How to apply for a personal licence

Licence summary

Why do you need a personal licence?

You must have a personal licence to run or manage a business that sells or supplies alcohol.

An application to grant a personal licence must be made to the local council for the area in which you are normally a resident.

This will usually be the local council to which you pay council tax for the property where you normally live, that is, your home.

If you move to the Hinckley & Bosworth area specifically because of a job at a licensed premises and then require a personal licence, you should not apply to this council; you should apply to the local council in which you are normally a resident.

You can only hold one personal licence (which has no expiry date) and it will remain with you if you move to another premises.‎

A personal licence will allow you to:

  • Sell alcohol on behalf of any business that has a premises licence or a club premises certificate
  • Act as the designated premises supervisor for any business that sells or supplies alcohol
  • Apply for up to 50 temporary event notices per calendar year

Premises licensed to sell alcohol must have a designated premises supervisor (DPS). The single exception is a community premises that has successfully applied to disapply the DPS requirement under the Licensing Act 2003.

Anyone who does not hold a personal licence must be authorised to sell alcohol by a personal licence holder. There is no such requirement for the supply of alcohol in a members’ club.

Changing the details on your licence

If you are a personal licence holder, it's a legal requirement that you tell us if you change your name or address. See current personal licence holders

Detection of fraud

We, as the licensing authority, have a duty to protect the public funds we administer, and we may use the information you have provided with your application for the prevention and detection of fraud. We may also share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes.

Straight to applying for a personal licence

Last updated:‎ ‎16‎/‎05‎/‎2023‎ ‎12‎:‎25‎