A personal licence allows you to sell alcohol and authorise sales of alcohol under the authority of a premises licence. A personal licence does not authorise its holder to supply alcohol anywhere, but only from establishments with a premises licence authorising the supply of alcohol in accordance with the premises licence. An individual may hold only one personal licence at any one time.
More details about personal licences can be found on the Dept for Culture Media and Sport website
Regulations and Legislation
Full details can be found on the Dept for Culture Media and Sport website
A personal licence is issued for ten years in the first instance and can be renewed on application for a further ten years if the licence holder has not been convicted of any relevant or foreign offence.
Applicants for personal licences will need to obtain an accredited qualification first. The aim of the qualification is to ensure that licence holders are aware of licensing law and the wider social responsibilities attached to the sale of alcohol.
A list of accredited personal licence qualification providers can be found at the foot of this page. Please contact these bodies directly for information on courses, costs and availability in your area.
Basic Criminal Record checks
Basic criminal record checks can be obtained from Disclosure Scotland. For further details call their helpline number 0870 609 6006.
How to apply
Application forms for new licences or to renew a licence are available from the Dept for Culture Media and Sport website.
To apply for a personal licence, you have to:
- be aged 18 or over
- possess a licensing qualification or be a person of a prescribed description
- have not forfeited any personal licence in the last five years
- have no unspent convictions for any relevant or foreign offence.
When submitting a personal licence application, you are required to produce:
- Your disclosure certificate from Disclosure Scotland giving details of any relevant conviction/foreign offence, dated within one calendar month of the application
- Your Level 2 National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (accredited by BIIAB/GOAL)
- two passport size photographs one of which must be certified.
If you wish to discuss your application or need more details, please contact the Licensing office using the Contact Details box below.
How much will I have to pay for a personal licence?
The fee for a personal licence application is £37, with the same fee on each renewal at ten yearly intervals.
Information about all Licensing Act 2003 Fee Levels can be found on the Department for Culture Media and Sport site. The Licensing Act 2003 ("The Act") provides for fees to be payable to the licensing authority in respect of the discharge of their functions. The fee levels are set centrally by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, at a level to allow licensing authorities full cost recovery for the administration, inspection and enforcement of the new regime.
Changes to acceptance of payments
Following the banks withdrawal of the use of Cheque Guarantee Cards to ‘guarantee’ payment of a cheque the council has revised its policy in relation to payment by cheque.
In accordance with that policy please note that the Licensing Office cannot accept payment of fees by cheque from the 1st August 2011 for the following applications:-
Fees can be paid in cash or by debit/credit card.
What happens if my Licence Circumstances change?
Please notify the Licensing Office immediately using the Contact Details box below.
If you change your name or address - You must, as soon as reasonably practicable, notify the Licensing Office of this change. Please complete the form (downloadable from the foot of this page) and return it with both parts of your personal licence and the fee of £10.50 to the Licensing Office at the address below.
Contacting the Licensing Office
The office is open from 9.00am to 5.00pm daily. Applicants are seen by appointment only.
Disabled users of our service, please note that if possible could you contact us to make an appointment before visiting our offices, to enable us to meet your needs.
