Car
The Life in the UK test venue in Birmingham is located at Gateway House, right in the heart of the city centre. Birmingham is a major UK city, and therefore has considerable road entry points and public transport services available. If approaching by car, please utilize either the M6, M5, M6 Toll, A38(M), or M42, dependent on the direction of travel. There are multiple ‘A’ roads which connect these motorways to different areas of the city. As the test site has a central base, there are plenty of parking options available. With listed a couple of reasonably-priced car parks in close proximity to the test centre below:
Shaw’s Passage
This site is open 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Parking is charged at the following rate per timeframe:
- 2 hours = £2.50
- 4 hours = £5.50
- 8 hours = £5.50
- 12 hours = £6.50
However, please note that given how close this facility is to the test venue, it’s unlikely you’ll park your vehicle for longer than two hours. This is a cash-only car park. Please be aware that this site will only accommodate 30 vehicles at any one time, and there are unfortunately no disabled parking spaces available. Therefore, if you would like disabled parking facilities or are concerned about acquiring a parking space, it may be worth considering the Bull Ring & Grand Central Car Park mentioned below.
To access the test venue from here, please head south under the railway lines on Park Street. At the end of this road, turn right onto Moor Street. Progress for around 50m, and follow the road as it bends round to the right. Head north-east for roughly 50m, and then turn left onto pathway, crossing the B4100 in the process. Turn right on this slip road, and along to Carrs Lane junction. Turn left, and advance for approximately another 20m, then turn right. Cut across the parkland located at the front of the Central Moor Street Travel Lodge, and then left onto New Meeting Street. Progress 20m; the testing venue resides within the Gateway House to the left-hand side, but you’ll need to walk right round the perimeter of the building to gain access. The journey will take approximately five minutes.
Bullring & Grand Central Car Park
This is a large, multi-story site, and therefore offers far more parking spaces than Shaw’s Passage Car Park. The unit operates between 7.00am-10.00pm, Monday to Saturday, and between 7.30am-8.00pm on a Sunday.
Charges are as follows:
- 1 hour = £3
- 2 hours = £5
- 3 hours = £7
- 4 hours = £8
If you’re planning to extend your stay in Birmingham beyond your testing slot, it might be worth purchasing a longer parking ticket. 8 hours of parking is charged at £12, and full-day tickets are available for £20. However, if you do plan to purchase all-day parking coverage, please be aware that you’ll need to exit the site before midnight on the day in question.
Unfortunately, cash payments are not accepted at this site. Therefore, please be ready to pay by bank card (contactless transactions are accommodated here). Disabled parking spaces are available, and the car park also has electronic vehicle charging facilities. The onwards route to the test centre is almost identical to the one from Shaw’s Passage Car Park. This building is positioned at the end of Park Street, so please pick up the travel guidance mentioned in the earlier notes from this point.
If these car parks are full, or you would indeed prefer to review other options, please visit Parkopedia. This linked page highlights alternative sites in the local area, complete with payment and opening hours information.
Bus
There are multiple bus routes that travel in and around Birmingham city centre. We’ve highlighted five key services below. These all approach the heart of the city from various directions, so at least one will hopefully be a relevant transit line for you to use.
13A: The number 13A travels eastbound from Blackheath towards the city centre. If using this service, please exit the bus at Colmore Row (SH2) bus stop. The test site is roughly a six-minute, 500m journey from here. Head southbound through St. Phillips Cathedral grounds, and continue moving south, eventually heading through Martineau Place. On arrival to High Street, please be aware that the Gateway House building is located on your left-hand side.
45: This service heads in a south-west to north-east direction, originating at Longbridge and terminating Birmingham city centre. Please leave the bus at Moor Street Queensway bus stop. The test site is a short, two-minute north-westerly walk from here.
4A: This transit line starts in Robin Hood Island on the southern outskirts of Birmingham, and once gain terminates in the city centre. Please exit this bus at the Church Centre stop on Carrs Lane. Onwards travel to the test venue overlaps with the guidance given in the Shaw’s Passage Car Park section. Please follow these notes accordingly.
94: This route heads between Chelmsley Interchange and Birmingham, in an east to west direction. If using the number 94, please exit at Dale End. This bus stop is approximately a four-minute walk from the test centre, heading west.
87: The number 87 runs south-east to Birmingham city centre from Dudley. In similarity to the 13A, please leave this bus at Colmore. However, please note that this is a different bus stop on the same street, positioned roughly 75m west of the ‘SH2’ drop-off point mentioned above. Therefore, head to SH2 from this bus stop, and then follow the travel instructions given in the notes on the 13A service.
If these routes are not appropriate to your travel needs, please visit the relevant ‘Moovit’ dashboard page. This can be found by clicking the following link.
There are numerous alternative bus stops in close proximity to the test centre. If you are using an alternative service to the ones listed above, and the stops mentioned are not in operation, then please be aware that the following bus stops are all within a five-minute walk of the test site:
Priority Square, Dale House, Old Square, Moor Street Station, and Moor Street Selfridges.
Train
There are three train stations located nearby the test site. Two of these stations are relatively small, but the third is the city’s main train station, Birmingham New Street. The two ‘satellite’ stations in close proximity are Birmingham Snow Hill and Birmingham Moor Street. We would encourage you to use Moor Street rather than Snow Hill, as this is a marginally shorter onwards walk to the test venue.
Birmingham New Street welcomes services from all over the country, so has excellent links to areas immediately beyond the city. If arriving into this station, please be aware that the onwards walk to the test centre is approximately five minutes. When leaving New Street station, head out of the buildings eastern exit and continue north-east bound towards High Street. On your approach, you’ll see the entrance to Gateway House appear on your right-hand side.
Birmingham Moor Street offers connections to stations less further afield, such as Leamington Spa, Kidderminster, and Stratford-upon-Avon. The station is located adjacently to the Bullring & Grand Central Car Park, so please consult the earlier instructions given in order to access the test site from here.
For more information on departure and arrival times for the stations listed above, please visit the National Rail website, located here.
Station addresses:
Birmingham New Street Station
Station Street,
Birmingham,
B2 4QA
Birmingham Moor Street Station
Queensway,
Birmingham,
West Midlands,
B4 7UL