NYC for-hire base bonds.
$100 flat.
The NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission requires every for-hire-vehicle base — livery, black car, or luxury limousine — to file a fixed $5,000 surety bond as a condition of its base license. Ours is $100 flat, set by our carrier rate book for this bond. The bond issues the moment you pay — no credit check.
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How much does an NYC for-hire base bond cost?
$100 at the $5,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
Base bonds are among the simplest in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
Base bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
File with the TLC
Your executed bond arrives by email. The TLC requires an original bond with the base application — wet-ink original mailed on request, copies are not accepted.
What it is and who needs it.
What the base bond actually guarantees
The NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) licenses every for-hire-vehicle base in the five boroughs — livery (community car), black car, and luxury limousine — and conditions the base license on a $5,000 surety bond. The bond is a compliance-and-public-protection guarantee: it stands behind the base following TLC rules and paying what it owes.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of New York through the TLC (the obligee). If the base violates TLC rules, leaves fines unpaid, or otherwise harms the public, a valid claim can be recovered against the bond.
The bond must stay active for the life of the base license. Let it lapse and the TLC can act against the license — so we track it and notify you 60 and 30 days out, keeping your $5,000 filing continuous.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $5,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the TLC. Your executed bond arrives by email. The TLC requires an original bond with the base application — wet-ink original mailed on request, copies are not accepted.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $100 at the $5,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
No credit check.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other New York bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Finish your TLC base application today.
$100 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.