person you are making the application against is the respondent, the Chief Superintendent of an Garda Síochána.

You will need to include the following information to complete your application:

• District court number and area. Please see our map, this can be found here.
• A record number which will be inserted by the court office,
• Enter the enactment which is the section of the legislation that is relevant to your application - The Taxi Regulation Act 2013. Section 13
• Your full name and address,
• the respondent's full name and address,
• the date and time of court which the court office will give you,
• details of what you are asking the judge to do,
• reasons why you are appealing the decision,
• list of documents you intend to rely on or use in court, including the written refusal and attach copies,
• the address of the court office where you filed your application.

You must pay the appropriate court fee for your application The fee for this application is €25. This civil application fee can be paid at your local court office or in Dublin, at the Stamping Office in the Áras Uí Dhálaigh building in the Four Courts complex. You can pay these fees by card or cash.

The office will check your application, give it a record number and they will return the form to you.

You will need three copies of the stamped application:

• The original for the court office
• A copy to be served upon the respondent
• A copy for yourself

3 - Serving and submitting your appeal

Serving your application

You must then send a copy of your application to the respondent - The Chief Superintendent of an Garda Síochana from your district. This is called serving the application Please see our serving and proof of service page for more information. 

The Respondent must be notified at least fourteen days prior to the court date by registered post. Your post office will give you a certificate of postage. You should retain a copy of this for your records.

Submitting your application

A copy of the stamped application with the declaration of service attached must be lodged in your local District Court office at least seven days prior to the court date.

4 - Attending court

You or your legal representative should arrive on time on your court date and make yourself known to the court when your list number and name is called out. 

The judge will hear the evidence and make a decision on your case. 

Please see our preparing for civil court pages for more information on what to expect in court. Read more about preparing for court >

Results from your hearing

The judge may:

• Confirm the Garda decision so that orignal refusal stands,
• Allow the appeal, requiring the Gardaí to grant the taxi licence,
• Allow the appeal with conditions attached,
• Dismiss your application,
• Adjourn your case for more information.

What happens after court

>You or the other side can appeal the courts decision. Please visit the appeals page for further information. See our After your hearing page for more information on what to expect after your court hearing.