Where can I sell
alcohol online?
Understand where your licence applies, and what you need to stay legal.
- Sell from home, a shop or a warehouse
- Licensed where the sale is completed
- Fully compliant with UK licensing law
Where you can legally sell alcohol online
What matters is the physical premises connected with the sale, not the website. Your fulfilment arrangement decides which premises that is.
-
Selling from home
- You can sell alcohol online from home
- Your home then needs a premises licence
- The licence must include permission for off‑sales
-
Retail shop or off licence
- You can sell alcohol online from your existing shop or off licence
- Your current premises licence may already allow off‑sales
- Check with your local council to be sure
-
Warehouse or storage unit
- You can sell alcohol online from a warehouse or storage unit
- The premises must have a premises licence
- A DPS (Designated Premises Supervisor) is required
-
Website or online store
- Your website does not need a licence
- It is simply the platform where customers place orders
- The licence relates to your physical location
Alcohol can only be sold online where the premises connected with the sale holds the correct licence. If you are unsure which premises that is, check it before you begin trading. See the Home Office Section 182 guidance, or read our guides on selling alcohol from home and alcohol licensing for an online business.
What licences you need
Premises licence
- Required for the location you dispatch alcohol from
- Must include the sale of alcohol
- Must allow off‑sales
Personal licence
- Required for the person who authorises the sale of alcohol
- You must hold a valid personal licence
DPS (Designated Premises Supervisor)
- Mandatory if you sell alcohol
- Must hold a personal licence
- Responsible for the day‑to‑day running of alcohol sales
What you can't do
- Sell alcohol from an unlicensed address
- Dispatch alcohol from a location without a premises licence
- Ignore age verification and other legal requirements
Operating without a licence is a criminal offence and can result in heavy fines or even imprisonment.
Compliance requirements
- Age verificationVerify customers' age at checkout.
- ID on deliveryCheck ID when delivering alcohol orders.
- Staff trainingEnsure staff are trained in age verification and refusal procedures.
- Refusals logKeep a refusals log recording all refused sales.
Licensing authorities expect strict systems to prevent sales to underage customers.
Related licensing guides
Premises licence
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