Asylum seekers and refugees applying to be minicab drivers are exempt from criminal records checks , potentially allowing murderers and rapists to get behind the wheel . Rules laid down by Transport for London ( TfL ) mean refugees and those applying for asylum do not have to reveal whether they have a criminal history when trying to become a cab driver . The legal loophole in an official application document on 'private hire driver licensing ' says people coming to Britain will not be required to have their criminal convictions checked . Asylum seekers and refugees applying to be minicab drivers are exempt from criminal records checks . The form , seen by the Daily Express , states : 'With regards to overseas criminal records checks , no such checks will be made in respect of those applicants who declare that they are in possession of or who have applied for refugee or asylum status . ' Everyone else who applies for a cab licence must undergo criminal records checks . Those from outside the EU who have spent more than three months abroad over the last three years have to provide a 'letter of good conduct ' from their home country . This usually requires their country of origin to give a reference to the Home Office , revealing whether the applicant has a criminal history . But asylum seekers and refugees are exempt from this too , according to a second document . A TfL guide on taxi and private hire applications states : 'Any applicant who has been granted or is awaiting a decision to be granted asylum/refugee status will not be required to produce a Certificate of Good Conduct from the country he is claiming asylum from . ' Applicants from outside the EU must provide a letter of 'good conduct ' from their home country - but asylum seekers do not have to . Campaigners called for a change in the guidelines , calling on all minicab drivers to undergo thorough criminal checks . Tory MP Nick de Bois said : 'They should not be offering licences to those they ca n't check on . They could be putting vulnerable members of the public in the hands of thieves , murderers and rapists . It beggars belief . ' Helen Chapman , manager of London taxi and private hire at TfL , said : 'All applicants for a Taxi or Private Hire drivers licence are required to undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check which is carried out by the Home Office . 'Any applicant that has lived in a country other than the UK for more than three months within the last three years is also required to produce a Certificate of Good Conduct from the relevant country . 'We recognise this may not be possible if an applicant is granted asylum or refugee status and , where applicable , these applicants will be required to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct from any other country of residence within the last three years . They will also be required to provide evidence of their Certificate of Registration or a letter from the Border and Immigration Agency . '
Asylum holders and refugees claiming to be cab drivers are not checked . They usually undergo criminal records checks for the driver 's safety . Those from outside the EU must provide passports from their home nation . But holders and asylum holders are exempt and may be serious criminals .