Standard International Operator's Licence

A Standard International Operator's Licence is needed to operate vehicles weighing more than 3,500 kilograms to carry your own or other people's goods for hire or reward while in the UK or on international journeys. Although this legal requirement should be easy to satisfy, it can be hard to successfully navigate the application process.

We provide expert support to potential, new or long-standing businesses, ranging from one vehicle owner-drivers, to multiple-licence holders with large fleets.

Whatever your requirements - we can assist with your application and provide you with our expert guidance to get your vehicles on the road and remain compliant with your licence undertakings.

Get in touch with our friendly and experienced operator licensing team for help, support, and advice.

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What is a Standard International Operator's Licence?

A Standard International Operator's Licence allows you to carry your own goods, and other people’s goods, in the UK and internationally.

If you're applying for a vehicle operator's licence for the first time, you'll get a UK Licence for the Community as part of your application for a standard international operator licence. There's no extra fee for them. This will permit trips between EU member countries, transit through them, and cabotage within single European states.

Operators that wish to carry their own and other people's goods in the UK only, should consider applying for a Standard National licence. While a Restricted licence may be more appropriate for those that exclusively carry their own goods in the UK or internationally.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS?

To qualify for a Standard National licence, vehicle operator's must be able to satisfy a Traffic Commissioner that they:

Are of good repute, and fit to hold a licence
Have suitable facilities or arrangements to maintain their vehicles
Be capable of ensuring that all licensing rules and laws are obeyed
Demonstrate that they have sufficient financial standing and resources to run their business and maintain their vehicles
Have designated at least one operating centre where vehicles can be safely stored when not in use
Must be properly established with premises in where the core business documents are kept. A PO Box or third-party address cannot be used for correspondence on a Standard licence
Have a Transport Manager with the Certificate of Professional CompetencE (CPC) 'international' qualification, that is of good repute
Have access to a vehicle. This means that the operator must either own at least one vehicle or have in place a formal contract in place to hire one when needed.

It is important to note, that you must have a full understanding of the robust systems that you will need to have in place, to ensure that you and your staff are able to obey all the rules relating to your licence undertakings and compliance obligations. Failure to do so could result in regulatory action being taken against your licence.

WHAT INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE WILL I NEED TO PROVIDE?

Details of your business entity, i.e. whether you are a sole trader, partnership or limited company, etc.
The type of business
Details of all directors, or business owner /partners
Correspondence address and contact details
The full address of your proposed Operating Centre and the number of vehicles and trailers that you will be parking there
A public notice advertisement, placed in a newspaper local to the proposed operating centre, giving details of the number of vehicles and trailers you will keep then
Supporting financial documentation
Transport Manager details (for link to online TM form, to be completed by Transport Manager with their full details, including proposed hours, other commitments etc.)
Name and workshop address of maintenance contractor and frequency of the planned safety inspections
Details of your planned tachograph analysis (if applicable)
Previous financial and operator licensing history for all directors, or sole trader/partners and nominated Transport Manager
Details of any relevant offences or criminal convictions

HOW WE CAN HELP

Applicants are required to satisfy a number of requirements, and it can be difficult to know which rules apply. Providing the wrong information or failing to show that you satisfy the eligibility criteria could lead to long delays and prevent you from using your vehicles.

We work closely with our clients to provide them with the best possible chance of getting their Licence applications successfully granted. With extensive experience of operator licensing, we offer clear and practical advice at every stage of the process from the initial consultation; the preparation of your online application; the checking of your supporting documentation and information; through to liaising with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner on your behalf, until your application has been finalised.

In addition to initial Licence applications, we are also able to provide our expert assistance for applications to vary an existing Licence, for changes such as:

An increase in the vehicle and/or trailer authority
An additional or change of operating centre
A change in the Licence type

LET'S GET STARTED

Enter a few brief details below and one of our experienced consultancy team will be in touch with you soon to help you through the License Application process.

Operator Licence FAQs

What Categories of Operator's Licences are Available?

There are three types of O' licence available to the operators of goods vehicles:

Standard National O Licence - permitting holders to carry their own goods in the UK and abroad, and to carry goods on behalf of others for hire and reward in the UK only.
Standard International Licence - permitting holders to carry their own goods and those of others both in the UK and internationally.
Restricted Licence - permitting holders to carry their own goods in the UK only.

How Long Does an Operator's Licence Last For?

A licence will continue to be valid as long as you pay the continuation fee every 5 years (currently £401.00) and operate within the terms of your licence.

It is important to note that failure to complete the licence continuation documentation and pay the 5-year continuation fee before the specified deadline, would result in the licence no longer being valid. It would then not be possible to operate any goods vehicles over 3.5 tonne until a new licence application had been submitted, processed and successfully granted by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

What is the Cost of an Operator's Licence?

Initial Licence Application

When you apply for an initial goods vehicle operator’s licence in any category, you will need to pay the following DVSA fees:

An application fee of £257.00
A fee for a time-limited interim licence of £68.00, if applicable
A fee for the issue of the licence of £401.00

In addition to the DVSA fees above, you will also need to pay for the public notice advertisement. This charge will depend on the applicable rates charged by the newspaper local to your proposed operating centre.

Once your licence has been successfully granted, you will then be required to pay a continuation fee of £401.00, every five years, to keep your licence active.

Variation/Major Change Application

If you already hold an operator’s licence and wish to make a variation application for a major change to your licence, you will need to pay the following fees:

An application fee of £257.00
A fee for a time-limited interim direction of £68.00, if applicable
A public notice advertisement fee

What Are the Operating Centre Requirements?

You will need to identify suitable, safe and secure premises to use as your operating centre. This is where your vehicles will normally be kept when not in use.

The operating centre will need to:

be large enough
have safe access
be in an environmentally acceptable location

If you do not own the proposed operating centre, you must have permission to park there from the landlord or landowner and be able to provide evidence of this, if requested to do so.

A public notice advertisement must be published in an appropriate newspaper, which covers the local area of the proposed operating centre. This must follow very specific wording requirements, giving details of the number of vehicles and trailers that you wish to park there. We will prepare this for you, based on the information we will request from you. It is very important that the details of the operating centre are correct, as your application could be refused if the centre is not advertised properly. We would usually carry out additional checks and discuss any queries with you, regarding the specifics of the location or address.

How Much Is the Financial Standing?

The financial standing rates for goods vehicles from 1 January 2021 are:

Restricted:

First vehicle: £3,100

Each additional vehicle: £1,700

For example, a 3-vehicle authority on your Restricted licence would require £6,500

Standard National or International

First vehicle: £8,000

Each additional vehicle: £4,500

For example, a 3-vehicle authority on your Standard licence would require £17,000

You will need to provide supporting financial evidence to demonstrate that you have the required amount in the business bank account, as a minimum average, during the most recent 28-day period.

The funds should then remain in place during the application process and for the whole time that your Licence is held. The Traffic Commissioner can ask you to provide evidence of your financial standing, should it be deemed necessary. In this instance they would usually ask you to provide three months’ bank statements to base their average calculations on. You will also be asked to provide confirmation of your financial standing at your 5-yearly Licence renewal.

The financial standing thresholds are usually reviewed annually

What are the Standards of 'Professional Competence' in Operator Licensing?

Professional competence refers to a number of qualifying conditions that individuals must meet in order to be approved for an operator's licence. Anyone can attain professionally competent status by passing an examination approved by the Department for Transport (DfT) or by gaining another qualification recognised by the DfT. You do not need to have experience of the transport industry to gain professional competence status.

What are my Responsibilities as a Licence Holder?

Goods vehicle operators must meet certain requirements even after getting approved for a Standard International Licence. Whether a business operates a handful of HGVs or hundreds of lorries, the Traffic Commissioner requires the same level of compliance. This means that Standard International O Licence holders must:

Keep their vehicles properly maintained, taxed, and insured.
Conduct regular roller brake testing
Ensure that drivers are properly trained and licenced
Observe rules relating to drivers' hours and tachographs
Ensure vehicles are not overloaded and operate within speed limits
Keep thorough records

Are there any Vehicle Operator's Licence Exemptions?

There are several exemptions that can be relied on in Vehicle Operator Licensing. Amongst others, an operator's licence is not required for the following vehicles:

Recovery vehicles that are designed for or permanently adapted for lifting, transporting, or towing disabled vehicles.
Vehicles with equipment permanently affixed to them, such as cherry pickers and road sweepers.
Vehicles that are used to clear snow or to distribute salt and grit.

Keep in mind that UK exemptions may not apply in other international territories. You may therefore still require a licence to undertake overseas journeys in a vehicle that is exempt from o licensing requirements in the UK.

What Are Your Fees and What Is Included?

We charge a one-off fixed fee, as below:

£475.00 incl. to assist with a new licence application
£475.00 incl. for a major change variation application for an existing licence
£285.00 incl. for an operating centre change only

Please note that advert charge and DVSA fees still apply, where applicable

Our comprehensive service includes:

An initial consultation to discuss and clarify your specific application requirements
Expert guidance and assistance to help you prepare for your application
Preparation of your required Public Notice advertisement for the appropriate local newspaper
Set-up and support with your online Vehicle Operator Licensing (VOL) account (for new applications)
Document checking service to help ensure that your supporting documentation is correct (where applicable)
Dedicated one-to-one support throughout the Licence application process
Help with understanding correspondence received from the OTC and guidance regarding your required response
Liaison with the OTC on your behalf (following consultation with you & under your instruction)
Explanation of OTC processes, guidelines, timeframes etc.

What is a UK Licence for the Community?

What Financial Evidence Will I Need to Provide?

To be granted a Licence you need to prove that you have enough money to run your vehicles and keep your business.

All financial documents should be in the same name or business entity that is applying for the Licence. In the case of a partnership business, they should be in the same name as one or both of the people applying.

You would usually need to provide the following financial documentation:

Business bank statement covering at least 28 days and no more than 2 months old, showing itemised transactions, as well as opening and closing balances
Evidence of overdraft facilities must be in the form of a recent formal written commitment from your bank
Credit card statements, covering the same period as the bank statement

The Traffic Commissioner may also consider the following:

Invoice finance agreements
Audited annual accounts
Building society accounts

If you have received a loan under the government’s bounce back loan scheme you must upload evidence of the loan amount and the loan agreement from your bank. You will also be asked to provide evidence of your company’s annual turnover for the previous financial year.

You must also be able to explain any large or unusual amounts deposited into your bank account during the 28-day period.

How Many Vehicles and Trailers Can I Apply to Operate?

There is no limit to the number of vehicles and trailers on a licence, however, a request for more than 3 vehicles is likely to be seen as a ‘large’ initial authority for a first-time applicant.

You may still apply for a larger amount, of course, but you may be asked to provide details of your experience, whether you are intending to take over the work of another operator and what measures you have in place to ensure that your vehicle fleet is robustly managed.

Do I Need a Transport Manager (CPC Holder)?

If you are applying for a Standard National or Standard International licence, you will need to nominate at least one transport manager who satisfies the requirements of good repute and professional competence.

This can be you if you are qualified, or a qualified transport manager that you employ.

There are two types of transport manager: internal and external.

An internal transport manager would be an employee of the operator and an external transport manager would be someone that is paid to work as a consultant on a contract or part-time basis. The contract should detail the transport manager’s responsibilities and specify the tasks to be performed by that person.

It is important that the transport manager has a genuine link to the undertaking and is able to demonstrate continuous and effective responsibility for the management of the transport operations

If you are interested in gaining the Transport Manager CPC qualification, please contact us for further information regarding course dates and costs, etc.

Restricted licence holders do not have to employ or contract a transport manager, however they must still meet the good repute and ensure the transport operations are properly managed.