Professional licence: its issue should not be conditional on having a clean driving licence

The High Commissioner received complaints from a number of taxi drivers who were denied a professional licence, on the specific grounds that points had been deducted from their driving licence and not yet reinstated (in Monaco, the driver's licence is based on a point system starting with 12 points, and points may be deducted for traffic offences). On examining Article 1(6) of Ministerial Decree No. 2008-451 of 8 August 2008 on the conditions for issuance and renewal of professional licences, it transpired that this practice was the result of an incorrect interpretation of this provision by the State agencies. The High Commissioner therefore recommended that, when determining whether the applicant’s driving habits are compatible with the activity of taxi driver, the nature of any traffic offences should be considered, and not whether the applicant currently has a clean driving licence with all points intact.

The entire recommendation is available on the site in french version only.