How to get a personal licence in England and Wales: pass the Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH), get a basic DBS check (£20 on GOV.UK), then send both to the council where you live with two photos, proof of your right to work and the £37 fee. All in, expect roughly £170 to £220 including the course. Once you've got it, it never needs renewing. The licence that used to expire after ten years was scrapped in 2015.
That's the short version. The long version is mostly about the bits that go wrong: the DBS that's gone stale by the time you post it, the photo nobody signed, the council you apply to, and the convictions you're legally bound to tell them about afterwards. I hold one, and I'd rather people knew this before they paid for the course than after.
Do you actually need one?
Less often than people think. You don't need a personal licence to work behind a bar or to serve alcohol. The law says every sale under a premises licence has to be made or authorised by a personal licence holder, and the Home Office guidance is clear that the licence holder doesn't have to be there or watch each sale. Authorised is enough.
You do need one if:
- You're going to be the designated premises supervisor (DPS). Every premises licence that sells alcohol has to name one, and the DPS has to hold a personal licence. If you're taking on a pub as a tenant or a manager, this is you.
- You want to run more than five Temporary Event Notices a year. Without a personal licence you get 5 a year (2 late). With one you get 50 (10 late). If you do weddings, festivals or a stall at the village fete, that alone can justify it. My TEN guide has the rest of the rules.
- The job advert asks for it. Plenty of assistant manager and supervisor roles do, because it gives the pub cover when the DPS is off.
Clubs running under a club premises certificate, and sales under a TEN, don't need sales authorised by a personal licence holder at all.
Step 1: the qualification (APLH)
You need a licensing qualification accredited by the Home Office. In England and Wales that's the Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders, the APLH, offered through awarding bodies such as BIIAB and Highfield. In Scotland it's a different qualification, the SCPLH, with its own system. This guide is England and Wales.
The course covers licensing law, the four licensing objectives, the DPS role, TENs, underage sales, the effects of alcohol and refusing service. Most people do it online in about a day. Cheltenham Borough Council, which runs it through Highfield, describes the exam as 40 multiple-choice questions in an hour with a 70% pass mark.
| Provider | Package | Ex VAT | Inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham Borough Council (Highfield) | E-learning and exam | £95 | £114 |
| Cheltenham Borough Council (Highfield) | Exam only | £60 | £72 |
| John Gaunt & Partners (BIIAB) | Online course, about 6 hours, plus exam | £135 | £162 |
Some providers advertise the training as free and charge for the exam. Fine, just compare the total, not the headline. And check the exam is with an accredited awarding body, because the council will want the certificate.
Step 2: the basic DBS check
The council needs proof of whether you have any unspent convictions. The usual way is a basic DBS check, which you can request online from GOV.UK. It costs £20 and usually takes up to three days to process, then the certificate comes in the post.
The trap: some councils only accept a certificate issued within the last month. South Tyneside's page says the check is valid for one calendar month from the date it's issued. So don't order the DBS first and sit on it while you get round to the exam. Pass the exam, then order the DBS, then apply the week it lands.
Use the England and Wales DBS. South Tyneside, for one, says it no longer accepts Disclosure Scotland certificates.
Step 3: apply to the right council
You apply to the licensing authority where you live, not where the pub is. That council stays your licensing authority for good, even if you move house or take a pub at the other end of the country. Change of name or address, you tell them.
What goes in the envelope, or the online form. This is South Tyneside's list, and most councils ask for the same:
- The application form, plus the declaration about criminal convictions.
- Your APLH certificate.
- The basic DBS certificate.
- Two passport-style photos, 45mm by 35mm. One has to be signed on the back as a true likeness by a solicitor, a notary, a person of standing in the community or someone with a professional qualification. This is the one that gets applications sent back.
- Proof of your right to work in the UK. A driving licence isn't acceptable. Photocopies are.
- The fee: £37. It's set nationally, so it's the same everywhere.
If you've no unspent relevant convictions and you've sent everything, the council has to grant it. The police only get involved if you've got an unspent conviction for a relevant offence, in which case the council tells them and they can object, and you'd be entitled to a hearing.
What it all costs
| Item | Cheaper route | Dearer route |
|---|---|---|
| APLH course and exam (inc VAT) | £114 | £162 |
| Basic DBS check | £20 | £20 |
| Council application fee | £37 | £37 |
| Total, before photos and postage | £171 | £219 |
Put another way, on the £2.45 of gross profit a typical £5.34 pint makes, it's 70 to 90 pints. For something that never expires, it's the cheapest bit of paperwork in the trade. If you're an employer, paying for a good supervisor's licence is one of the better things you can spend £200 on, because it means the place can open properly when you're not there.
After you've got it: the bit nobody reads
Personal licences stay valid unless they're surrendered, suspended, revoked or forfeited. That's the part people forget, because there's no renewal letter to remind you it's a live thing.
- You have to tell the council about relevant convictions. The Licensing Act puts that duty on you, and courts tell councils too. Relevant offences are listed in schedule 4 of the Act and include licensing offences and some drink-driving and drugs offences.
- The council can suspend or revoke it. Since 6 April 2017 a council can revoke a personal licence, or suspend it for up to six months, if you're convicted of a relevant offence or get an immigration civil penalty. It's a decision for the licensing committee, not an officer on their own.
- If your right to work ends, it lapses. For licences applied for since 6 April 2017, a licence held by someone subject to immigration control lapses if they stop being entitled to work in the UK.
- Old expiry dates don't count. If you've got a licence from before 2015 with an expiry date on it, the date has no effect. You don't need a new one.
What a personal licence doesn't do
It doesn't license a building. The pub needs its own premises licence, held by the business or the pubco, and that names the DPS. If you're taking on a pub, the DPS change goes in on a separate form, which can be made with immediate effect, and the police can only object in exceptional circumstances. Your personal licence is portable. It goes with you from pub to pub.
It also doesn't make you the expert on the night. The licence holder carries the can, but the people behind the bar make the decisions at 11pm. A refusals log and an incident book are what show the council you run a tight ship if anything ever lands. I've covered both in what to record in a pub incident log.
One idea that saves hassle later
Keep a one-page "licence pack" in the office: a copy of your personal licence, the premises licence summary, the DPS details, your training records and the last refusals log. When the licensing officer, the police or a new area manager walks in, you hand them the folder. It takes ten minutes to put together, and I've never met a licensing officer who wasn't happier with a pub that could find its own paperwork. Add your staff's right to work checks to it while you're there.
If you're getting the licence because you're thinking of taking on a pub, my guide on how to become a pub landlord has the other steps, the training the pubcos want and what it costs to get in.
Common questions
How do I get a personal licence?
In England and Wales, pass the Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH), get a basic DBS check, then apply to the council where you live with the form, the qualification, the DBS certificate, two photos (one signed as a true likeness), proof of right to work and the £37 fee.
How much does a personal licence cost in 2026?
Roughly £171 to £219. The APLH course and exam costs about £114 to £162 including VAT from published providers, a basic DBS check is £20 and the council fee is £37.
Does a personal licence expire?
No. The Deregulation Act 2015 removed the requirement to renew from 1 April 2015. Licences stay valid unless surrendered, suspended, revoked or forfeited. Old expiry dates printed on pre-2015 licences no longer have any effect.
Do you need a personal licence to work behind a bar?
No. Every alcohol sale must be made or authorised by a personal licence holder, but the holder does not have to be present for each sale. You need one to be the designated premises supervisor or to give more than five temporary event notices a year.
Which council do I apply to for a personal licence?
The licensing authority where you normally live, not where the pub is. That council stays your licensing authority even if you move or work elsewhere.
Can a personal licence be taken away?
Yes. Since 6 April 2017 a council can revoke it or suspend it for up to six months after a conviction for a relevant offence or an immigration civil penalty, and courts can order suspension or forfeiture.
Sources
- Every sale made or authorised by a personal licence holder, holder need not be present, no requirement under a TEN or club certificate, who can apply, apply where ordinarily resident, police only notified for unspent relevant convictions, validity, renewal removed by the Deregulation Act 2015, lapse when right to work ends, name and address changes, duty to notify convictions, revocation or suspension up to six months from 6 April 2017, DPS portability, limit of five TENs a year without a personal licence and 50 with: Home Office, Revised guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, September 2026, paragraphs 4.1 to 4.75, and 7.15 on TEN limits.
- Relevant offences: Licensing Act 2003, schedule 4.
- Application documents, £37 fee, DBS valid one calendar month from issue, Disclosure Scotland not accepted, photo sizes and endorsement, right to work ID, driving licence not acceptable, no renewal: South Tyneside Council, Personal licence. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Basic DBS check costs £20 and usually takes up to 3 days to process: GOV.UK, Request a basic DBS check. Checked 2 November 2026.
- APLH exam 40 multiple-choice questions in one hour, 70% pass mark, e-learning and exam £95 plus VAT, exam only £60 plus VAT: Cheltenham Borough Council, Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders. Checked 2 November 2026.
- £135 plus VAT, about 6 hours online, BIIAB exam, SCPLH in Scotland: John Gaunt & Partners, APLH course, exam and qualification. Checked 2 November 2026.
- £2.45 gross profit on a £5.34 pint: my electricity per pint guide. Totals and pint equivalents are my arithmetic.