A personal licence authorises a specified person to supply alcohol or allow the supply of alcohol at a premises which has a valid premises licence.
Personal licences are needed to supervise the sale of alcohol in any licensed premises, including pubs, off licences, restaurants and hotels. ‘Licensed premises’ include any premises allowed to sell alcohol under a premises licence. You don’t need a personal licence to sell alcohol under a temporary events notice.
Personal Licences are issued directly to the person applying for them, and are not transferable. Once you have obtained one, you are free to work at any premises which is subject to a Premises Licence authorising the sale/supply of alcohol, anywhere in England or Wales.
How long is the licence valid for?
You may only hold one Personal Licence at any time, which will be valid for the whole of your lifetime, but may be withdrawn if you:
- are convicted of a relevant criminal offence
- have to pay an Immigration penalty
- are found to have given incorrect or misleading information in your application
Licences will also be withdrawn automatically if your right to work in the UK expires or is revoked.
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How much does it cost?
It costs £37 to apply for a personal licence.
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Eligibility criteria for a personal licence
To qualify for a personal licence, the applicant must meet the following criteria:
- be aged 18 or over
- be entitled to work in the United Kingdom
- have no previous personal licence has been forfeited within the period of five years before making the application
- have an accredited licensing qualification, or is a person of prescribed description
We must reject any application where an applicant does not meet all of the criteria.
Relevant or foreign offences
We must notify the chief officer of police if it appears that an applicant has been convicted of any relevant or foreign offence.
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How to apply for a personal licence
To obtain a Personal Licence, you will need to apply to the Local Authority where you live.
Application form
After completing a licensing qualification course, you can download an application form from GOV.UK.
Download an application form from GOV.UK (external website).
You will need to return your completed application form to us, along with:
Applicants must supply two identical photographs of themselves and complete the photograph form which includes a list of accepted signatories.
Photographs for personal licence application form (PDF, 86KB)
Applicants for Personal Licences must prove that they have the legal right to work in the UK, by providing copies of official documents showing that they are either
- a British or UK citizen
- a national of an EEA country or Switzerland
- granted indefinite leave to remain and work in the UK
- have another immigration permission allowing them to lawfully work in a field relevant to the sale of alcohol
View official guidance on the types of documents that are acceptable for checking an employee’s right to work (external website)
Please do not send original documents for Right to Work through the post, but send good quality photocopies of all relevant pages.
We may request further documentation or carry out further checks with the Home Office if an Applicant’s Immigration Status is unclear. Personal licences cannot be granted to any person who does not have the right to work in the UK.
Where to send your application form and supporting documents
Post your application form, supporting documents and receipt / proof of payment to:
Licensing Team
Denbighshire County Council
PO Box 62
Ruthin
Denbighshire
LL15 9AZ
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How to make a payment
Payment can be made by card over the phone to customer services (01824 706000, please provide cost code 3476-00000-40094) or you can pay by BACS. Payment by cheque or cash is only available at one of Denbighshire’s One Stop Shops.
Payment by BACS
Our BACS details are:
- Bank: Natwest, 5 Queen Street, Rhyl, LL18 1RS
- Sort code: 54 41 06
- Account number: 22837469
- Account name: Denbighshire County Council County Fund
Please ensure that you include your name as a reference when you are making payment, together with the cost code 3476-40094 (please ensure you include the hyphen otherwise your payment may not reach us). Once payment has been made, please send a copy of the remittance to licensing@denbighshire.gov.uk.
Failing to provide the appropriate cost code or premises name may delay processing your application.
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Change of name or address
If you already have a personal licence and your circumstances change (e.g. change of name or address, criminal convictions), you must complete the change of name or address form. You will be charged £10.50 to change your personal details.
Change of name or address form (PDF, 156KB)
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Lost or stolen personal licences
If you have lost your personal licence or it has been stolen, you will need to email us and provide us with the following details in order to request a replacement:
- Your full name
- Your address
- Personal licence number (if known)
- Date of birth
There will also be a £10.50 fee that will need to be paid for the replacement licence.
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Convicted of a relevant offence
If you have been convicted of a relevant offence, as defined under schedule 4 of the Licensing Act 2003, or a foreign offence, you have a responsibility to tell us within a period of 14 days so that we can endorse the paper part of your personal licence.
To report an offence to us, you will need to email us with the following information:
- Your full name
- Your date of birth
- Your address
- Your personal licence number
- The date your personal licence was issued
- If you are the DPS of a premises
- Details of your conviction
If you are convicted of a relevant offence, then under section 132A of the Licensing Act 2003 we may take action against your personal licence, which could result in a suspension of the licence for up to a period of 6 months, or revocation of the licence. If we are considering taking action against your personal licence, we will notify you of this and allow you a 28-day period to make any representations.
After this 28-day period your personal licence may be referred to the licensing committee, who will determine what action (if any) should be taken against the licence.
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More information
We recommend you read through our Statement of Licensing policy.
Statement of licensing policy (PDF, 395KB)
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