Applying for a personal licence after the APLH: documents, fee and what can stop it

The Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders is a qualification, not a licence. Once you have the certificate you still have to apply to a council. That application is set by the Licensing Act 2003 and the regulations made under it, and it is where people lose weeks: a DBS certificate that is a few days too old, photos without the endorsement, or a missing right to work document.

This guide covers England and Wales, where the Licensing Act 2003 applies. The rules are as they stood on 28 October 2026. The exam itself is covered in the personal licence exam (APLH).

Why the licence exists

A personal licence authorises you to supply alcohol, or to authorise its supply, under a premises licence (section 111). The Home Office's guidance under section 182 of the Act, revised in September 2026, explains the reason. Alcohol may not be sold under a premises licence unless there is a designated premises supervisor, who must hold a personal licence, and every sale must be made or authorised by a personal licence holder. The holder does not have to be present for each sale.

You can apply whether or not you have a job lined up. The guidance says councils may not take that into account.

Who can get one

Section 120 says the council must grant the licence if it appears that:

1. you are aged 18 or over;
2. you are entitled to work in the United Kingdom;
3. you hold a licensing qualification, such as the APLH;
4. no personal licence of yours has been forfeited in the five years before the application; and
5. you have not been convicted of a relevant offence or a foreign offence, or required to pay an immigration penalty.

If you fail any of the first four, the council must reject the application. The fifth is handled differently, as explained below.

Which council

If you ordinarily live in a licensing authority's area, you must apply to that authority. If you do not, you may apply to any licensing authority (section 117(2)). The guidance adds that this includes people living outside England and Wales.

The council that grants the licence stays your "relevant licensing authority" even if you move away or take a job somewhere else.

What goes with the application

Regulation 7 of the Licensing Act 2003 (Personal licences) Regulations 2005 lists the documents:

You also send the licensing qualification certificate, proof of your right to work and the fee.

The one-month rule causes the most trouble. A basic DBS check is £20 on GOV.UK, and GOV.UK says it usually takes up to 3 days to process before a paper certificate is posted. Order it once the rest of the pack is ready, not before.

Right to work

Since 6 April 2017, an application from someone who is not entitled to work in the UK must be rejected. The section 182 guidance says you can show your right to work in two ways:

• by sending one of the documents listed in Annex A of the Home Office employer guide on right to work checks; or
• by letting the council check your status online, using a share code.

Photocopies or scans are acceptable and do not need to be certified. The council cannot insist on originals.

If your permission to work is time-limited, a licence can still be issued, but it stops having effect when that permission ends (section 115(2A)). If you later get new permission to work, you apply for a new licence.

The fee

The fee for a personal licence application is £37, set in Schedule 6 to the Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations 2005. The same schedule sets £10.50 for replacing a lost or stolen licence and £10.50 for notifying a change of name or address.

Convictions: when the police come in

A conviction does not mean automatic refusal. Section 120 sets out the process:

1. If you meet every condition except the one about convictions, the council must send a notice to the chief officer of police for its area.
2. The police have 14 days to send an objection notice if they are satisfied that granting the licence would undermine the crime prevention objective.
3. Where the issue is an immigration offence or penalty, the council notifies the Home Office, which also has 14 days to object.
4. If nobody objects in time, the council must grant the licence.
5. If there is an objection, the council must hold a hearing unless everyone agrees it is unnecessary. It then grants or rejects the application.

The relevant offences are listed in Schedule 4 to the Act. They include any offence under the Licensing Act itself and, among others:

• theft, robbery, burglary, obtaining property by deception and handling stolen goods under the Theft Acts;
• producing or supplying controlled drugs, or possessing them with intent to supply;
• drink-driving and drug-driving under sections 4 and 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, and failing to co-operate with a preliminary test;
• sexual offences and violent offences as defined in the Schedule;
• offences under the Immigration Acts;
• working in security without an SIA licence, under section 3 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

The section 182 guidance notes that some relevant offences never become spent. Even then, if the offence was long ago and you can show you are no longer likely to reoffend, the council may decide that granting the licence would not undermine crime prevention. If you are refused, you can appeal to the magistrates' court.

Make the declaration complete. The guidance says application forms must carry a clear warning that a false statement is a criminal offence.

After the licence is granted

A personal licence no longer needs renewing. Section 115 says it has effect indefinitely, and the guidance confirms that the Deregulation Act 2015 removed renewal from 1 April 2015. Older licences still show expiry dates, but those dates have no effect.

Holding the licence comes with duties under the Act:

• Change of name or address. Tell the council that issued it as soon as reasonably practicable, with the licence (section 127). Failing to do so without reasonable excuse is an offence.
• If you are charged with a relevant offence. Produce the licence to the magistrates' court at your first appearance, or explain why you cannot (section 128).
• On the premises. A constable or authorised officer can ask you to produce the licence while you are making or authorising sales (section 135).
• If you are convicted. Under section 132A the council can suspend the licence for up to six months or revoke it. You get notice and 28 days to make representations first.

A checklist before you post it

• APLH certificate in hand.
• Two photos to the regulation size, one endorsed.
• Basic DBS certificate issued within the last calendar month.
• Right to work document, or a share code.
• The declaration, complete and signed.
• £37 fee.
• The application addressed to the council where you live.

The GOV.UK personal licence page finds your council from your postcode and links to its application.

Preparing for the APLH

The UK Work Licence app has 158 personal licence questions, including the application rules above, and 40-question mock exams in 60 minutes with 28 correct to pass. It is a free download with in-app purchases: UK Work Licence on the App Store.

Sources

• Licensing Act 2003, up to date to 28 October 2026 on legislation.gov.uk: sections 111, 115, 117, 120, 127, 128, 132A, 135 and Schedule 4.
• The Licensing Act 2003 (Personal licences) Regulations 2005, regulations 6 and 7: application form, photos, criminal record evidence, declaration.
• The Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations 2005, regulation 8 and Schedule 6: the £37 fee.
• Home Office — Revised guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, September 2026, chapter 4.
• GOV.UK — Personal licence to sell alcohol (England and Wales) and Request a basic DBS check.

Fees and procedures can differ in how each council takes applications. Check your council's page before you send anything.