Motor vehicles

Members of the University in statu pupillari who are in residence in term or in the Long Vacation period of residence are required to have a University Motor Licence if they wish to keep motor vehicles (other than mopeds) within 10 miles of Great St Mary’s Church. Students who have MA status or who are members of the Senate do not require a licence. 

The issue of a licence is conditional upon meeting certain requirements relating to insurance and the availability of authorised parking for the vehicle. A motor licence is not a parking permit and does not entitle the holder to park on University premises without separate authority. 

Licences are issued by the Student Licences team in the Estates Division, under the authority of the Senior Proctor, who has the power to impose a fine of up to £175 for breaching the regulations on the keeping and using of motor vehicles and the power to suspend or revoke licences; see the Proctorial Notice on Motor Licences, Bicycles and Boats. The Student Licences team may be contacted by email to Student.Licences@admin.cam.ac.uk.

To apply for a licence you must:

  • be a graduate of a university; or
  • be an undergraduate who has kept or been allowed nine terms of residence; or
  • be an undergraduate who has not kept nine terms but has exceptional individual circumstances, e.g. medical problems or special needs related to academic work; or
  • be an undergraduate who has not kept nine terms but who will use the vehicle for the purposes of a University Department, or a University or College club or society.

Apply for a licence

All applications must be made online here.

You will need to upload scans, photographs, or electronic versions of your:

  • driving licence (both sides);
  • vehicle registration certificate (V5C, aka “logbook”);
  • certificate of insurance; and
  • tutor’s note of recommendation for a licence (available here).

You cannot complete the online application without all of these documents, so please ensure you have them to hand before you start. Your documents will be checked, and if your application is approved, your licence will be sent to you at your College in the internal mail.

Data policy

This section explains what personal information we gather when you apply for a licence.

Who will process my personal information?

The information published here applies to the use of your personal information (also known as personal data) by the University of Cambridge through the viewing or use of this site.

General personal information collected on our websites

When you visit any of the websites within the University of Cambridge domain, we hold certain information about you for service and security reasons. For more information on this, please see http://www.cam.ac.uk/about-this-site/privacy-policy.

Specific personal information collected on this website

This site asks you to provide information about yourself in a form. We gather this information so that we can process applications. We use this personal information with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time. We do not share your data with any external parties. We will not collect any data about you from any external sources. We will hold your data for no longer than twelve months.

Further information

For more information about how we handle your personal information, and your rights under data protection legislation, please see https://www.information-compliance.admin.cam.ac.uk/data-protection/general-data.