You need to get a personal alcohol licence if you:

• want to sell alcohol at a premises that holds a premises licence
• want to get more than five temporary event notices in a year
• are a designated premises supervisor at a premises that holds a premises licence.

You don't need to get a personal licence for every person at an establishment that supplies alcohol, but you must make sure that a personal licence holder authorises every sale of alcohol.

You should have a written list of people who have been authorised to sell alcohol on behalf of the personal licence holder. This list should be made available for inspection by licensing or police officers at the premises.

Apply for a licence

Please note - You must apply to the licensing authority of the district or borough in which you live, not where you work. If you live outside Royal Greenwich, apply to your local authority.

Before you apply, you need to:

• read the guidance on applying for a personal alcohol licence
• undertake training and get an accredited Level 2 certificate for personal licence holders - see the guidance on personal licence courses (Gov.UK)
• get endorsed passport photos - details of photo requirements and endorsements are in the guidance on applying for a personal alcohol licence
• apply for a criminal convictions certificate/search (see guidance below)
• register an account by clicking on 'apply online' below.

Download a printable copy of the application form

Apply online 

Criminal Record Check

The application must be accompanied by a basic disclosure check certificate.

To apply for this certificate you should visit the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) website. You can contact DBS for help with this by:

• Email: customerservices@dbs.gsi.gov.uk
• Telephone: 0300 020 0190

Please note that any certificate or search results supplied must not have been issued any earlier than one calendar month before making the application for the personal licence to the licensing authority.

What happens next

We'll usually notify you within 20 working days of the result of your application. If your application is successful, you can either collect the licence from the Woolwich Centre or we can post it to you.

Licence fees

The application fee for a personal alcohol licence is £37.

The administration fee for any changes made to a licence or for a copy of a licence is £10.50.

You can pay by a cheque or postal order made payable to the Royal Borough of Greenwich or by cash.

Renew your licence

You no longer need to renew personal licences. Your personal licence is valid until you surrender it or it's revoked.