Apply for a personal alcohol licence
You need to get a personal alcohol licence if you:
- are designated as the premises supervisor (DPS) on a premises Licence for a premises where alcohol is to be sold
- want to sell alcohol under a premises licence or authorise others to sell alcohol under a premises licence
- if you want to use more than 5 Temporary Event Notices in each calendar year
You can only apply if you have not forfeited a personal licence in the last 5 years.
It costs £37 to apply for a licence.
Before you start
You should read our personal licence guidance notes.
Make sure you're aware of what to do if you're applying with a current conviction or offence.
How to apply
You must be 18 or over to apply.
During you application you'll be asked to upload:
- a scan or photograph of the physical copy of your award for Personal Licence Holders (Level 2) certificate (we cannot accept a digitally issued certificate)
- a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check issued within the last month
- a copy of your proof of entitlement to work in the UK, such as a British or Irish passport or a right to work share code
- 2 certified passport photos (certified by a solicitor or professional individual). Complete and attach your photos to the form provided showing the front of the first photo and the back of the signed photo. You will be asked to upload this as part of the application
Ensure you have these documents available before you begin.
You’ll be asked to register or log in to your account.
GOV.UK also provides a paper application.
Email your application and supporting documents to [email protected]
You can also post them to:
Commercial Licensing Team
Buckinghamshire Council
The Gateway
Gatehouse Road
Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire
HP19 8FF
Pay the fee
You'll need to pay a statutory fee of £37 to apply for a licence.
Do not send cash or cheques, we'll contact you for payment once we have verified your application.
After you apply
We'll issue your licence within a month of receiving your application. Your licence will not expire unless it is cancelled or revoked.
Applicants and other parties may appeal a decision of the licensing committee.
Appeals must be lodged within 21 days of the date the applicant was informed of the committee’s decision at the local Magistrates Court.
As part of your application, you must declare any unspent convictions for a relevant offence, foreign offences or if you have been required to pay an immigration penalty as set out in Licensing Act 2003.
If you apply with a current conviction
We must notify the police of your application.
If the police are satisfied that granting would undermine the crime prevention objective they are obliged to notify us within 14 days. If we're notified, a hearing will be held to decide whether to grant or reject the licence application.
If you apply with a current immigration offence, a comparable foreign offence or have been required to pay an immigration penalty
We must notify the Secretary of State.
If the Secretary of State is satisfied that granting the licence would be prejudicial to preventing illegal working in licensed premises, they are obliged to notify us within 14 days. If we're notified, a hearing will be held to decide whether to grant or reject the licence application.
If you're charged with a relevant offence after receiving your licence
You must notify the court that you're a personal licence holder during your first appearance.
If you're subsequently convicted for the relevant offence, the court must notify us of your conviction.
Convictions after receiving your personal licence
If, after receiving your licence, you are:
- convicted of a relevant offence and the court was not made aware you hold a personal licence
- convicted of a foreign offence
- required to pay an immigration penalty
You must let us know by contacting the licensing team.
It is an offence to fail to notify us, or the court, when required, punishable by a fine of up to £500.
If you have moved address or legally changed your name it is your responsibility as a personal licence holder to notify the original issuing licensing authority in writing of any changes as soon as possible.
Even if you move out of the area, the personal licence remains with the issuing authority.
if you have changed your address or name, complete this form to amend the details on your Personal Licence. You will be asked to upload a new passport photo and a payment of £10.50.
After completing the form, please return your Personal Licence to:
Commercial Licensing Team
The Gateway
Gatehouse Road
Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire
HP19 8FF
If your personal licence becomes lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed you can request a new licence.
If you are requesting a replacement licence due to damage, return your current personal licence to:
Commercial Licensing Team
The Gateway
Gatehouse Road
Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire
HP19 8FF
You will be required to make a payment of £10.50 for a replacement licence.
Licences issued by former district councils
You do not need to replace your personal licence if it has an expiry date under the Licensing Act 2003. The requirement to renew personal licences every 10 years was removed by the Deregulation Act 2015.
Your licence will remain valid indefinitely, regardless of any expiry date printed on it, unless it's either:
- surrendered
- suspended
- revoked
- forfeited
If you hold a personal licence issued by any of the former district councils of Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern South Bucks or Wycombe, these will continue to remain valid. You're not required to replace these with a Buckinghamshire Council licence.
Contact the licensing team
If you need help making your application, contact the alcohol and entertainment licensing team.
Our privacy policy
We are the controller for the personal information we use about you. We're committed to protecting your privacy when you use our services.
The law requires us to give you details about how we use and protect your information, view our privacy information.