A personal licence allows you to sell or supply alcohol. Every sale at premises licensed to sell alcohol must be authorised by somebody who has one, although not everybody selling it needs one.
You do not need one to provide late-night refreshment, regulated entertainment, or if you are operating under a club premises certificate.
A licence lasts for an indefinite period. You can surrender it if you no longer need it. We can revoke, suspend or declare it forfeit in certain circumstances.
Eligibility
To apply for a personal licence, you must:
- be 18 or older and live inside the city boundary
- have the right to work in the UK
- have an accredited personal licence qualification
We cannot grant you a licence if:
- you have forfeited a personal licence within five the last years
- you have been convicted of any relevant offence or foreign equivalent
- you are not allowed to carry out licensable activities
Your licence will not be valid if you lose the right to work in the UK.
You do not need any connection with any licensed premises to apply for a personal licence.
We are accredited with the British Innkeeping Institute Awarding Body (BIIAB) to provide level 2 award training for personal licence holders. Other training providers are available – you do not have to use our services.
Apply
You can apply for a personal licence on our licensing portal. You must upload various documents to support your application – read the list of required documents below.
A fee of £37 applies for the application. You will be asked to pay this at the end of submitting your application on the licensing portal.
You will be asked to declare that you have not been convicted of a relevant or foreign offence. If you have been, you must provide details of the nature and date of the conviction and sentence.
If you live outside the city boundary, apply to South Cambridgeshire District Council or your local council. If you are not normally resident in England or Wales, we can process your application.
Required documents
You must provide:
- a clear photograph of yourself taken against a list background, with:
- no facial covering or sunglasses
- no head covering unless you wear one due to your religious beliefs
- evidence that you have the right to work in the UK
- evidence of a criminal record check from within the last month, either:
- a basic disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service
- a criminal conviction certificate issued under section 112 of the Police Act 1997
- a criminal record certificate issued under section 113A of the Police Act 1997
- the results of a subject access search under the Data Protection Act 1998 of the Police National Computer by the National Identification Service
- a statement verifying that the photograph is a true likeness of you by either:
- a solicitor or notary
- a bank official, police officer, civil servant, minister of religion, or person of similar standing
- an individual with a professional qualification
Prove your right to work
If you are not a British or Irish citizen, you should be able to use the government’s prove your right to work service.
You will be given a ‘share code’ that we can use to check your eligibility for a licence.
You must demonstrate that:
- you have the right to work in the UK
- you are not subject to any conditions that would prevent you from doing work related to a licensable activity
Your responsibilities as a licence holder
You must tell us if your licence is lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. If it is lost or stolen, you must also report it to the police.
You must tell us if you change your name or address.
You can apply for a replacement licence or to change your name or address using our licensing portal. You will be asked to pay the associated fee at the end of the application process.
You must tell us if you are convicted for any relevant offence or foreign equivalent. You must inform the court that you are a personal licence holder. The courts must also tell us about any convictions, regardless of whether they have ordered the suspension of forfeiture of the licence.
We can suspend your licence for up to six months or revoke it if you are convicted for a relevant offence. If your licence is suspended or declared forfeit, we will ask you to return it to us.
