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Personal licences

Personal licences

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Anyone selling or authorising the selling of alcohol needs a personal licence. A personal licence makes sure that anyone running or managing a business that sells or supplies alcohol does so responsibly.

If you want to run a business that is licensed to sell alcohol you must have a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS). To be a DPS you must hold a personal licence.

You do not need a personal licence to be employed in a pub or other business that sells alcohol. The licence holder does not need to be on the premises or oversee every sale, however, we strongly suggest that the Designated Premises Supervisor provides written authorisation for members of staff to sell alcohol in their absence. Premises may have more than one personal licence holder.

You don't need a personal licence to sell alcohol under a temporary event notice (TEN), but if you do hold a personal licence, the number of TENs you can apply for in a year increases from 5 to 50.

A personal licence has no expiry date and can be transferred between regions and premises. However, you must inform the issuing authority if you need to make any changes to your licence.

For more information download the licensing act government guidance or read our licensing policy.

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