A personal licence allows a person to authorise the sale or supply of alcohol and is separate from a premises licence.
All alcohol-serving premises with a Premises Licence need at least one personal licence holder, one of whom will be named on the premises licence as the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS).
Every sale of alcohol under the premises licence must be authorised by the DPS, or by another person who holds a personal licence.
The fee for a personal licence application is £37, check our current licensing fees.
Designated Premises Supervisor
All premises authorised by a premises licence to supply alcohol must appoint a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS).
An application for a premises licence that, if granted, will authorise the supply of alcohol, must include a form of consent given by the person specified as the DPS.
There can be only one DPS per premise and they must hold a personal licence.
The DPS will be held as the person in overall charge of the premises and should ensure that all staff on the premises are trained in the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003 and the compliance conditions attached to the premises licence.
To qualify for a personal licence you must meet certain criteria, the licensing authority must grant the licence if it appears that:
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the applicant is aged 18 or over
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no personal licence held by the applicant has been forfeited within the period of five years before making the application
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the applicant possesses an accredited licensing qualification, or is a person of prescribed description
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the applicant has not been convicted of any relevant or foreign offence
If any of the first three criteria are not met, the licensing authority must reject the application and must notify the local chief police officer if it appears that an applicant has been convicted of any relevant offence.
Licensing qualification
If you are applying for a personal licence you will need to obtain an accredited qualification first.
Or download the personal licence application form and the disclosure of convictions and declaration form in MS Word format.
Return the completed application form with:
Apply for a Basic Disclosure Wales check
Right to work
From 6 April 2017 applicants must demonstrate a right to work in the UK and must supply evidence with the application - copies of the specified documents are accepted.
View documents used to show a right to work in the UK
As an alternative, applicants may demonstrate their right to work by allowing us to carry out a check with the Home Office right to work online checking service.
To do this, applicants should include in this application the 9-digit share code provided via the Gov.UK prove your right to work to an employer service, along with their date of birth to allow us to carry out the check.
To establish the right to work, the check will need to indicate that the applicant is allowed to work in the United Kingdom and is not subject to a condition preventing them from doing work relating to the carrying on of a licensable activity.
An online check will not be possible in all circumstances because not all applicants will have an immigration status that can be checked online.
The Home Office checking service sets out what information and documentation applicants need to access the service.
Applicants who are unable to obtain a share code from the service should submit copy documents as set out above.
Applications for a personal licence must be made to the licensing authority where the applicant lives, not works.
The completed application form and documents should be posted to the Licensing Team, PO BOX 883, Newport City Council, Newport NP20 9LR
Objections
The chief police officer may make representation about the specification of any DPS if it is felt that the crime prevention objective could be undermined.
The licensing authority must then hold a hearing to consider the objections unless all parties agree that this is unnecessary.
Read more about Personal Licences on the Home Office website.
Renewals
From 1 April 2015 it is not necessary to renew a personal licence.
Section 115 of the Licensing Act 2003 has been amended by section 69 of the Deregulation Act 2015, removing the need to renew personal licences.
Change of name or address
Under the Licensing Act 2003, a personal licence holder has a duty to notifiy the issuing authority of any change of name or address at a fee of £10.50.
You will be committing an offence if you fail to do so.
Theft, loss or damage
If your personal licence has been lost, stolen or damaged, you can write to the licensing team with a £10.50 fee to apply for a copy.
Surrender of a personal licence
If you wish to surrender your personal licence you must return the licence to the issuing licensing authority, along with a signed letter stating the fact.
Convictions
If you appear in court on a charge relating to a relevant offence, you are required to produce your licence to the court.
If you cannot produce it, you must notify the court that you are a personal licence holder.
If convicted of a relevant offence the court may order the forfeiture or suspension of your licence and will notify the licensing department.
You are also required to notify the licensing authority of any convictions for a relevant offence and return your personal licence.
Failure to do so is an offence under the Licensing Act 2003.
Contact
The licensing team at Newport City Council.
Email: [email protected]