Renfrewshire Council

To apply for a personal licence, you need to:

• complete the application form for personal licence [169KB]
• email your application and your supporting documentation to customerservice.licensing@renfrewshire.gov.uk 
• pay online for the licence

You must answer every question on the form. If a question is not relevant, mark it as 'not applicable'.

What documents you need to apply for a licence

You must include these documents with your application:

• two coloured passport photographs, one of which must be signed by a person of good standing in the community
• a copy of your Personal Licenceholder Certificate issued by a relevant training provider (such as BIIB, City & Guilds, EDI or Servewise)

How much is the licence fee is

The cost for a personal licence for a premises selling alcohol is £50

What criteria have to be met to apply for a licence

Applicants for a personal licence must:

• be at least 18 years old
• be ordinarily resident in the area, and not hold a personal licence in any other Licensing Board area.

How long your application will take

The current processing times for all applications across all the licensing disciplines is approximately 18 weeks. All applications are dealt with in strict date order.

Due to the high volume of applications currently being processed by the Licensing Section, the above timescales are indicative and may be longer.

Who is consulted about your application

A copy of your application will be sent to Police Scotland. They will carry out their own investigations and report back to the Licensing Board.

What happens if there if an objection or representation to your application

If an objection or representation is received, the application must be considered at a meeting of the Licensing Board. You will be formally cited to attend the meeting and a copy of the letter will be sent out to you with the citation letter.

How long the licence lasts for

Personal Licences are granted for 10 years. However, you are required to sit certified refresher training within 5 years and submit this to the Licensing Board.

What to do if your licence is lost or stolen

If your Personal Licence has been lost or stolen you are required to report the loss or theft to the Police. The Police will issue you with a crime reference number which you should email to customerservice.licensing@renfrewshire.gov.uk and make payment at Licensing - Pay Licensing Fee - Renfrewshire Council - About - MyAccount.

The cost for a replacement licence is on the application forms and fees page.

If you subsequently find the lost Personal Licence you must surrender the replacement Personal Licence to the Licensing Board who issued the licence. It is an offence if you fail to do so.

What to do if you change your name or address

If you change your name or address you are required to notify the Licensing Board within one month of any name or address change. You are required to notify us in writing and the original Personal Licence must accompany the request or if the licence is not available a written statement of the reasons why the Personal licence cannot be produced. There is no fee for change of name or address.

Renewal of your Personal Licence

You must apply to renew your personal licence every ten years and lodge with renewal application no later than 3 months before the expiry date of the licence.  Failure to adhere to these timescale may result in your personal licence expiring on the expiry date and shall cease to have effect.  If you personal licence expires you will need to submit a brand new licence application. 

See the Personal Licence Holder Communications Document on the gov.scot website. 

Personal Licence holder - training and renewal

Personal Licence holders must undergo refresher training every five years and provide a copy of their training certificate to the Licensing Board.

If any Personal Licence holder is unable to provide evidence of the required refresher training for a reason related to Coronavirus, we will allow licence holders, under the terms of new temporary and emergency legislation, a three-month extension on the timescales to undertake their training and to submit their training certificate to the Licensing Board. This period can be extended further if required while this new legislation remains in force.

The new legislation also allows the Licensing section to accept a personal licence renewal application up until the day before that licence is due to expire, if it cannot be made within the normal time limit for a reason related to Coronavirus.

Licence holders who want more information on these requirements can email enforcement.licensing@renfrewshire.gov.uk.