Licence summary
You or a member of your staff must hold a personal licence if you sell or supply alcohol from any licensed premises, including pubs, off licences, restaurants and hotels.
Most premises where alcohol is sold (except under a temporary event notice) are required to have a designated premises supervisor, who must hold a personal licence.
Who can apply
To apply, you must be 18 years of age or older and hold a licensing qualification such as the Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH) Level 2. View the list of accredited qualification providers.
Documents required when applying
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A completed online application
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The required fee of £37
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The certificate of your licensing qualification
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A basic criminal record disclosure that is less than one month old at the date you make your application. This can be obtained from GOV.UK
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A photograph which must be:
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45mm x 35mm (standard passport size) on photographic paper
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on a light background, full face uncovered and without sunglasses or a head covering (unless you wear a head covering due to religious beliefs) and
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one of which must be endorsed as a true likeness by a solicitor, notary or person of standing in the community, such as a bank or building society official, police officer, civil servant, minister of religion or someone with a professional qualification.
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Proof that you have the legal right to work in the UK, this can be an online share code.
How do I apply
Visit the HDC Licensing Portal, where you must register your details. Read the guidance notes [PDF, 0.1MB] for assistance.
Once registered, you will be able to submit your application, upload the required documents and pay the application fee.
The portal will also allow you to view any updates to your application.
If you have not used our Licensing portal before, please refer to the guidance notes [PDF, 0.3MB] to create your portal account.
New and existing licence holders - convictions or pending legal action
You must notify us, in writing, if you have any unspent convictions for relevant offences or foreign offences (any equivalent offences committed outside of England and Wales). You must also tell us if you have been required to pay a civil immigration penalty. In these cases, we will consult the police and/or the Home Office about your application.
If you are charged with a relevant offence, you must tell the court that you hold a personal licence before the end of your first court appearance.
If you are convicted, the court may decide to forfeit or suspend your licence as part of the sentence.
If not dealt with by the courts, we may also review your licence to determine if you are suitable to hold a licence, this will be determined by way of a Licensing Sub-Committee Hearing.
Replacement of lost/stolen personal licence card
If your licence has been lost/stolen and you require a duplicate licence. You can apply for this by visiting the HDC Licensing Portal.
At the time of application, you will need to provide an up-to-date passport style photo of the head and shoulders and pay the fee of £10.50.
Change of name/address - amendments to personal licence
If your licence needs amending following a change of name or address, please complete the change of name/address by visiting the HDC Licensing Portal. Read the guidance notes [PDF, 0.3MB] for assistance.
At the time of application, you will need to provide an up-to-date passport style photo of the head and shoulders, supporting documents to validate the change and pay the fee of £10.50.
Renewing a personal licence
You don't need to renew your licence. Personal licences issued after 1 April 2015 have no expiry date and will remain valid unless they are surrendered or revoked.
If you have a licence that was issued before 1 April 2015, you can continue to use it, even if it appears to have expired.
Fees
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New Licence application: £37
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Replacement licence if lost/stolen: £10.50
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Updated licence for a change of name/address or photo: £10.50
Does tacit consent apply?
No. This means you cannot supply or sell alcohol until we send you your personal licence.