Before applying for a personal licence to sell alcohol by retail the applicant must hold a relevant licensing qualification. In England and Wales this is known as a National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) Level 2 and in Scotland the licensing qualification is known as the Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (SCPLH) Level 5.
An application for a personal licence must be made to the Licensing Authority (England & Wales) /Licensing Board (Scotland). Licensing Authorities/Licensing Boards are departments of local councils. When applying for a personal licence the applicant should apply to the Licensing Authority/Licensing Board where they live.
More information on applying for a personal licence in Scotland can be found at www.personal licencescotland.com
When applying for a personal licence you will need to complete the appropriate application forms. These are available on request from the Licensing Authority/Licensing Board . In Engalnd & Wales these application forms can also be downloaded from the DCMS website.
Please note that an applicant’s full name including all forenames must be given on all documents in connection with the personal licence application.
The completed personal licence application form (300KB) must be accompanied by the following:
- 2 photographs (passport size) – one must be signed by someone of some standing within the community i.e. solicitor, accountant, police office, doctor, teacher, invigilator, minister of religion, bank or building society official or civil servant;
- The fee of £37.00 (Cheques should be made payable to “Your Local Council”);
- A Disclosure of Convictions and Declaration (35KB) (this should state whether or not any relevant or foreign offences have been committed, including full details, were applicable).
There are several accredited awarding bodies who offer the licensing qualification for England, Wales and Scotland all of these licensing qualifications are accredited by the Secretary of State. The awarding bodies are as follows;
- NCFE Level 2 National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders;
- EDI Level 2 Certificate for Personal Licence Holders;
- GQAL Level 2 National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders;
- HABC Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders;
- BIIAB Level 2 National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders; or
- SQA Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders
There are several awarding bodies for Scotland for more information please visit www.personallicencescotland.com
There is a wide network of training providers who offer licensing qualifications including Personal Licence Training Limited who offer over 120 course dates nationwide, their web site can be found at; www.personallicence.com
The average cost of a personal licence training course is around £150.00 +VAT
Applicants who apply for a personal licence to sell alcohol also need to submit a basic criminal records check with their application. In order to meet this requirement you can apply on line to Disclosure Scotland. apply to Disclosure Scotland for a Basic Disclosure
If you do not have access to a computer your Local Council can provide you with the necessary application form and notes on completion. All applications cost £23.00
Please Note: Disclosure certificates (CRB checks) are only valid for 30 days and must be in date when your personal licence application is received by your local council. The Council cannot by law accept a certificate which is more than one calendar month old.
Please Note: Failure to submit all the required information will result in your application being returned to you by your local council. Personal Licence Training Limited also offer a licence processing service, they can process your personal alcohol licence for you for £295.00. This includes your training course, examination fee, Course material, CRB check, application fee to your Local Authority. You just get your personal licence in post.
Processing a personal licence application take approximately 4-6 weeks. In some cases licences can be issued sooner.
If you would like to talk to someone about applying for your personal licence or a premises licence application then we recommend you speak to the licensing team at Personal Licence Training who offer regular national training courses in England, Scotland and Wales.
They can be contacted on:
England & Wales Tel: 0845 388 5472
Scotland Tel: 0844 330 7435
PLT Head Office Tel: 01527 544 780 (office hours Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm)
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What licenses and/or certificates do you have to obtain to hold and supply alcohol?
I have done some research and it seems these are a must:
Premises License
Personal License
GQAL Level 2 National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders
I am sure there are other licenses needed and I will continue to browse the web and get free advice where possible.
Of course being only 20 and not having much financial backing I can’t seek professional advice.
I won’t go into what sort of business this is as it hasn’t actually ever been used yet in my hours of research on the web.
My business idea isn’t any of the following:
Owning an off-license, on-license, club/bar/pub etc.
First things first… I’m 20 years old and I have registered a limited company to find premises and trade as a convenience store. The thing is I would be looking to apply for an alcohol licence and about 35% of my expected turnover would be alcohol. Plus the franchise/symbol group I am applying to would also want me to have an alcohol licence and I could really be doing with their support – especially being a new business.I’ve had more than 2 years required experience needed by the licencing boards but the main problem is I have a drink driving conviction and also a suspended sentence for fraud. Which are very relevant offences. I realise I’m not painting a very good picture of myself here but I do believe everyone makes mistakes – some bigger than others, and I have well and truely learnt my lesson.
I am not the only director of my company but from what I’ve been told from the licencing board they will do a search on all directors for the company anyway.
I was just wondering if you guys knew any way to get round this?
Does an alcohol licence need to be BIIAB approved?
BIIAB are only an awarding body for the accreditation required for the personal licence. There are several other awarding bodies that are QCA approved and nationally recognised. A list of them can be found at the DCMS website.
I understand your predicament in this situation. With regards to your convictions, they are both relevant offences under the Licensing Act 2003. It will depend on when you were convicted of them and the penalty/sentence you received for each offence. As you are not the only Director for the company, it may pay you to put a business partner through the personal licence for the time being. Whilst the responsible authorities do understand that people deserve to have a second chance, it will be dependent on when the offences were committed. With regards to the premises licence, the Police may want to speak with you as the applicant to talk about your intentions for the business and may bring up your convictions. However, as you will not be the person responsible for the authorisation of the sale of alcohol by retail, this shouldn’t have too much bearing on the matter. This is NOT a definitive answer as each Police force is different. If you want more advice, you can call Personal Licence Training Ltd and they will be able to discuss your case with you and advise you accordingly. They have many useful contacts and may be able to speak to the authorities on your behalf and find out if this is a viable venture for you.
Your research has informed you correctly. You will need both a premises licence and a personal licence to retail alcohol. With regards to the qualification you will need to hold for your personal licence, it does not necessarily have to be GQAL accredited. GQAL are only the awarding body and there are other that are nationally recognised. I would be able to advise you more accordingly once you know the nature of your business. Your age and financial backing are not always going to go against you, but again, this will be dependent on the type of business you wish to run. Once you have done more research you can contact the licensing consultants at Personal Licence Training Ltd and they will be able to offer you advice on your venture and any training you may require for it.
Just to add a comment the NCPLH personal licence holders qualification is now to be known as the APLH Award for personal licence holders. The change came in to force on the 1st of April 2011, we understand the awarding bodies for this licensing qualification are to remain the same. These included NCFE, EDI, BIIAB.
I am opening a small tea room for private Vintage Tea Parties and want to offer BYOB Do I need a permit as customers will be offered the choice to bring in their own bubbly ?
Thanks
I have two questions;
1) Do you need a licence to sell alcohol as a wholesaler. For example, purchase beer/cider in keg format from the producer and sell it to pubs or clubs for them to sell to the public?
2) What licence and qualifications would be needed to be able to sell alcohol at an ‘outside bar’. For example a temporary bar at a Fete, Beer festival, BBQ, etc.?
Thanks
hi there,
i am the sales manager for a well known soft drinks delivery service in cumbria. we are constantly getting requests for beers and wines and wondered what licences the company would have to get to deliver. we only operate in the daytimes mostly between 4pm and 8 pm on a weekly delivery to towns and villages in the area and are looking to expand our products.i hope you can advise us,
andy taylor
Hello do the grandfather rights still stand from when they brought the personal licences in? As i have the BIIABlevel 2 National Certificate for Licencees as i am looking into going back into pubs. thank you
Sorry, but if you have left the premises and let your personal licence certificate lapse, then you will have to apply for a new one. The Grandfather rule was brought in so that managers passing over their premises to a new owner could carry on trading. Not sure why it was called the Grandfather rule….Does anybody else know?
Does the licence permit sale of alcohol to people in their own homes i.e wines ?
Hi David,
There are actually 2 licences required to sell alcohol……
A personal licence (APLH in England and Wales, SCPLH in Scotland) which allows you to sell alcohol. To store and sell alcohol from your home you would also need a premises licence. If you want to sell wine directly to the public (as opposed to online) I think that this would be difficult in your case as your neighbours and the local police would have to agree to allow you to do this.
For more information contact your local licensing team, which will be based at your local council.
Hello David,
Selling alcohol form your own home can be difficult as you will require a premises licence to permit you to so! The first hurdle is a premises licence application is based on the rateable value of your intended business premises. Secondly it is a requirement by law to advertise your application in the local news paper and by way of blue public notice for a period of 28 days at the intended address where the licensing activities are to take place.
Local residents who are known as interested parties can object to the grant of the application.
Have a look at some more articles on this website “Selling alcohol from Home”
Hello,
I am in the process of planning an outdoor arts festival and would like to play music throughout the four days. The event is in playing fields. Do I need a music license? If so would it be a premises or personal license?
I am hoping to attract around 1000 people.
Roughly how much would the license cost for four days 9am-5pm
Hi Katie thanks for your enquire, because you are looking to attract 1,000 people this would not be classed as a Temporary Event Notice as they are for under 500 people only. Therefore you would require a premise licence. We would advise you to speak to the local council’s Licensing Authority where the event is to be situated.
We hope this helps
Regards Admin Team
i am currently a barman in a nightclub and have worked in 12 pubs/clubs altogether. started glass collecting at the age of 17 where my mother worked and got shown how to change barrels etc then turned 18 and went straight onto the bar in a busy nightclub… over the years ive gained alot of experience but most of the bars i have worked in have been privately owned so i havent had much of a chance to move up the ladder but have wanted to for ages. if i was to fork out £295 and get the training and application package what are the chances my application to the local authority being declined. bearing in mind i havent currently got a bank account and am not in contracted work. although i will definitely pass a crb check as have no criminal convictions. please help
If you do well on the training course and pass the exam and a crb check etc, will the local authority definitely accept the application? If so, I would like to get the £295 course and personal license application package. Please can you help? Thank You
Hi Troy thanks for your question! The only person who can object to the grant of a personal licence to sell alcohol is the Chief Officer of Police. The Police will only raise an objection to your personal licence if your basic CRB check shows a relevant offence under schedule 4 of the Licensing Act 2003. Disclosure Scotland who produce your CRB certificate require evidence of your place of residence so you can use various items for this such as;
A provisional or full driving licence
A utility bill, gas, elcetric, phone bill etc
Not having a bank account or not being in full time work will hinder your application. However the benefit to having a personal licence is that to a potential employer you are more employable because you can sell or authorise sales of alcohol and you can also be named on a premises licence as the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) effectively the licensee.
If your looking to obtain a personal licence speak to http://www.personallicencetraining.co.uk
Hi Troy once you have passed your APLH exam and you pay £295 for Personal Licence Training Limited to process your full licence for you. The local council’s Licensing Authority Have to grant the personal licence. If your CRB check shows a relevant offence then the application is determined by the Police. to help you pass your exam try the PLT online quiz
http://personallicencetraining.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/aplh-mock-exam.html
HI,
I would like to sell 5 hand crafted champagne bottles in car boots. Do I need a licence for that as I would be selling art not alcohol, champagne 12%.
Thanks
Hi Ted,
These sales would need to be licensed, even if the value of the product is primarily artistic. The champagne within the bottles means that the sale would be classed as the sale of alcohol by retail, a licensable activity under the Licensing Act 2003. Therefore, you would require a personal licence and a Temporary Event Notice (a temporary version of the premises licence).
If you were to sell the crafted bottles with no alcohol inside, you would not need a licence.