All sales of alcohol from licensed premises must be made by an individual holding a Personal Licence under the Licensing Act 2003. You must apply to the local authority covering the area in which you live, not  the authority in which you work. You must hold a Personal Licence to be named as the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) on a premises licence.

Before you apply

 You must also be 18 years of age or over and hold a personal licence you must have a recognised licensing qualification. This is usually described as a Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders. Obtaining the qualification usually requires attending 1 day course and sitting an exam at the end of that course. A list of all companies authorised to provide this course can be found here:  accredited personal licence qualification providers

You must obtain a Basic Criminal Record Disclosure to submit to the Council you can obtain a basic check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or through a Responsible Organisation registered with the DBS.  The Police have a right to object to a person obtaining a licence if they have been convicted of a relevant offence. If you have been convicted of any criminal offences you my want to check if it is classed a relevant offence before applying. You can do this by contacting the Council or taking your own legal advice. 

Your basic disclosure must be no more than one calendar month old at the time it is received by the Council. 

Apply for a new Personal Licence

You must submit all documents to us by post or, by e-mail (in certain situations if agreed in advance with a Licensing Officer).

Application Form and Declaration


Documents to submit with your application

You must submit the following:

  • Your licensing qualification certificate;
  • Basic Criminal Record Disclosure (dated within the last calendar month)
  • Two passport photographs: One of these photo's must be endorsed on the back as your true likeness by a person who works in (or is retired from) a recognised profession or who is a ‘a person of good standing in their community’.  You can find specific detail here:Accepted occupations for countersignatures,  It is recommended that the person signing your photo completes this: personal licence photograph endorsement declaration;
  • The application fee of £37. You can pay this online or over the phone.  


Incomplete applications will be rejected and returned.

Personal Licence Renewals and Expiry 

Personal Licences are valid indefinitely. Licences granted between 2005 and 2015 display an expiry date (10 years from the grant of the licence). However as a result of the Deregulation Act 2015 Personal licences are now granted indefinitely. 

If you have already been issued with a Personal Licence which shows an expiry date and would like a new one without an expiry date you can return your existing licence (badge and paper counterpart) together with a fee of £10.50.

Changing your name and address

Personal Licence holders are legally required to inform us in writing as soon as possible of any change in their name or address details. Failure to notify us of such changes is a criminal offence. Both parts of your licence (or a statement as to why it cannot be produced) should accompany the notification together with the fee of £10.50.

Copies of licences

You can apply for a copy of your licence if it has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. Your request should be made in writing with the fee of £10.50. Even if you no longer require your personal licence you should notify us of any loss or theft to prevent fraud. 

 More information on the Licensing Act 2003 is available from the Home Office: Licensing Act 2003.