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 28 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. For more information on your refusal, contact your local Garda station. You can locate your local Garda station here:
You can find more information on what licence you have at the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS). 

For further information on the refusal of your taxi licence application you should contact your local Garda station. You can locate your local Garda station here.

Appealing the refusal of a taxi licence 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 appeal is the appellant 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 area and number
• 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

Court fee

The fee for this application is €25. It 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) by card or cash.

Next steps after paying your fee

The court 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

The respondent in the appeal of a licence refusal in this case is The Chief Superintendent of an Garda Síochana of your district. You must send a copy of your application to them. 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 14 days before 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 7 days before the court date.

4 - Attending court

You and your legal representative (if you have one) 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 time that your case will be heard will depend on where it is on the list. Sometimes your case may not be dealt with until later in the day. 

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 your hearing

See our  What happens after Civil Court page for more information on what to expect after your court hearing.

You should know unlike othercourt applications, the decision of the District court in these appeals is final.

There is no appeal to the Circuit court. These matters can only be appealed to the High Court on a point of law and require legal advice.