Personal Licence Information & Application Process

Personal Licence - allows the holder to sell and authorise others to sell alcohol on their behalf, anywhere in England & Wales where a Premises Licence is in place authorising the sale of alcohol.

Premises Licence - allows a building, vessel or open space to be used for the Sale of Alcohol and / or Regulated Entertainment and / or Late Night Refreshment (the sale of hot food and hot drinks between the hours of 23.00 – 05.00)

Therefore in order to sell alcohol both a premises licence and one or more personal licence holders are required.

Every premises which is licensed to sell alcohol must also appoint a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS); to be eligible to become a designated premises supervisor an individual must hold a Personal Licence.

Eligibility to Hold a Personal Licence

To apply for a Personal Licence an individual must meet the following criteria;

Be at least 18 years old
Not have forfeited a personal licence within the last 5 years
Hold an approved and accredited licensing qualification.
Be eligable to live and work in the UK

Accredited Licensing Qualification

The most recognised approved and accredited licensing qualification is the BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH). BIIAB qualifications are the most respected in the licensed retail & licensed hospitality sectors and are used in the majority of personal licence applications.

We deliver regular Award for Personal Licence Holders courses in Central London and the South East and in-house group personal licence courses across England and Wales.

BIIAB Award for Personal Licence Holders Qualification >>

Relevant Criminal Convictions

Certain unspent relevant criminal convictions (as listed in Schedule 4 of the Licensing Act 2003) will result in a personal licence application being referred to the chief officer of police, who many choose to object to your application.

If an objection is raised in relation to your application, a hearing will be held with the local licensing committee where your application will be considered.

If you require further information in relation to criminal convictions please Contact Us and speak with one of our professional licensing consultants.

Personal Licence Application

Applications for a Personal Licence must include:

Application for a Personal Licence Form - Click Here >>
Disclosure of Convictions and Declaration Form - Click Here >>
2 Photographs - one of these must be endorsed by a solicitor, notary, person of standing in the community or someone with a professional qualification. To endorse the photograph write on the reverse of the photograph ‘I [insert name] confirm this is a true likeness of [insert applicants name]. [Signed, Dated & Profession / Qualification]
Award for Personal Licence Holder Certificate
Criminal Conviction Certificate – A Basic DBS Check
Application Fee - £37.00

Applications for a Personal Licence must be made to the Licensing Authority for the area where the applicant normally lives. We provide all these details to learners when they attend our Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH) Course. Alternatively use your postcode to find your local authority, just Click Here >>

Please Note; some licensing authorities have specific requirements, such as you requiring you to send a copy of the application to the local police or specific requirements regarding the endorsement of photographs’ This information may be available on the licensing authority’s website or by contacting them directly.

Personal License Application Service

For clients who do not have the time to struggle through the personal licence application process themselves or who wish to avoid any delay, we offer a personal licence application service.

We process the complete personal license application, including; the basic DBS, photograph endorsement, disclosure of convictions & declaration and the personal licence application forms.

Personal Licence Application Service >>

Great Training is as Important as the APLH Qualification

Great training not only helps businesses meet their statutory requirements, it provides them with an effective professional workforce and protects them from potential prosecutions. An Unauthorised Licensable Activity carries a maximum penalty of a Unlimited Fine and / or 6 Months Imprisonment.

We deliver effective training which provides learners with information in a way which is easy to apply in their workplace. Throughout our training we provide learners with hand-outs and sample policies which they can use, plagiarise or implement directly in their business.

As a result of the quality of the training we deliver, learners attending our Personal Licence training not only achieve their APLH qualification, but also gain a knowledge which serves them and their business well.

In order to adequately protect business continuity, we strongly recommend that every licensed premises has a minimum of two personal licence holders. This allows them to submit a Variation to Specify an Individual as the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) with ‘immediate effect’ should it be required in order to ensure continuity of their operation.

No premises can sell alcohol without an appointed Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) and only one DPS can be appointed at any premises at any one time.

For further information or an honest assessment of how many personal licence holders your business should have and how often they should reasonably be on the premises, please call 01784 434 392 / 0800 066 55 24 and speak with one of our Licensing Consultants.

Additional Information

Download our ‘Training the Licensed Retail Sector’ Information Leaflet (pdf document)

• BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH) Course • BIIAB Level 1 Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR) Course • BIIAB Level 2 Award for Designated Premises Supervisors (ADPS) Course • Licensing Consultancy Service • Personal License Application Service • Premises Licence Application Service • Useful Resources & Downloads •

Page Updated: 12^th February 2019