Personal licences

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A personal licence allows the holder to authorise sales of alcohol at a licensed premises and to be named as the Designated Premises Supervisor on a premises licence.

Apply for a licence

You must apply to the council in the area in which you live. The contact details for each council (licensing authority) are listed at the bottom of this article. If you do not live in England you can choose which licensing authority you apply to a personal licence for.

The application requirements for a personal licence are:

complete the personal licence application form (pdf, 145kb) (opens in a new window)
a copy of an acceptable document (pdf, 243kb) (opens in a new window) proving that you have the right to work in the UK
2 photographs, one of which is endorsed to be a true likeness of yourself by a solicitor or notary, a person of standing in the community or an individual with a professional qualification
an approved licensing qualification (opens in a new window) certificate
basic criminal records disclosure certificate, which are available by applying through a responsible organisation, details of how to do this can be found on the Basic checks Gov.uk website (opens in a new window) . This needs to be received within one month of the issue date.
fee of £37
you must complete a declaration of relevant or foreign offences. (pdf, 173kb) (opens in a new window). If you have one of these offences, the licensing authority will consult with the Police, who have an opportunity to object to you being granted a personal licence

Apply online - to North Dorset District Council only

North Dorset: Apply online

How to apply online to North Dorset District Council (pdf, 413kb) (opens in a new window)

Renewing your personal licence

The Deregulation Act 2015 (opens in a new window) came into effect on the 1 April 2015, and means that personal licences no longer need to be renewed. The licence will continue until it's either surrendered or revoked and the expiry date no longer applies. Your personal licence must always show your current address.

Updating your licence if you've changed your name or address

You must inform the licensing authority that issued your licence if you change your name or address, so that your personal licence can be updated. Failing to do so is an offence.

You will need to write to us with your new details, enclosing the following:

both the paper part and the card part of your personal licence, or tell us why you are unable to do this
fee of £10.50

Moving to another area

Your personal licence is portable throughout England and Wales. This means that you can use your personal licence to be the Designated Premises Supervisor at a premises anywhere in England and Wales. However if you do move, you must notify the licensing authority that issued your personal licence of your new address.

Does tacit consent apply?

No, it is in the public interest that the licensing authority must process your application before it can be granted. Contact the relevant licensing authority if you haven't heard from them within 28 days.