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Glossary termGetting & keeping a TLC license

TLC UP: TLC's Upload Portal for Drivers, Explained

TLC UP is TLC's online portal to check your license status, deadlines and summons info and upload documents. What you need to log in and what it can't do.

  • Reviewed
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  • 3 official sources

Definition

TLC UP

TLC's Upload Portal (nyc.gov/tlcup) where licensees check license status and deadlines, review summons information, and upload required documents.

On this page (6)
  1. Logging in the first time
  2. TLC UP, LARS and OATH — which does what
  3. Applicants: what's usually missing
  4. Good habits
  5. FAQ
  6. Sources

TLC UP is TLC's Upload Portal — the website where you check your TLC license, see your deadlines and send TLC documents. TLC calls it "a quick, easy, and convenient way to access your license information and submit your required items to the TLC", open 24/7 at nyc.gov/tlcup (TLC).

For drivers, it does three jobs: shows your license status, expiration date and upcoming deadlines; lets new applicants see missing requirements and upload documents; and, per TLC, lets you review summons information (TLC).

Logging in the first time

  1. Gather four things

    TLC license number or application number (not your plate), mailing ZIP code, last 5 digits of your SSN or EIN, and your email address.

  2. Sign in at nyc.gov/tlcup

    Enter the number, ZIP and last 5 digits, then click Sign In.

  3. Confirm your email

    Confirm or type your email address and click Submit.

  4. Open TLC's email

    Subject line: 'TLC UP Email Address Verification'. Click the blue link inside.

  5. Log in again

    Return to TLC UP. You can now see your license and upload documents.

TLC publishes a how-to guide for TLC UP in many languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Punjabi, Russian and Urdu.

TLC UP, LARS and OATH — which does what

Three systems drivers mix up

From TLC's TLC UP and summons pages and OATH's Hearings and Defaults page.

Row labelTLC UPLARSOATH
Run byTLCTLCOATH (separate agency)
Use it toCheck license status and deadlines; upload documents; review summons infoLicensing, renewals; plead guilty and pay some summonsesRequest a phone or in-person hearing; submit a defense; appeal
Fight a summons here?NoNo (paying = pleading guilty)Yes

Applicants: what's usually missing

If you are applying for a new license, TLC UP shows each requirement you still owe. TLC's public application tracker shows how common gaps are:

What incomplete TLC applications are still missing

Share of incomplete new-driver applications still needing each item, one-day snapshot (2026-10-12). One application can miss several items.

  1. Drug test62.5%
  2. WAV training course30.7%
  3. Defensive driving course51.7%
  4. TLC driver exam85.6%
  5. Medical clearance form81.1%
  6. Fingerprints58.8%
  7. Copy of DMV license74.2%
Show data table
LabelStill needed
Drug test62.5%
WAV training course30.7%
Defensive driving course51.7%
TLC driver exam85.6%
Medical clearance form81.1%
Fingerprints58.8%
Copy of DMV license74.2%

Source: NYC Open Data: TLC New Driver Application Status (dpec-ucu7) · Data as of Oct 12, 2026. Counts: Drug test 1,855; WAV training course 911; Defensive driving course 1,535; TLC driver exam 2,540; Medical clearance form 2,405; Fingerprints 1,744; Copy of DMV license 2,202. An application can be missing several items, so the bars do not add to 100%. Fingerprints and DMV license come from the free-text 'other_requirements' field. Snapshot of one day; it changes several times a day.

Read the chart as "what slows people down", not as a measure of difficulty: an application missing the exam may simply be early in the process. Every item on it is something you can see, one by one, in your own TLC UP account. Several of these items have their own guides: the TLC drug test and WAV training. The full path is in how to get a TLC license, and renewals in TLC license renewal.

Good habits

Log in after every summons and before every renewal deadline. Make sure your mailing address and email are current — TLC mails summonses to the address on file. And remember TLC UP is a TLC system: to see your hearing status, use OATH's record (see check your TLC summons status). If you're stuck, TLC answers at licensinginquiries@tlc.nyc.gov on weekdays, 8:30am to 5pm. TLC also lists outside organizations that may help new applicants with TLC UP for free; TLC notes they are not part of TLC. Never give your login details to anyone who contacts you first.

Frequently asked questions

What is TLC UP?

TLC's Upload Portal. TLC describes it as a way to access your license information and submit required items to TLC, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at nyc.gov/tlcup.

What do I need to log in to TLC UP?

Your TLC license number or application number (not your plate number), your mailing ZIP code, the last 5 digits of your SSN or EIN, and your email address. First-time users must verify their email before logging in.

Can I see my summonses on TLC UP?

TLC says TLC UP lets you see the status of your license and review summons information. To plead guilty and pay some summonses online, TLC points you to a different system, LARS.

Is TLC UP where I fight my summons?

No. Hearings are run by OATH, not TLC. Request a phone or in-person hearing, or submit a defense, through OATH.

Who can help me use TLC UP?

TLC lists outside organizations that may voluntarily help new applicants, and answers other questions at licensinginquiries@tlc.nyc.gov on weekdays, 8:30am to 5pm.

Sources

Last reviewed against the official sources on .

  1. TLC: TLC Upload Portal (TLC UP) nyc.gov
  2. TLC: Received a Drivers License Summons? nyc.gov
  3. NYC Open Data: TLC New Driver Application Status (dpec-ucu7) data.cityofnewyork.us

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.

TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.

Related

GuideHow to Get a TLC License: Steps, Fees & the 90-Day ClockEvery step to a NYC TLC driver license: eligibility, the $252 fee, drug test, 24-hour course, WAV training, exam, and how to finish inside the 90-day window.Read GuideTLC License Renewal: 90-Day Window, Costs & Late RulesRenew your TLC driver license without a gap: the 90-day window, drug test, renewal course, $252 fee, the $25 late fee and the 180-day cutoff after expiry.Read GuideTLC UP Portal Guide: Log In, Upload, Check StatusHow to use TLC UP: first-time email verification, the Licensee Snapshot, uploads, the Transfer, Storage and Plate Notification menus, and when to use LARS.Read Licensee SnapshotThe status panel at the top of TLC UP showing your license status, expiration date and, for vehicles, insurance and last passed inspection.GuideHow to Check the Status of a TLC SummonsCheck a TLC summons hearing date and charges with our free OATH data lookup, then confirm the result and the balance with OATH, TLC UP or LARS.Read GuideTLC Drug Test: Annual Deadlines, Fines & Failed TestsWhen TLC drivers must drug test each year, where to go, the $34 fee, the $200 late fine and summary suspension, and what to do after a positive result.Read GuideTLC WAV Training: Passenger Assistance Course ExplainedWhat TLC's Passenger Assistance and WAV training covers, the hands-on wheelchair test, all six securement straps step by step, and why it matters on the road.Read SummonsThe written charge (notice of violation) that the petitioner serves on the respondent and that starts a case at OATH.