Licensing Act 2003: Personal Licence

Personal Licence

A Personal Licence allows the holder to sell or authorise the sale of alcohol from premises with a Premises Licence. A Personal Licence lasts for 10 years but you must inform the issuing council of any change of address or relevant convictions during the course of your licence.

Before you can apply for a Personal Licence, you must be 18 years of age or over, not have been convicted of a ‘relevant offence’ and hold one of the three qualifications accredited by the Secretary of State.

You must also submit the result of a criminal record ‘basic disclosure’ or ‘subject access’ check. 


Application procedure

You will need to complete a two-part application form, and include with your application:

  • 2 passport size photographs, one of which must be endorsed as a true likeness on the reverse side by a solicitor, notary, a person of standing in the community or any person with a professional qualification. This can be done on a separate sheet where photographs are submitted by email or disc.
  • The fee of £37.
  • The original Personal Licence holder qualification certificate.
  • The basic disclosure or result of subject access search, which must not be more than one month old at the time of application for your Personal Licence.

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