Charities & Social Enterprise UK-wide

Get licences for street collections, house-to-house collections and charity lotteries

How to get the right licence or permit for a street collection, a house-to-house collection, or a charity lottery, covering England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the thresholds that decide whether your lottery needs Gambling Commission licensing or falls outside licensing entirely.

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If you collect money or sell goods for your charity in a public place, go door to door, or run a lottery, you need the right licence or permit for where the collection or lottery takes place. The rules and the licensing body differ between England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Street collections in England and Wales

You need a street collection licence to collect money, or sell articles in exchange for donations, in a public place. "Street" covers shop doorways, car parks and other public areas, not just roads and footways.

Penalty risk

Unlicensed street collection

Penalty:
<p>Collecting money on the street without a licence in England or Wales carries a fine of up to £200.</p>

House-to-house collections in England and Wales

You need a separate licence to promote a door-to-door collection of money or goods for your charity.

Penalty risk

Unlicensed house-to-house collection

Penalty:
<p>Collecting house to house without a licence in England or Wales carries up to 6 months' imprisonment and/or a fine of up to £1,000. Refusing to give your name, address or signature to a police officer when collecting carries a fine of up to £200.</p>

Running a charity lottery in Great Britain

In England, Scotland and Wales, whether your lottery needs a Gambling Commission licence depends on the proceeds it raises. A lottery below both thresholds only needs to be registered with your local licensing authority as a small society lottery.

Lotteries that need no licence at all

Some fundraising lotteries in Great Britain fall outside licensing entirely: an incidental lottery held alongside a one-off event such as a fete or fundraising dinner, and a private lottery restricted to members of a club or society. A genuine free draw with no payment to enter, or a prize competition with an effective skill test, is not a lottery at all under the Gambling Act 2005.

What next

Identify which nations your collection or lottery covers and apply to each relevant licensing body separately; a Scottish collection spanning several council areas needs a permit from each council. Diarise your post-draw lottery return and any licence renewal date, since missing a return can put your registration at risk even where the lottery itself was properly run.

Related guidance

Official guidance