A personal licence allows an individual to sell alcohol, or authorise other people to sell alcohol, from premises that are licensed for the sale of alcohol.
Personal licences form part of the alcohol licensing system in England and Wales under the Licensing Act 2003. If you want to become a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), manage licensed premises or take responsibility for authorising alcohol sales, obtaining a personal licence is often an important step.
Holding a personal licence allows you to:
Your licence belongs to you, so it can be used at different premises in England and Wales, provided those premises are authorised to sell alcohol.
Not every member of staff who sells alcohol needs to hold a personal licence. However, alcohol sales made under a premises licence must be made or authorised by a personal licence holder.
Premises licensed to sell alcohol will also have a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), and the DPS must hold a personal licence.
A bartender or shop assistant doesn't need their own personal licence to serve alcohol, provided those sales have been properly authorised.
Personal licences are commonly held by people working in roles such as:
You may also choose to get a personal licence if you're progressing into a management role within hospitality or retail.
The Designated Premises Supervisor, usually referred to as the DPS, is the person named on a premises licence as having day‑to‑day responsibility for alcohol sales at that premises.
Where a premises licence authorises the sale of alcohol, the DPS must hold a personal licence. The DPS doesn't have to personally carry out every alcohol sale: other staff can sell alcohol provided the sales are properly authorised.
Read our guide: What is a Designated Premises Supervisor? Changing your DPS? Find out about changing a DPS.
For most applicants in England and Wales, getting a personal licence involves four steps.
The Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH).
With Licensing Solutions, training is online and your exam is conducted remotely.
This lets the licensing authority consider any relevant convictions.
Submit your application once you have your qualification and documents.
Read our step-by-step guide: How Do I Get a Personal Licence?
Step-by-step guideMore on the qualification: BIIAB Award for Personal Licence Holders.
The statutory application fee is currently £37. Check your licensing authority's requirements before you apply.
APLH stands for the Award for Personal Licence Holders. It is the Level 2 licensing qualification commonly taken by people who want to apply for a personal licence in England and Wales.
The qualification is designed to make sure personal licence holders understand their responsibilities when selling or authorising the sale of alcohol.
Yes. Licensing Solutions provides online APLH training, so you can complete the learning in your own time. Once you're ready, you can book your online examination.
Learn more about the personal licence course & exam, or practise with our free mock exam. Passing the APLH doesn't by itself give you a personal licence: you still need to apply to your licensing authority.
There are two separate stages: completing your APLH qualification, and applying for your personal licence. The training can be completed relatively quickly, particularly when studying online. After passing and receiving your certificate, you apply to your licensing authority. Processing times vary between authorities.
How long does a licence last?There are several costs involved:
Personal licences issued under the Licensing Act 2003 in England and Wales do not currently require renewal. The requirement to renew was removed in 2015. Once granted, your licence does not simply expire after a set number of years. However, holders still have legal responsibilities, including keeping certain licence details up to date.
View APLH courseThe easiest way to think about it:
Allows an individual to sell or authorise the sale of alcohol. It's attached to you, so you don't need a new one every time you move to a different licensed premises.
Authorises licensable activities to take place at a particular premises. The premises must still hold the appropriate licence authorising the sale of alcohol.
For many businesses selling alcohol, both types of licence are involved.
What is a premises licence?Read: personal licence vs premises licenceNo.
Bartenders, waiting staff, shop assistants and other employees don't need their own personal licence simply because they sell alcohol. Sales must, however, be properly authorised by a personal licence holder when made under a premises licence.
Businesses can employ teams of staff without every employee being individually licensed.
Not for every sale.
A personal licence holder doesn't have to physically conduct every alcohol sale. Staff can make sales where those sales have been properly authorised, and the DPS plays an important role in making sure alcohol is sold responsibly.
Individual premises may have their own procedures for who can authorise sales and how they're supervised.
Yes.
Holding a personal licence allows you to be named as the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) on a premises licence. If a business wishes to appoint a new DPS, it must submit a Change of DPS application to the relevant licensing authority to update the premises licence with the new DPS.
Find out about changing a DPSIt's possible.
A conviction doesn't automatically stop you getting a personal licence. However, certain relevant offences and foreign offences must be disclosed, and depending on the circumstances the police may object to an application.
If you have relevant convictions, it may be sensible to get specific advice before applying.
18 or over.
You must be 18 or over to apply for a personal licence. You will also need to hold an approved licensing qualification before submitting your application.
Start with the APLH qualification, available online from £75 + VAT.
Not necessarily.
Alcohol can sometimes be sold under a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) without the premises operating under a permanent premises licence. Different rules apply to TENs.
Whether a personal licence is needed depends on how the event is being authorised.
It allows an individual to sell alcohol or authorise alcohol sales from appropriately licensed premises, and allows the holder to act as a Designated Premises Supervisor.
Personal licences issued in England and Wales do not currently have an expiry date requiring periodic renewal.
“Alcohol licence” is an informal term and can refer to several different types of licensing permission. A personal licence specifically relates to an individual, while a premises licence relates to a premises.
Yes. Licensing Solutions provides online APLH training followed by a remotely invigilated online examination.
No. The APLH is the qualification required before applying for the actual personal licence.
Passing the APLH examination does not by itself mean that you hold a personal licence. You still need to make your personal licence application to the appropriate licensing authority.
All applicants will need to hold an approved licensing qualification before applying for a personal licence.
A basic criminal record disclosure is required as part of a personal licence application.
Yes. The personal licence belongs to you rather than to one particular premises.
If you need a personal licence for work or want to become a Designated Premises Supervisor, the first step is completing an approved APLH qualification.
With Licensing Solutions, you can complete your training online and book your examination at a time that suits you.
Questions about the exam, the application or which option to choose? Contact us here or call free on 0800 433 7913.
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