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  • Licensing
  • Personal licences
  • I want to apply for a personal licence
  • I want to apply for a personal licence

    Changes to Basic Disclosure application

    From 3 January 2018, if an applicant is living in England and Wales and requires a basic disclosure check for an application for a personal licence to authorise the sale of alcohol (under the Licensing Act 2003) you will no longer apply to Disclosure Scotland.

    You should now apply for your criminal record check through the Disclosure and Barring Service website.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dbs-checking-service-guidance--2

    Any enquiries regarding this should be directed to the Disclosure and Barring Service via:

    email at customerservices@dbs.gsi.gov.uk

    telephone on 0300 020 0190.

    Application

    If you wish to sell or supply alcohol you will need a personal licence. Personal licences need to be issued to you by your local council so make sure you are a resident of Hastings or St Leonards. Once you are issued with a personal licence it will be valid for life, but only for use in England and Wales.

    If you are not a British citizen, before you apply for a personal licence you must read the this guidance.

    To apply for a personal licence you will need to complete the forms below.

    • Personal licence application form (.pdf 79KB)
    • Disclosure of convictions form (.pdf 58KB)

    Once you have filled out the forms above you will need to submit them to us in person at:

    Licensing Team
    Hastings Borough Council
    Muriel Matters House
    Breeds Place
    Hastings
    East Sussex
    TN34 3UY

    You will also need to provide us with:

    • a current DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check certificate (no more than one month old)
    • evidence of an accredited qualification
    • two passport sized photos
    • payment for the licence fee.

    Complete applications (including the additional information listed above) are normally issued within 7 days of receipt by the council.

    Fees

    The cost of a personal licence is £37.

    View on our full list of fees.

    Conditions

    Without an accredited qualification or DBS check you cannot apply for a personal licence. The document below lists all of the accredited qualifications:

    • List of accredited qualifications

    If you do not have an accredited qualification you will need to get one. Local training providers include:

    • East Sussex College Eastbourne
    • GPS Food Service Solutions

    Right to work/immigration status

    A personal licence may not be issued to an individual or an individual in a partnership which is not a limited liability partnership who is resident in the UK who:

    • does not have the right to live and work in the UK; or
    • is subject to a condition preventing him or her from doing work relating to the carrying on of a licensable activity.

    Any personal licence issued in respect of an application made on or after 6 April 2017 will become invalid if the holder ceases to be entitled to work in the UK.

    Applicants must demonstrate that they have the right to work in the UK and are not subject to a condition preventing them from doing work relating to the carrying on of a licensing activity. They do this by providing with this application copies or scanned copies of the following documents (which do not need to be certified).

    Documents which demonstrate entitlement to work in the UK:

    • An expired or current passport showing the holder, or a person named in the passport as the child of the holder, is a British citizen or a citizen of the UK and Colonies having the right of abode in the UK [please see note below about which sections of the passport to copy].
    • An expired or current passport or national identity card showing the holder, or a person named in the passport as the child of the holder, is a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
    • A Registration Certificate or document certifying permanent residence issued by the Home Office to a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
    • A Permanent Residence Card issued by the Home Office to the family member of a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
    • A current Biometric Immigration Document (Biometric Residence Permit) issued by the Home Office to the holder indicating that the person named is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK.
    • A current passport endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, has the right of abode in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK.
    • A current Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the named person is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK or has no time limit on their stay in the UK, when produced in combination with an official document giving the person's permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer.
    • A full birth or adoption certificate issued in the UK which includes the name(s) of at least one of the holder's parents or adoptive parents, when produced in combination with an official document giving the person's permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer.
    • A birth or adoption certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland when produced in combination with an official document giving the person's permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer.
    • A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, when produced in combination with an official document giving the person's permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer.
    • A current passport endorsed to show that the holder is allowed to stay in the UK and is currently allowed to work and is not subject to a condition preventing the holder from doing work relating to the carrying on of a licensable activity.
    • A current Biometric Immigration Document (Biometric Residence Permit) issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the named person can currently stay in the UK and is allowed to work relation to the carrying on of a licensable activity.
    • A current Residence Card issued by the Home Office to a person who is not a national of a European Economic Area state or Switzerland but who is a family member of such a national or who has derivative rights or residence.
    • A current Immigration Status Document containing a photograph issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the named person may stay in the UK, and is allowed to work and is not subject to a condition preventing the holder from doing work relating to the carrying on of a licensable activity when produced in combination with an official document giving the person's permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer.
    • A Certificate of Application, less than 6 months old, issued by the Home Office under regulation 17(3) or 18A (2) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006, to a  person who is not a national of a European Economic Area  state or Switzerland but who is a family member of such a national or who has derivative rights of residence.
    • Reasonable evidence that the person has an outstanding application to vary their permission to be in the UK with the Home Office such as the Home Office acknowledgement letter or proof of postage evidence, or reasonable evidence that the person has an appeal or administrative review pending on an immigration decision, such as an appeal or administrative review reference number.

    Reasonable evidence that a person who is not a national of a European Economic Area state or Switzerland but who is a family member of such a national or who has derivative rights of residence in exercising treaty rights in the UK including:

    • evidence of the applicant's own identity - such as a passport,
    • evidence of their relationship with the European Economic Area family member - e.g. a marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate or birth certificate, and
    • evidence that the European Economic Area national has a right of permanent residence in the UK or is one of the following if they have been in the UK for more than 3 months:
      (i) working e.g. employment contract, wage slips, letter from the employer,
      (ii) self-employed e.g. contracts, invoices, or audited accounts with a bank,
      (iii) studying e.g. letter from the school, college or university and evidence of sufficient funds; or
      (iv) self-sufficient e.g. bank statements.

    Family members of European Economic Area nationals who are studying or financially independent must also provide evidence that the European Economic Area national and any family members hold comprehensive sickness insurance in the UK. This can include a private medical insurance policy, an EHIC card or an S1, S2 or S3 form.

    Original documents must not be sent to licensing authorities. If the document copied is a passport, a copy of the following pages should be provided:-

    (i) any page containing the holder's personal details including nationality;
    (ii) any page containing the holder's photograph;
    (iii) any page containing the holder's signature;
    (iv) any page containing the date of expiry; and
    (v) any page containing information indicating the holder has permission to enter or remain in the UK and is
    permitted to work.

    If the document is not a passport, a copy of the whole document should be provided.

    Your right to work will be checked as part of your licensing application and this could involve us checking your immigration status with the Home Office. We may otherwise share information with the Home Office. Your licence application will not be determined until you have complied with this guidance.

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