# Connecticut Public Passenger Endorsement for NEMT Drivers: Fingerprints, Medical Exam, and Timing

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/guides/connecticut-public-passenger-endorsement/ · Updated 2026-10-02

A CT public passenger endorsement lets a driver carry passengers for hire, and NEMT drivers need its F type, for livery vehicles. The driver uploads a recent medical exam, mails form R-7 with a sex offender search, pays $88.25 for fingerprints after the DMV emails a service code, waits about 6 to 8 weeks, and adds it at a DMV hub office within 90 days of approval.

- Every driver of a livery vehicle needs the F endorsement, and a vehicle built for 16 or more people also needs a CDL with the P endorsement.
- The medical exam must come from a National Registry examiner within 90 days before the driver applies, and the sex offender search within 5 days.
- Fingerprinting waits for the DMV's emailed service code and costs $88.25. The DMV puts the full check at about 6 to 8 weeks.
- The approval letter expires after 90 days. A driver who misses the hub visit goes through the whole background check again.
- State law lets a pending driver run livery trips for up to 90 days after your own checks, but a 2026 bill to extend that to Medicaid rides did not become law.

In Connecticut, a new driver cannot carry a paying rider until the F public passenger endorsement is on the license, unless you run the checks that allow a short provisional start. Once the DMV has the paperwork, the background checks take about 6 to 8 weeks, so the order of the steps decides when a new hire starts earning. This guide walks through that order. For the CTDOT livery permit, plates, insurance, and joining MTM Health, see the [Connecticut NEMT guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/connecticut/).

## Who needs the F endorsement

CGS 14-44 bars anyone from driving a taxi, a livery vehicle, a motor bus, or a service bus with passengers until the license carries the right public passenger endorsement. The DMV defines a livery vehicle as any vehicle used by a business that carries passengers for hire. That covers every sedan, minivan, and wheelchair van on paid NEMT trips.

Connecticut issues four public passenger endorsements, as of October 2026:

- **F,** for taxis, livery vehicles, service buses, motor buses, and motor coaches. This is the NEMT endorsement.
- **V,** for student transportation vehicles that carry students to and from school, including special education students.
- **A,** for student activity vehicles used for school events.
- **S,** for school buses, which also takes a CDL with the passenger endorsement.

A few edge cases come up often:

- **Free rides in bigger vans.** A service bus is any vehicle built and regularly used to carry 10 or more passengers when riders pay nothing (CGS 14-1). A senior center or disability program running a 12-passenger van needs drivers with the F endorsement too.
- **Vehicles for 16 or more.** A vehicle designed for 16 or more people, driver included, also needs a CDL with the P endorsement, and the driver must be at least 21. See [do NEMT drivers need a CDL](https://nemtguide.com/guides/do-nemt-drivers-need-a-cdl/).
- **Empty vehicles.** A driver without the endorsement may move the vehicle with no passengers aboard, such as taking a van to the shop.
- **No experience minimum.** The S, V, and A endorsements need three years of consecutive driving. The F endorsement sets no minimum.

## What the driver gathers before applying

The DMV's eligibility list, as of October 2026, asks for a valid Connecticut license, an age of at least 18, an acceptable driving record, good moral character, a passed criminal background check, and fitness under the federal physical standards in 49 CFR 391.41 to 391.49. State law adds that the driver may have no conviction for driving under the influence in the five years before applying.

Gather these before anything goes in the mail:

- **Form R-7,** the Application for Public Passenger Endorsement.
- **A medical examiner's certificate,** form MCSA-5876, from an examiner on the federal National Registry, dated within 90 days before the application. A driver with a regular license uploads it to the DMV medical portal at cdlmedcert.ct.gov and never mails it. For a CDL holder, the registry sends it to the DMV electronically.
- **A national sex offender registry search** covering every name the driver has used, printed with the printer's date stamp within 5 days of the application date.
- **Both privacy statements,** the FBI statement and the Non-Criminal Justice statement, signed and dated.
- **A copy of the driver's Connecticut license.**
- **Certified driving and criminal histories** from every state the driver lived in during the past five years, for anyone who has lived in Connecticut for less than five. Arizona, California, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Vermont are closed-record states, so drivers from them send only the certified driving history.

Mail the package to the Department of Motor Vehicles, 60 State Street, Wethersfield, CT 06161, Attention: Public Passenger Endorsement Review Unit.

## Fingerprints, approval, and the hub visit

The rest happens in a fixed order. The DMV page sets out these steps as of October 2026.

1. **Wait for the service code.** Once the DMV has form R-7 and both privacy statements, it emails a letter with a service code. The driver cannot be fingerprinted before that letter arrives.
2. **Pre-enroll online.** Since July 26, 2021, every applicant registers online with the code before fingerprinting and pays the $88.25 processing fee by credit card.
3. **Get fingerprinted.** The driver brings the letter to a local police department or a state police facility. The DMV notes that local police are often more convenient and may have shorter waits. Live scan prints go in electronically.
4. **Wait for the decision.** The DMV puts processing at about 6 to 8 weeks, and CGS 14-44 gives the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection 60 days to finish the state and national checks after the DMV asks. The approval or denial comes by email or mail.
5. **Visit a DMV hub office within 90 days of approval.** Bring the approval letter, the current license, and the fee. The approval letter expires after 90 days, and a driver who misses that window goes through the whole background check again.
6. **Watch the disability video.** Since January 1, 2024, the DMV requires each applicant to watch its video on serving people with disabilities before it issues or renews the endorsement (CGS 14-44).
7. **Leave with a temporary card.** The hub issues a temporary paper card showing the endorsement. The driver keeps it with the old license until the new license arrives by mail.

### What it costs

The fees are $88.25 for fingerprint processing, plus $12 for each year left on the license and a $30 fee for changing the license, according to the DMV fee schedule as of October 2026. A driver with four years left on the license pays $78 at the hub, or $166.25 in all with the fingerprint fee. The medical examiner sets the price of the physical.

### The deadlines that reset the clock

Four windows decide whether the paperwork holds or has to be redone.

| Item | Time limit | If it lapses |
|---|---|---|
| Medical exam | Within 90 days before applying | Book a new exam before mailing form R-7 |
| Sex offender search | Printed within 5 days of the application | Print a new search |
| Approval letter | Hub visit within 90 days of approval | The background check starts over |
| Provisional driving | Up to 90 days after applying | The driver stops until the endorsement is issued |

## Letting a new driver start before the endorsement

State law gives livery companies a short bridge. Under CGS 14-44, a holder of a CTDOT livery permit may let a driver who has applied for the endorsement drive livery trips before approval, for no more than 90 days after the application date. Before the first trip, you must:

1. **Run a criminal history check,** yourself or through a consumer reporting agency regulated under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. It must cover local, state, and national records, including state and national sex offender registries.
2. **Review the driver's DMV driving record,** dated no more than seven days before your review. See [motor vehicle record](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/motor-vehicle-record/).
3. **Give the driver copies to carry.** The driver must carry and show, on request, the endorsement application and the criminal check.

Medicaid rides need a separate answer. In 2026, House Bill 5356 would have deemed these pending drivers to meet the requirements for NEMT under a Department of Social Services contract. The DSS commissioner testified on March 3, 2026 that the department opposed letting drivers carry Medicaid members while the endorsement is pending, and that its NEMT program has no driver shortage. The bill cleared committee but did not become law in the 2026 session. Use the bridge for private-pay or other livery work, and ask MTM in writing before a pending driver takes a Medicaid trip. For the checks themselves, see [NEMT driver background checks](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-background-check/).

## What MTM checks on top of the endorsement

MTM Health arranges Medicaid rides for the whole state. Its Connecticut provider page, as of October 2026, says it has standards for driver qualifications, driving records, and CPR, defensive driving, and passenger assistance training, and that a staff member guides each new provider through them.

MTM's standard provider agreement, in the January 1, 2023 version Pennsylvania posts, adds two rules that affect hiring:

- **A license that fits the vehicle and the state.** In Connecticut, that means the F endorsement, and a current, legible copy of each driver's license goes in with credentialing.
- **Drivers at least 21.** The DMV issues the F endorsement at 18, so ask MTM before you hire a driver aged 18 to 20.

MTM also says it monitors each provider's licenses and certifications, and that its system will not assign trips to a provider whose credentials are not current. An expired license or medical certificate can stop your trips.

Ask MTM whether it accepts the temporary paper card while the new license is in the mail. CTDOT's livery rules also make you confirm that each driver holds the endorsement and knows Connecticut's motor vehicle and livery laws (section 16-325-6), and keep your business records for at least two years. For MTM's full driver list, see the [MTM Health page](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/).

## Keeping the endorsement after it is issued

The endorsement stays only as long as the driver keeps qualifying.

- **Renewal.** It renews with the license, in person at a DMV hub office by appointment, up to 180 days before expiration. A license with an F endorsement cannot be renewed online. On top of the regular license renewal fee ($72 for six years or $96 for eight, as of October 2026), CGS 14-50 adds $12 for each year or part of a year for the endorsement.
- **Medical certificate.** The DMV must have a medical certificate dated within a year on file before it renews the endorsement. A federal certificate can last up to 24 months (49 CFR 391.45), so a driver whose certificate is more than a year old needs a new exam before renewing, even if it has not expired. Drivers without a CDL update their medical status through the DMV medical portal.
- **Withdrawals.** Convictions for driving under the influence, reckless driving, speeding, and other listed offenses withdraw the endorsement for five, three, or two years. The [Connecticut guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/connecticut/) lists them.
- **Arrests.** When an endorsement holder is charged with a felony, the arresting police department must report it to the DMV within 48 hours (CGS 14-44).
- **Denials.** A driver refused because of a criminal record may request a hearing in writing within 20 days, and may appeal the final decision in court.

State law also has the DMV send organizations that provide public transportation a periodic report of drivers whose endorsements were withdrawn, suspended, or revoked. Ask the DMV whether your company can receive it.

Keep the endorsement, the medical certificate with its expiration date, the driving record, and the training certificates together for each driver. The [driver file checklist](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-driver-file-checklist/) tracks them, and [NEMT driver requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-requirements/) compares Connecticut with other states.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do NEMT drivers in Connecticut need a public passenger endorsement?

Yes, when they drive a livery vehicle, which the DMV defines as any vehicle used by a business that carries passengers for hire. CGS 14-44 bars anyone from driving a livery vehicle, taxi, motor bus, or service bus with passengers without the endorsement. A service bus is a vehicle built and regularly used for 10 or more passengers when riders pay nothing, so nonprofit vans can need it too.

### How long does the F endorsement take in Connecticut?

The DMV says the background checks take about 6 to 8 weeks, as of October 2026. Add the days for the medical exam, mailing form R-7, the emailed service code, fingerprinting, and a hub office appointment. State law gives the state public safety department 60 days to finish the state and national checks once the DMV asks. Start the paperwork the day you make the job offer.

### How much does a Connecticut public passenger endorsement cost?

The fingerprint processing fee is $88.25, paid by credit card when the driver pre-enrolls. At the hub office, the DMV fee schedule lists $12 for each year left on the license plus a $30 fee for changing the license, so a driver with four years left pays $78 there. Each renewal then adds $12 a year for the endorsement. The medical examiner sets the price of the exam.

### Can a new driver start before the endorsement is approved?

For livery work, yes, if you hold a CTDOT livery permit, for up to 90 days after applying. CGS 14-44 requires you to run a local, state, and national criminal and sex offender registry check and review a DMV driving record no more than seven days old. The driver carries copies of the application and the check. Medicaid rides are different: a 2026 bill to let pending drivers carry Medicaid members did not become law, so ask MTM first.

### What medical exam does the F endorsement require?

A physical by an examiner on the federal National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners, recorded on form MCSA-5876, within 90 days before the driver applies. The driver must meet the federal driver standards in 49 CFR 391.41 to 391.49. A driver with a regular Class D license uploads the certificate to the DMV medical portal at cdlmedcert.ct.gov. For CDL holders, the registry sends it to the DMV electronically.

### Can a driver who lives in New York or Massachusetts drive for a Connecticut NEMT company?

Only with the matching credential from home. The DMV says a nonresident with another state's license may drive a vehicle that needs a Connecticut public passenger endorsement if they hold the equivalent endorsement from their home state. Ask the driver for proof of it, and ask MTM whether it accepts that license for credentialing.

### How is the endorsement renewed?

In person at a DMV hub office, by appointment, up to 180 days before the license expires. A license with an F endorsement cannot be renewed online. Before the visit, the DMV must have a current medical certificate dated within a year on file, sent by fax to 860-263-5568 or by email to DMV.CDL@CT.gov. The driver also watches the DMV video on serving riders with disabilities.

## Official resources

- [Connecticut DMV: Apply for or maintain a public passenger endorsement](https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/licenses-permits-ids/driver-license-endorsements/apply-public-passenger-endorsement)
- [Connecticut DMV: Medical certificate portal for non-CDL drivers](https://cdlmedcert.ct.gov/)
- [FMCSA: National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners](https://nationalregistry.fmcsa.dot.gov/)
- [U.S. Department of Justice: National Sex Offender Public Website](https://www.nsopw.gov/)
- [MTM Health: Connecticut transportation providers](https://www.mtm-inc.net/connecticut/providers/)