You must have a Sightseeing Guide License to guide or direct people to any place or point of public interest. A business must have a Sightseeing Bus License if it arranges for the operation of one or more motor vehicles which seats eight or more passengers each, operating for hire either to bring passengers from a fixed point in the City of New York to a place(s) of interest or amusement or engaged in exclusive use for a specific or special trip or excursion from a starting point within New York City.
Before you file for a license, it is important to fulfill the general requirements for starting a business:
- Employee Identification Number
- Applicable Business Certificate based on your business’s legal structure
- Portable Fire Extinguisher
- Recycling and waste removal (private carters)
- Unemployment Insurance
- Employee Disability Coverage
- Workers’ Compensation Insurance or Proof of Exemption
In order to obtain a Sightseeing Guide License, you may apply online through the Department of Consumer Affairs. Make sure to have the following prepared when you apply for the license:
- Basic Individual License Application
- Photo Identification of license applicant
- Sightseeing Guide Exam and Exam fee (Study Reference)
- Current color passport-size photograph of license applicant (license applicants can be photographed at no cost at the DCA Licensing Center. You can upload an image if you apply online.)
- Child Support Certification Form
Fees:
| Sightseeing Guide License | |||
| License Term | License Expiration Date | If You File Your Application Between These Dates: |
Your License Fee is: |
| 2 years | March 31 Even years |
From April 1 in an even year to September 30 in an even year |
$50 |
| From October 1 in an even year to March 31 in an odd year |
$38 | ||
| From April 1 in an odd year to September 30 in an odd year |
$25 | ||
| From October 1 in an odd year to March 31 in an even year |
$13 OR *$63 |
||
In order to obtain a Sightseeing Bus License, you must apply through the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). Please make sure to have the following documents prepared:
- Applicable Business Certificate
- Basic License Application
- DMV Registrations for commercial vehicles
- New York State Department of Transportation Inspection Certificate submit a copy for each bus listed on the roster
- Roster of Sightseeing Buses and request for inspection
- United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Engine Conformity Affirmation
- Granting Authority to Act Affirmation
- Rate Schedule—submit all the charges of your sightseeing bus service in the business letterhead. To change rates after filing this application must be submitted to the DCA in writing.
- Child Support Certification Form
Please note: all open-air sightseeing buses that you add to your fleet must have a headphone-limited sound reproduction system.
- Fees
| SIGHTSEEING BUS | |||
| License Term | License Expiration Date | If You File Your Application Between These Dates: | Your License Fee Per Bus is: |
| 2 years | March 31 Even years | From April 1 in an even year to September 30 in an even year | $100 |
| From October 1 in an even year to March 31 in an odd year | $75 | ||
| From April 1 in an odd year to September 30 in an odd year | $50 | ||
| From October 1 in an odd year to March 31 in an even year | $25 OR *$125 |
||
After filing your application The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) will contact you to schedule an appointment to inspect your open-air sightseeing buses before your business can operate. Please note that all the buses on your roster must be present during the inspection. Once you receive your Sightseeing Bus License, you must have your bus(es) inspected every 6 months by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). DCA will contact DEP to ensure your bus(es) passed inspection.
