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Alcohol licences: premises, personal and DPS ​

To sell alcohol, even a glass of wine with a meal, you need two kinds of licence: a premises licence for the place, and at least one person with a personal licence who is named on it as the designated premises supervisor (DPS). Every licence then comes with a few conditions you must follow from the first sale, including an age check policy. This guide covers England and Wales, under the Licensing Act 2003. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own licensing laws.

The premises licence ​

Any business that sells or supplies alcohol on a permanent basis needs a premises licence from the council, as the licensing authority. There is no exception for alcohol served with food.

What you send. The application includes a plan of the premises and an operating schedule: what you will do (selling alcohol, late night refreshment, music), the hours, whether alcohol is for drinking on the premises, off the premises, or both, who the DPS will be, and the steps you will take to promote the four licensing objectives: preventing crime and disorder, public safety, preventing public nuisance and protecting children from harm.

Telling people about it.

  • A notice at the premises, pale blue, at least A4, for 28 consecutive days from the day after you apply.
  • A notice in a local newspaper, at least once in the 10 working days after you apply.
  • If you apply on paper, you copy the application to the police and the other responsible authorities yourself. If you apply online, the council does it.

The decision. For 28 days after you apply, the police, other authorities and local people can make representations. If nobody does, the council must grant the licence as applied for. If someone does, there is a hearing, unless everyone agrees that one is not needed.

The fee is set nationally and depends on the rateable value band of the premises, and there is an annual fee as well. Your council’s licensing team will tell you which band you are in.

Selling for takeaway or delivery. If your licence covers only drinking on the premises, you need off-sales on it before you sell alcohol to take away or deliver. The temporary rule that let some licences sell for takeaway ended on 31 March 2025. The government’s guidance says adding off-sales can now go through the cheaper minor variation process. If you run a delivery service, say so in your operating schedule. Alcohol sold remotely counts as served when it is delivered, so the age check happens at the door.

A pavement licence for tables outside does not let you sell alcohol there: the two are separate. See our pavement licence guide.

The personal licence ​

A personal licence lets someone sell alcohol, or authorise others to sell it. You apply to the council where you live, not where the restaurant is. The council must grant it if you:

  • are 18 or over;
  • have the right to work in the UK;
  • hold an accredited licensing qualification, such as a level 2 award for personal licence holders;
  • have not had a personal licence forfeited in the last five years.

You also send a basic criminal record check. If you have a relevant conviction, the police can object.

It does not expire. Since 2015 a personal licence lasts indefinitely, even one with an old expiry date printed on it. It stops if you lose the right to work in the UK, and the council can suspend or revoke it. You must tell the council that issued it about a change of name or address, and about a relevant conviction, as soon as reasonably practicable.

The designated premises supervisor ​

The DPS is the person with day-to-day responsibility for running the business, and must hold a personal licence. Two rules follow from the Act:

  • No DPS, no alcohol. There must be a DPS named on the premises licence whenever you sell alcohol. A premises licence names only one DPS.
  • Every sale is made or authorised by a personal licence holder. The DPS does not have to be on the premises all the time, and authorising does not mean watching every sale. The Home Office guidance suggests a clear act of authorisation, for example a written note given to each member of staff who serves alcohol. Writing it down is not required by law, but it is the easiest way to show who was authorised.

Changing the DPS. The premises licence holder applies to the council with the new DPS’s signed consent, and must tell the old DPS on the same day.

Conditions on every alcohol licence ​

Whatever else your licence says, these mandatory conditions apply.

  • An age verification policy. Anyone who appears to be under 18 must show ID with their photo, date of birth and a hologram or ultraviolet feature. Some premises go further and run a Challenge 21 or Challenge 25 scheme.
  • Digital ID, since 15 September 2026. Your policy may allow staff to accept proof of age in digital form. You do not have to: physical ID checks remain fine.
  • Free tap water on request, where it is reasonably available.
  • Small measures available and on the menu: beer or cider in ½ pints, gin, rum, vodka or whisky in 25 ml or 35 ml, and still wine in a 125 ml glass.
  • No irresponsible promotions, such as drinking games that encourage people to drink as much as possible or against the clock.

The free water, small measures and promotion conditions do not apply to a licence that covers only sales to take away. The age check applies to all.

Under-18s and the table meal rule ​

Selling alcohol to anyone under 18 is an offence, and the fine is unlimited. Your defence is that you believed they were 18 or over and had taken all reasonable steps to check, which is what the age verification policy is for. Selling to under-18s on two or more occasions within three months is a further offence, and the alcohol part of the licence can be suspended for up to three months.

There is one exception for meals. A 16- or 17-year-old may drink beer, wine or cider with a table meal, if an adult buys it and the young person is eating with an adult. The young person cannot buy it themselves.

Temporary event notices ​

A temporary event notice (TEN) covers alcohol or entertainment for an event your licence does not, or a place with no licence at all.

  • Size and length: fewer than 500 people at a time, staff included, for up to 168 hours.
  • Per premises: up to 15 notices and 21 days in a calendar year.
  • Per person: up to 50 a year if you hold a personal licence, 5 if not.
  • Notice: at least 10 working days before the event. A late TEN can be given between 9 and 5 working days before, with lower limits.

The higher limits of 2022 and 2023 were temporary. The government has said it will look at the limits again, but nothing has changed in law.

A short checklist ​

  • A premises licence covering alcohol, on or off the premises, or both, as you sell it.
  • A DPS with a personal licence named on it, and a written note of who else may serve alcohol.
  • An age verification policy staff know, with the ID rules above.
  • Free tap water, small measures on the menu, no irresponsible promotions.
  • Off-sales on the licence before you sell alcohol for takeaway or delivery.
  • Personal licence holders: tell the council about a new address or a conviction.

Sources ​

This guide is general information, not legal advice. For your own premises, ask your council’s licensing team.