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To become a Licensee under the Licensing Act 2003 to sell or authorise the sale of alcohol by retail or the supply of alcohol you will have to hold a personal licence. In order to qualify for a personal licence, you must by law study and pass a licensing qualification.

The NCPLH for England and Wales or the SCPLH for Scotland.

To qualify for a licence to sell alcohol you will require training and a qualification for the Personal Licence Holder. You can attend a one day instructor led course, sitting the examination at the end of the day, on a successful pass you will receive a certificate that will allow you to apply to your local Licensing Authority for your Personal Licence.

You can study the NCPLH or the SCPLH On-Line, this is a study course only, you will have to sit your final exam at an approved centre, which are located throughout the UK

Steps To Take

1. Complete a training course (1 day or eLearning) as above
2. Pass a multi choice exam 40 questions 28 correct to pass
3. Get a CRB certificate/Police check
4. Get 2 x passport photo's
5. Apply to the Council where you live for your licence

Yes, the NCPLH is for England & Wales, whereas the SCPLH is for Scotland. These are different and have their own syllabus and exams.

Send it to the licensing authority or board to whom you are making your personal licence application.

You will also need to include, a completed application form, CRB certificate, 2 x passport photo's and the required fee.
If you are not sure who is your licensing authority click here.

A Basic CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) Disclosure certificate which may be obtained from Disclosure Scotland. Link to Disclosure Scotland.

Not necessary, with a current licence holder who can authorise others to sell alcohol. However; You may be required by your licensing Authority to have more than one person as a licence holder.

No. If you hold a personal licence to sell alcohol you can become the DPS through the premises licence application to your licensing authority.

This is not required by the Licensing Act, but more and more licensing authorities are requiring staff that do not hold a licence and may sell products that are age restricted to undertake the training.

This can be done through our on-line course click here for more information.

All staff must undergo two hours training by a current SCPLH licence holder, a training record must be kept for all staff trained. This training can be completed through our on-line course, once completed and the included exam is passed users can then print out their own training certificate.

See SCRSA on-line course

The delivery to a residential address does not require a licence by the delivery agent; However the storage warehouse will require both the Personal and Premises Licenses.

Please Note: You should contact your licensing authority for advice as they are the body that governs the law within their area.