Alcohol licensing requirements

When you need a licence

You need a premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 if you want to sell or supply alcohol from fixed premises such as a shop, supermarket, pub, bar, nightclub, cafe, or restaurant in England and Wales.

Note: Scotland and Northern Ireland have different licensing systems. This guidance applies to England and Wales only.

Hospitality regulatory framework

Hospitality businesses are subject to multiple regulatory requirements covering licensing, food safety, and health and safety:

Hospitality Regulatory Overview

Sector-specific regulatory guide: Key regulators and compliance requirements for hospitality businesses

Hospitality businesses are regulated by multiple bodies covering food safety, alcohol, and employment:

Food Standards Agency (FSA): Food safety, hygiene ratings, allergen labelling
Local Authority Licensing: Premises licences for alcohol, entertainment, late-night refreshment
Environmental Health: Food hygiene inspections, health and safety at work
Fire Authority: Fire risk assessment audits and inspections under the Fire Safety Order 2005
Trading Standards: Weights and measures, pricing, consumer protection

Most hospitality businesses require a food business registration (free), premises licence (if selling alcohol), and must comply with food hygiene regulations and allergen labelling requirements.

Alcohol licensing requirements

To sell alcohol from your hospitality premises, you need both a premises licence and a designated premises supervisor with a personal licence:

Alcohol licensing requirements

Licensing requirements for selling alcohol in England and Wales. Pure data reference.

Premises licence: Required to sell alcohol. Costs £100-£635 based on rateable value.
Personal licence: At least one person must hold a personal licence.
Designated Premises Supervisor: Must hold a personal licence and act as primary contact.
Age requirement: Must be 18 or over to apply for a premises or personal licence.

Alcohol licensing guidance

Scope of hospitality premises licences

Your premises licence will cover not just alcohol sales but may also include regulated entertainment and late-night refreshment:

Hospitality premises licenses

Licensing requirements for alcohol, music, entertainment, and late-night refreshment.

Premises licence scope: Covers sale of alcohol, regulated entertainment, and late-night refreshment (11pm-5am)
Designated Premises Supervisor: Required for all premises selling alcohol. Must hold personal licence.
Licence duration: No expiry unless revoked or surrendered. Annual fee payable.
Age requirement: Anyone over 18 can apply for a premises licence.

Apply for a premises licence

Personal licence requirements

The person acting as Designated Premises Supervisor must hold a valid personal licence.

Personal Licence Requirements (England & Wales)

Eligibility criteria and assessment requirements for obtaining a personal licence to supervise alcohol sales under the Licensing Act 2003.

A personal licence is required to be a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) who authorises alcohol sales at licensed premises. Personal licences are issued by local licensing authorities and remain valid indefinitely unless revoked.

Minimum age: 18 years
Qualification required: BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH) or equivalent
Assessment format: 40 question multiple-choice exam
Pass mark: 28 out of 40 correct (70%)
Right to work: Must have right to work in UK
Licence validity: Valid indefinitely (no renewal required)

Eligibility criteria

To apply for a personal licence, must:

Be 18 years or older
Possess an accredited licensing qualification (such as the BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH))
Have the right to work in the UK
Not have certain relevant unspent convictions
Not have had a personal licence forfeited in the previous five years

Apply for a personal licence

Temporary events

For one-off events, you may be able to use a Temporary Event Notice instead of applying for a full premises licence.

Temporary Event Notice (TEN)

Notification to local authority for small-scale temporary events where alcohol is sold, late-night refreshment provided, or regulated entertainment offered.

A Temporary Event Notice (TEN) allows you to hold a small-scale event where you sell alcohol, provide late-night refreshment (hot food/drink between 11pm-5am), or offer regulated entertainment without needing a full premises licence. TENs are limited to 499 people at any one time and can last up to 168 hours (7 days).

TEN fee: £21 per event
Maximum attendance: 499 people at any one time
Maximum event duration: 168 hours (7 days)
Notice period (standard TEN): At least 10 working days before event
Notice period (late TEN): 5 to 9 working days before (limited availability)
Personal limit per year: 5 standard TENs (or 50 if personal licence holder)
Premises limit per year: 15 TENs per calendar year
Total days limit per premises: 21 days per calendar year

TEN limitations and restrictions

Personal limits: Individuals can give a maximum of 5 standard TENs per year (50 if you hold a personal licence). This is separate from the premises limit.
Premises limits: Any single premises can host a maximum of 15 TENs per calendar year, covering no more than 21 days total.
Late TENs: Can submit a maximum of 2 late TENs (5-9 working days notice) per year. Late TENs cannot be challenged at a hearing—objections result in automatic refusal.
Counter notices: If your TEN would result in exceeding premises limits or timing restrictions, the licensing authority will issue a counter notice refusing permission.

Give a temporary event notice

Minimum alcohol pricing

Scotland has introduced minimum unit pricing for alcohol, which affects hospitality businesses selling alcohol north of the border:

Alcohol minimum unit pricing

Minimum pricing requirements for alcohol sales - varies significantly by UK nation

Minimum unit pricing (MUP) is a public health measure that sets a floor price below which alcohol cannot be sold. The requirements vary significantly across the UK nations.

Scotland: 65p per unit (since 30 September 2024) - previously 50p from May 2018
Wales: 50p per unit (since 2 March 2020), rising to 65p per unit from 1 October 2026. The Welsh regime was continued past its 2026 sunset by regulations passed by the Senedd on 3 February 2026.
England: No minimum pricing
Northern Ireland: No minimum pricing. In March 2026 the Health Minister announced that MUP will not be taken forward in the current Assembly mandate.

Calculating the minimum price: Multiply the alcohol percentage by volume by the container size in litres, then multiply by the minimum unit price.

Example: A 750ml bottle of wine at 13% ABV contains 9.75 units. In Scotland, the minimum price would be £6.34 (9.75 × £0.65). In Wales, it would be £4.88 at the current 50p rate (£6.34 once the Welsh rate rises to 65p on 1 October 2026).

Legal basis:

Scotland: The Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012
Wales: Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018 (continued by regulations passed in February 2026)
England: No legislation in place
Northern Ireland: No legislation — in March 2026 the Health Minister announced MUP will not proceed in the current mandate

Enforcement: Licensing Standards Officers monitor compliance and can issue enforcement notices. Trading Standards enforces pricing accuracy. Breach of minimum pricing is a criminal offence that can result in fines up to £20,000, imprisonment up to 6 months, and licence review or revocation by Licensing Boards.

Official sources:

Scotland: mygov.scot/minimum-unit-pricing
Wales: gov.wales/minimum-unit-pricing-alcohol

Variations and changes

You must apply to vary your premises licence if you want to change:

The layout of your premises (requiring amended floor plans)
The hours during which you sell alcohol or provide other licensable activities
The activities your licence authorises
Conditions attached to your licence

Minor variations (such as small changes to structure or layout, or minor extensions to hours) have a simplified process with a fee of £89 and 10-day consultation period.

Changing your DPS

To change your Designated Premises Supervisor, you must apply to vary the licence to specify a new DPS. The new DPS must consent and hold a valid personal licence. Police have 14 days to object if they believe the change would undermine crime prevention.

Transferring a licence

When premises change ownership, the new operator must apply to transfer the premises licence to their name. The fee for a transfer application is £23. The existing licence conditions and DPS remain in place unless varied.

Reviews and enforcement

Responsible authorities or local residents can request a review of a premises licence if they believe it is undermining the licensing objectives. Following a review hearing, the licensing authority can modify conditions, exclude activities, remove the DPS, suspend the licence, or revoke it entirely.

Alcohol licensing requirements

Hospitality annual compliance checklist

Personal licence (alcohol)

Temporary Event Notice (TEN)

Appoint and manage a Designated Premises Supervisor

Premises licence: how to apply

When you need a licence

Hospitality regulatory framework

Alcohol licensing requirements

Scope of hospitality premises licences

Personal licence requirements

Temporary events

Minimum alcohol pricing

Variations and changes

Changing your DPS

Transferring a licence

Reviews and enforcement

Related guides in Alcohol Licensing

When you need a licence

Hospitality regulatory framework

Alcohol licensing requirements

Scope of hospitality premises licences

Personal licence requirements

Temporary events

Minimum alcohol pricing

Variations and changes

Changing your DPS

Transferring a licence

Reviews and enforcement