Who needs a personal licence and how to apply
Who needs a personal licence
A personal licence allows you to become a designated premises supervisor (DPS).
A DPS is responsible for the day to day running of a business that has a licence to sell alcohol, known as a premises licence.
A personal licence makes sure that anyone running or managing a business that sells or supplies alcohol does so responsibly and professionally.
If you want to run a business that is licensed to sell alcohol you must have a DPS. To be a DPS you must hold a personal licence.
You do not need a personal licence to be employed in a pub or other business that sells alcohol.
Eligibility
You must:
- be 18 or over
- have the right to work in the UK
- have a relevant licensing qualification, such as a BIIAB Level 2 Award for personal licence holders or a similar accredited qualification
How to apply
Applications must be made in the borough where you live, not the borough where you work.
So, if you live in the borough of Haringey, you’re in the right place to apply for a personal licence.
You must supply:
- a completed personal licence application form
- a completed disclosure of convictions form
- 2 passport photos signed by an approved professional
- a criminal conviction certificate issued less than one month before applying for your personal licence – request a basic DBS check
- accredited course certificate
- proof of right to work in the UK
- proof of address if DBS check requested by third party and home address isn’t shown (bank statement, utility bill, council tax bill, driving licence)
Fee
£37.
Apply online
Please complete both (we cannot accept one form without the other):
- personal licence application
- disclosure of convictions form
For the personal licence, you must include your supporting documents with your online application.
We accept the following file types:
- doc, docx, jpeg, jpg, jpe, pdf, png, tiff, tif
You can pay by credit/debit card or PayPal.
Keep a note of your application reference as you may need it for other licences you apply for.
You will also need to complete a disclosure of convictions form online
Apply by post
If you prefer, you can download, complete and send back to us the following 2 forms:
We will contact you to take payment over the phone.
After applying
It takes 4 weeks to process your application. If you meet the eligibility criteria you will be given your personal licence.
Relevant offences
If you have been convicted of a relevant offence, we will let the police know of your application and convictions.
The police then have 14 days to decide whether they object to you being granted a personal licence.
How long the licence is valid
Your personal licence will last indefinitely.
You may lose your licence if we become aware of a criminal conviction.
Change of name and address
You must let us know if you change your name or address.
There is a fee of £10.50 for a replacement.
Complete the notification of change form at GOV.UK to change your details.
Lost or stolen licences
Please contact us via email if your licence has been mislaid.
There is a fee of £10.50 for a replacement. We will take payment over the phone with a debit or credit card.