You or a member of your staff must hold a personal licence if you sell alcohol from a licensed premises and ensure that every sale or supply of alcohol is authorised, by a personal licence holder.
You don’t need a personal licence to sell alcohol under a temporary event notice.
To apply you must be 18 years or older and hold an accredited licensing qualification.
If you live in Torbay you must apply to us for a licence regardless of whether you work in Torbay or not. If you live outside of Torbay, please apply to the local authority Opens in a new window where you live even if you currently work in Torbay.
Applications
You can apply for your personal licence online.
To apply for a personal licence you will need to have the following:
- Completed disclosure of convictions form
- A Basic Check issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service for England & Wales which is less than one month old (please send original document, this will be returned)
- Licensing qualification certificate
- A copy of a document/or documents which demonstrate your right to work in the UK (a list of acceptable documents can be found in the 'Notes' section of the application form or on Gov.UK)
- A photograph of yourself, which has been endorsed on the back as a true likeness of yourself by a solicitor or notary, a person of standing in the community or any individual with a professional qualification. The photograph must be:
- Taken against a light background so that the applicant’s features are distinguishable and contrast against the background
- 45 millimetres by 35 millimetres
- Full face uncovered and without sunglasses and, unless the applicant wears a head covering due to their religious beliefs, without a head covering
- A passport style photograph will generally be acceptable. The person who endorses your photograph should also complete a photograph endorsement form. You can upload this to the online application with your photograph.
- Fee of £37
Download the Personal Licence Application Form
Download the Disclosure of Convictions and Civil Immigration Penalties and Declaration Form
Please send your application to:
Licensing and Public Protection
Torbay Council
Town Hall
Castle Circus
Torquay
TQ1 3DR
Changes to personal details
If you are a personal licence holder it is an offence not tell the Licensing Authority of any changes to your name or address.
You must notify the Licensing Authority that issued your licence, as soon as reasonably practicable.
Lost Licence
If you have lost your personal licence you can make a request for a replacement licence.
You must make your request to the Licensing Authority that issued your licence.
Report a change of name, address or lost licence Opens in a new window
Renewals
Once granted, your licence is valid indefinitely.
If you currently hold a personal licence there is no longer any need to renew it as all personal licences are now valid indefinitely. Even if your personal licence has an expiry date printed on it this date is no longer applicable and the licence will remain valid indefinitely after the expiry date.
Fees
The fee for a Personal Licence Application is £37
The fee for an updated/replacement licence is £10.50
Frequently asked questions
In relation to a Personal Licence application, the Chief Officer of Police may object to the application on the grounds of crime prevention if the applicant has a relevant criminal conviction. If there is an objection from the Chief Officer of Police, the applicant will be notified and the Licensing Authority must hold a hearing to consider the objection.