Liquor licence – for the benefit of the buyers as well as the sellers

Personal Licence

The business of alcohol selling is accompanied with a number of rules and regulations. These rules are fabricated in the interests of the producers and consumers and are meant for helping the alcohol selling businesses proceed in a lawful manner.

The primary rule to be followed by the alcohol sellers and caterers is obtaining a personal licence that allows them to sell alcohol and also specifies different things to be kept in mind for legitimate liquor selling. Obtaining this licence from the local licensing authorities is a short and simple process. If you are above eighteen years of age and have a clean criminal record, you can start the process of acquiring a licence right away.

Before making the application, you need to go through a short training and an examination. Clearing this examination will make you eligible for making the application. Then the local authorities will have to perform a criminal background check proving that you have a clear history. As soon as everything is assured, you will be issued your personal licence for selling alcohol. Possessing this licence, you will be able to sell your products in a particular area. The selling price and other rules are established by the government of the region and any modification cannot be made to them.

Furthermore, other things such as the minimum age of the buyer and the quantity that can be sold to a person are also specified under these rules. Being an alcohol dealer, it becomes your responsibility towards the society to know these things before commencing the business. There are various such courses available which can be undertaken to attain detailed knowledge of the liquor business related laws. So even after obtaining a liquor licence, you can update your knowledge by putting yourself up for more such courses.

Legalize your alcohol business with a personal licence

Alcohol Licence Advice Centre

The BIIAB or the British School of Innkeepers Award Body is a well recognized institute in the UK licensed retail industry. It is a subdivision of the professional organization that takes the charge for planning and providing training to the individuals that aspire to obtain a personal license for selling alcohol in a lawful way. All the industry credentials that the BIIAB is responsible for providing are, but not limited to:

- Drinks certificates
- Customer service qualifications
- Certified bar- person qualifications
- Personal license training

There are various autonomous institutes and training centers in UK that provide these training courses and are certified by the BIIAB. The number of such institutes in UK is about six hundred. These institutes not only deliver the courses to the alcohol license aspirants but also help them to make the personal licence application to the authorities of their state.

An essential qualification for obtaining the personal alcohol license presented by BIIAB is the NCPLH course or the National Certificate for Personal License Holders course. It has been regularized by the government that anyone involved in a business that involves selling of license, onsite or offsite consumption of alcohol during a particular time of the day must possess such a license. It is just like any other qualification that ensures that you are well aware of the legitimate way of doing what you are doing and know all the legal aspects associated with the business. On the other hand, if you are selling liquor without a license for the activity, any legal action can be taken against you anytime.

The whole procedure of obtaining a personal alcohol license is formed in such a way that a person will only reach the final stage of the personal licence application when he has acquainted himself with all the information he is expected to have. The process starts with the initial training for a few days. If you are taking this training from an instructor, you will just have to utilize a single day to cover the whole syllabus. But if you cannot spend a whole day for it, you can go for the other two modes of training which are:

- Either the training will be delivered at your office
- Or you will be sent the course material which you will have to go through according to your convenience.

This way, you will be yourself responsible for completing the course. After completion, you have to sit in an examination to evaluate what you received from your training. On qualifying the examination, you will get a certificate stating that you attended the training and are eligible for applying for the personal licence. Now you have to approach your licensing authorities to make the personal licence application. You will be given a form that requires to be filled very carefully as a small inaccuracy may result in the cancellation of the application. A better way to go for it is to ask the training institute staff to assist you in the task.

Types of alcohol personal licences issued by state government or municipalities

Alcohol Personal Licence

An alcohol license allows a person to sell alcohol in a particular premise. When the governing body of the city such as the city council determines that the person who has applied for a personal license is eligible of possessing this license, it authorizes the municipalities of the town to issue him the license. An alcohol selling or catering business taking place without a license is considered to be illegal.

One thing that the businessmen usually get confused with is whether permits and licenses are the same thing or they differ in any way. The answer is that they are different as permits are required by those who have a wholesale business of alcohol or are involved in production of alcohol, whereas, an alcohol personal licence is needed by alcohol retailers.

Types of alcohol licences:

There are various kinds of alcohol permits and licenses but a few of them are more commonly required and issued by the authorities. Here are the common licenses issued:

- Class A fermented Malt beverage licence – A person possessing this kind of a license is allowed the sale of malt beverages like beer in his premises like grocery stores. It allows only off- site consumption.
- Class A liquor licence – For selling intoxicated liquor such as wine, a person would need this kind of a license. For instance, the liquor shops and grocery stores that keep full range of liquors for sale will need this type of licence. It also allows off- site drinking only.
- Class B fermented malt beverage license – It is just the same as the class A malt beverage license with a consent of on and off site consumption. Premises like restaurants and beer bars would need this kind of a licence for a legal operation. 
- Class B liquor licence – Same as Class a liquor license, but with the additional permission of consuming liquor on site. If asked for, the licensing authority can also permit the sale of liquor up to four liters in the original containers for consuming off site. The state laws of some states also allow to take over an opened bottled of wine if taken with a meal.
- Class C wine licence – Under this type of alcohol license, it is allowed to carry a single resealed bottle with sold with meal.
- Temporary Class B licences – These types of licenses are needed if you want to sell retail beer and/or wine on temporary basis. For instance, during festive seasons or special events like fairs, these licenses can be taken. The laws for acquiring these licenses are more firm. Often only local fair associations, churches, lodges, societies and bona- fide clubs which are formed for more than six months are granted these licenses. These are also called picnic licenses.

The fee imposed for obtaining the licence is dependent upon the kind of alcohol personal licence. It also varies from state to state. The state authorities can also grant other kinds of licenses depending upon the circumstances.

Requirements to Apply For Premise License

Premises Licence

In order to run an alcohol premise, where you need to carry out daily selling of alcohol to the public in an authorized manner, an alcohol premise license is required. The owners of the alcohol premises such as pubs, bars, restaurants, and even shopping mall are required to have the premise license to sell alcohol. All the legal formalities and documents required for the application of a license are as follows:

In order to apply for a Premises Licence a person needs to send the following information to the appropriate licensing establishment:

- A duly filled application form along with the plan of expansion on the scale of 1:100 to which the request is related needs to be sent. Also the charge depending upon the premises non-domestic ratable price is required to be sent.

- The request of supply of alcohol must be accompanied with the details regarding the personal license holder whom the premise owner desires to be the ‘Designated Premises Supervisor’ along with the license holder approval form and other relevant document.

The plan should explain
The perimeter of the premise and information on any internal external walls if required; the details regarding the entrances and the exits of the premise, specification of the escape routes, information regarding all the licensed activities being conducted in a premise is required. Also the details regarding the internal structures such as furnishings or entities provisionally in a fixed position which may allow the people to escape the building without any problem; all the information regarding the building structures and its interiors such as existence of any stage, elevators and stairs, rooms and public restrooms, fire and marine safety equipments, a kitchen if any, their exact location and size needs to be specified in the plan.

A legend may also be included along with the other documents to effectively demonstrate the above mentioned criteria’s by using the appropriate symbols.

Displaying the notice on the premises
As the form is submitted to the licensing authority a notice should be put on view in the premises from where it can be easily read from even the outside of the premise. If the area covered by the building is more than 50 square meters, a similar notice should be displayed after the distance of 50 meters along with the circumference of the building. The noticed to be displayed should be printed in black color with font size greater than or equal to 16 on an A4 or a larger sheet of paper.

The notice should mention
The information regarding the licensable activities that is being requested would be done in and from the premises. Postal address and name of the applicant; other relevant details such as website address where the potential clients or parties can make representations in writing is to be stated in the notice. It should also state that intentionally or hastily making or incorrect statement related to the application is a legal offence and heavy fine will be charged to the individual who is found guilty for the offence.

Such a notice should also be made to circulate by the means of a local newspaper within the 10 working days when the Premises Licence application was submitted.

How to apply for personal license?

Personal Licence Application

Anyone who wishes to pursue a gratifying career in catering and hospitality industry must be well versed with personal license and must know how to apply for the same. This very license is capable of allowing the holder to supply the alcohol and in return purchase also. It could be readily done within the premises if it is covered under premises license.

In order to attain a personal license, you need to file for personal licence application. One must know that personal license doesn’t mean that you are tied to a particular premise, in actual the holder is free to use the license at any place, and any premises of his choice and further more is allowed to supply alcohol. Other benefits that accompany along are the person is designated as premises supervisor and can use the temporary event notice which is an advantage as compared to the person who does not hold one.

The person who wants to hold a personal license must adhere to four prior requirements and those are as follow:

- Must of 18 years of age or above
- He must not have forfeited
- He ought to have one accredited licensing qualification
- He must not be a convict in any of the federal or foreign offence.

If the above stated requirements are not met, then there are 100 percent chances of the application being rejected. If by chance the 4th requirement is not met, the cops have equal chances of questing in regard to the application. Thus, the licensing committee has to look into the matter thoroughly and make a decision whether the license must be granted or not. If all the norms are followed and the criteria are satisfying then at once the application is granted. Prior needs are:

- Obtaining appropriate qualification
The prior need is that in order to attain personal license, you must have been a part of licensing qualification course such as BIIAB training or APLH, NCPLH etc. Other than this you must have regularly attended the class, taken examination and cleared them. Such courses are readily available under the name of Level 2 National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders.

- Application forms
Primarily 2 application forms are available in regard to the permits which are obtainable from the licensing authority. The first application is concerning the license itself and the second one is disclosure of conviction and declaration. The content of the application is straightforward and the guidelines are stated side by side that would provide ease in filling up the form. These should be signed properly and detailed out nicely so that the chances of rejection are lowered.

- Submission of the application
The personal licence application is ought to be sent to the licensing authority of the area where the applicant resides. If you live in some other area and setting up business elsewhere, then it is your wish where to send. Some important documents are to be enclosed together such as:

- Qualification certificate stating that you are eligible
- Valid criminal record check stating the year of crime (if committed)
- Completely signed declaration of convictions
- Current attested photographs. Attestation to be done by federal officer
- Fee check must be sent along

Personal Licence- what difference does it make?

Personal Licence

Different people of a society have different viewpoints when it comes to consumption of alcohol. Some of them would take it as a bad thing resulting in mischievous behavior while others will take it as a status symbol to consume liquor with food. Blaming alcohol for a mischievous behavior is somewhat right to an extent. Maximum accidental cases arise due to people who illegally take liquor and drive after drinking. This also makes the alcohol supplier responsible for such cases.

There are many things which are essential to be known and recognized by the liquor retailer for avoiding nuisance caused due to the effects of alcohol consumption. A personal licence for alcohol selling is a permit that ensures that the person involved in this business is well acquainted with the laws of alcohol selling. If someone is into this business, it becomes an added qualification for him to strengthen his business. For acquiring such a license, it is mandatory for a person to go through a proper training process under which he will get all the knowledge required to become an alcohol licensee.

For responsible alcohol retail, the person involved in this business, whether the owner or the supplier must know certain rules and regulations of this business. It is very important to know and follow certain clauses involved in selling alcohol. If the people selling alcohol are well aware of these rules, they will easily get to know when a line has been crossed. Some customers tend to continue consuming liquor after the last limit has come. In such cases, a conversant alcohol retailer can cut the customer off before the inebriation level rises for the safety of the consumer as well as other people.

The process of attaining this license is very simple and short. There are many institutes which are accredited by government organizations for providing training and workshop practice for the certification of a person as an authorized liquor license holder. Getting such a certification from an accredited institute will help him get a personal liquor license from the government. These trainings are short and easy to understand and anyone undergoing these programs will get a detailed knowledge of particulars of this business.

Once you successfully get a certificate that proves that you have undertaken an alcohol selling training, it makes your licensing process faster. When you approach the licensing authorities with this certificate, they will perform a few verification checks on you. Soon you will be issued a personal licence for alcohol selling and vending. Otherwise the process of getting a license is very lengthy and a high grade of precision is followed before providing a liquor license to anybody. This process is different in different countries according to the rules laid by their respective government.

A successful alcohol selling business requires you to know the laws followed in the area where you want to do your business and the laws that are to be followed on a large scale.  So take your time to select the right course you want to do and follow a legitimate way to ensure the success of your business.

Alcohol licence is the official permit to sell the alcohol

Alcohol Licence

Who so ever wishes to be an authorized seller of alcohol must have a personal licence. This is an identity card that ensures that the person who is selling the liquor has got the liable permission from the government authorities. Consequently, it even signifies that the dealer is aware of the rules and regulation that are related to the sale of the alcohol.

Dealers who wish to get an alcohol licence can find for the agencies that provide with the concerned documentation and liability. Those who want to get engaged in the dealership of alcohol must be aware of all the rules and regulations imposed by the government and adhere to them strictly. While applying for the application the dealer may cross check the course which is suitable for him and interrogate about the same with the company he is engaged to. Such organizations have their outlets almost everywhere and the person as per his requirement could visit any of the outlet and get his work done. Before going, if the service is available online then an online schedule could be seen and the timings could be fixed.

 The website has the detailed information about every location outlet and even the name of the attorneys is present who would help in filing the application and attaining the licence. The organization has made the service so convenient that the experts are patient enough and make the customer understand all the rules that are to be followed in the entire procedure.

Before visiting the office, one could check on the website that what all are the requirements and what all is to be carried along to the office. The experts make the dealers understand that they need to run their business in an ethical manner and be aware of all social and legal responsibilities. The rule include that the liquor must not be sold to young people or teenager who often buy the hard drinks due to peer pressure. A specific amount of liquor is to be sold to a particular person and even aware the customers of the health hazards caused by the drinks. If later, at late night if any of the nuisances is occurred he must at once call the cops and report the situation.

Once the dealer holds the alcohol licence he has to abide by all the state and federal rule designed by the governments and even ask his fellow members to follow the same. Dealers are to sell the products within the specific area where they have been licensed to. Beyond that area if, he is found selling the liquor it is an offence and the application could be cancelled at that very moment. The prices decided by the government are to be levied on the customers, apart from that no extra surcharge is to be charged. He must follow all the legal bindings that are imposed on purchasing and selling of alcohol. No undue profit should be made that harms the customers.

Licence is customary in month or so. Plus, it is advisable to find a suitable company, furthermore be an authorized dealer because selling alcohol without licence is a crime.