Premises application guidance

Guidance notes for completing the application for a premises licence.

1. Describe the premises, for example the type of premises, its general situation and layout and any other information which could be relevant to the licensing objectives. Where your application includes off-supplies of alcohol and you intend to provide a place for consumption of these off-supplies, you must include a description of where the place will be and its proximity to the premises.
2. In terms of specific regulated entertainments please note that:
   • Plays: no licence is required for performances between 08:00 and 23.00 on any day, provided that the audience does not exceed 500.
   • Films: no licence is required for ‘not-for-profit’ film exhibition held in community premises between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day provided that the audience does not exceed 500 and the organiser (a) gets consent to the screening from a person who is responsible for the premises; and (b) ensures that each such screening abides by age classification ratings.
   • Indoor sporting events: no licence is required for performances between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day, provided that the audience does not exceed 1000.
   • Boxing or Wrestling Entertainment: no licence is required for a contest, exhibition or display of Greco-Roman wrestling, or freestyle wrestling between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day, provided that the audience does not exceed 1000. Combined fighting sports – defined as a contest, exhibition or display which combines boxing or wrestling with one or more martial arts – are licensable as a boxing or wrestling entertainment rather than an indoor sporting event.
   • Live music: no licence permission is required for:
     • A performance of amplified live music between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day on premises authorised to sell alcohol for consumption on those premises, provided that the audience does not exceed 500.
     • A performance of amplified live music between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day, in a workplace that is not licensed to sell alcohol on those premises, provided that the audience does not exceed 500.
     • A performance of amplified live music between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day, in a church hall, village hall, community hall, or other similar community premises, that is not licensed by a premises licence to sell alcohol, provided that (a) the audience does not exceed 500, and (b) the organiser gets consent for the performance from a person who is responsible for the premises.
     • A performance of amplified live music between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day, at the non-residential premises of (i) a local authority, or (ii) a school, or (iii) a hospital, provided that (a) the audience does not exceed 500, and (b) the organiser gets consent for the performance on the relevant premises from: (i) the local authority concerned, or (ii) the school or (iii) the health care provider for the hospital.
     • A performance of unamplified live music between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day, on any premises.
   • Recorded Music: no licence permission is required for:
     • Any playing of recorded music between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day on premises authorised to sell alcohol for consumption on those premises, provided that the audience does not exceed 500.
     • Any playing of recorded music between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day, in a church hall, village hall, community hall, or other similar community premises, that is not licensed by a premises licence to sell alcohol, provided that (a) the audience does not exceed 500, and (b) the organiser gets consent for the performance from a person who is responsible for the premises.
     • Any playing of recorded music between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day, at the non-residential premises of (i) a local authority, or (ii) a school, or (iii) a hospital, provided that (a) the audience does not exceed 500, and (b) the organiser gets consent for the performance on the relevant premises from: (i) the local authority concerned, or (ii) the school proprietor or (iii) the health care provider for the hospital.
   • Dance: no licence is required for performances between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day, provided that the audience does not exceed 500. However, a performance which amounts to adult entertainment remains licensable.
   • Cross activity exemptions: no licence is required between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day, with no limit on audience size for:
     • Any entertainment taking place on the premises of the local authority where the entertainment is provided by or on behalf of the local authority;
     • Any entertainment taking place on the hospital premises of the health care provider where the entertainment is provided by or on behalf of the health care provider;
     • Any entertainment taking place on the premises of the school where the entertainment is provided by or on behalf of the school proprietor; and
     • Any entertainment (excluding films and a boxing or wrestling entertainment) taking place at a travelling circus, provided that (a) it takes place within a moveable structure that accommodates the audience, and (b) that the travelling circus has not been located on the same site for more than 28 consecutive days.
3. Where taking place in a building or other structure please tick as appropriate (indoors may include a tent).
4. For example the type of activity to be authorised, if not already stated, and give relevant further details, for example (but not exclusively) whether or not music will be amplified or unamplified.
5. For example (but not exclusively), where the activity will occur on additional days during the summer months.
6. For example (but not exclusively), where you wish the activity to go on longer on a particular day e.g. Christmas Eve.
7. Please give timings in 24 hour clock (e.g. 16.00) and only give details for the days of the week when you intend the premises to be used for the activity.
8. If you wish people to be able to consume alcohol on the premises, please tick ‘on the premises’. If you wish people to be able to purchase alcohol to consume away from the premises, please tick ‘off the premises’.  If you wish people to be able to do both, please tick ‘both’.
9. Please give information about anything intended to occur at the premises or ancillary to the use of the premises which may give rise to concern in respect of children, regardless of whether you intend children to have access to the premises, for example (but not exclusively) nudity or semi-nudity, films for restricted age groups or the presence of gaming machines.
10. Please list here steps you will take to promote all four licensing objectives together.
11. The application form must be signed.
12. An applicant’s agent (for example solicitor) may sign the form on their behalf provided that they have actual authority to do so.
13. Where there is more than one applicant, each of the applicants or their respective agent must sign the application form.
14. This is the address which we shall use to correspond with you about this application.
15. Entitlement to work/immigration status for individual applicants and applications from partnerships which are not limited liability partnerships:

A licence may not be held by an individual or an individual in a partnership who is resident in the UK who:

• Does not have the right to live and work in the UK; or
• Is subject to a condition preventing him or her from doing work relating to the carrying on of a licensable activity.

Any premises licence issued in respect of an application made on or after 6 April 2017 will become invalid if the holder ceases to be entitled to work in the UK.

Applicants must demonstrate that they have an entitlement to work in the UK and are not subject to a condition preventing them from doing work relating to the carrying on of a licensable activity. They do this in one of two ways: 1) by providing with this application copies or scanned copies of the documents listed below (which do not need to be certified), or 2) by providing their ‘share code’ to enable the licensing authority to carry out a check using the Home Office online right to work checking service (see below).

Documents which demonstrate entitlement to work in the UK

• An expired or current passport showing the holder, or a person named in the passport as the child of the holder, is a British citizen or a citizen of the UK and Colonies having the right of abode in the UK [please see note below about which sections of the passport to copy].
• An expired or current passport or national identity card showing the holder, or a person named in the passport as the child of the holder, is a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland
• A Registration Certificate or document certifying permanent residence issued by the Home Office to a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
• A Permanent Residence Card issued by the Home Office to the family member of a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland
• A current Biometric Immigration Document (Biometric Residence Permit) issued by the Home Office to the holder indicating that the person named is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK.
• A current passport endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, has the right of abode in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK.
• A current Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the named person is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK or has no time limit on their stay in the UK, when produced in combination with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employ
• A birth or adoption certificate issued in the UK, when produced in combination with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employ
• A birth or adoption certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland when produced in combination with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employ
• A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, when produced in combination with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employ
• A current passport endorsed to show that the holder is allowed to stay in the UK and is currently allowed to work and is not subject to a condition preventing the holder from doing work relating to the carrying on of a licensable activity.
• A current Biometric Immigration Document (Biometric Residence Permit) issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the named person can currently stay in the UK and is allowed to work relation to the carrying on of a licensable activity.
• A current Residence Card issued by the Home Office to a person who is not a national of a European Economic Area state or Switzerland but who is a family member of such a national or who has derivative rights or residence.
• A current Immigration Status Document containing a photograph issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the named person may stay in the UK, and is allowed to work and is not subject to a condition preventing the holder from doing work relating to the carrying on of a licensable activity when produced in combination with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employ
• A Certificate of Application, less than 6 months old, issued by the Home Office under regulation 18(3) or 20(2) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016, to a person who is not a national of a European Economic Area state or Switzerland but who is a family member of such a national or who has derivative rights of
• Reasonable evidence that the person has an outstanding application to vary their permission to be in the UK with the Home Office such as the Home Office acknowledgement letter or proof of postage evidence, or reasonable evidence that the person has an appeal or administrative review pending on an immigration decision, such as an appeal or administrative review reference number.
• Reasonable evidence that a person who is not a national of a European Economic Area state or Switzerland but who is a family member of such a national or who has derivative rights of residence in exercising treaty rights in the UK including:
  • Evidence of the applicant’s own identity – such as a passport,
  • Evidence of their relationship with the European Economic Area family member – e.g. a marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate or birth certificate, and
  • Evidence that the European Economic Area national has a right of permanent residence in the UK or is one of the following if they have been in the UK for more than 3 months:
  • Working e.g. employment contract, wage slips, letter from the employer,
  • Self-employed e.g. contracts, invoices, or audited accounts with a bank,
  • Studying e.g. letter from the school, college or university and evidence of sufficient funds; or
  • Self-sufficient e.g. bank statements.

Family members of European Economic Area nationals who are studying or financially independent must also provide evidence that the European Economic Area national and any family members hold comprehensive sickness insurance in the UK. This can include a private medical insurance policy, an EHIC card or an S1, S2 or S3 form.

Original documents must not be sent to licensing authorities. If the document copied is a passport, a copy of the following pages should be provided:

1. Any page containing the holder’s personal details including nationality;
2. Any page containing the holder’s photograph;
3. Any page containing the holder’s signature;
4. Any page containing the date of expiry; and
5. Any page containing information indicating the holder has permission to enter or remain in the UK and is permitted to work.

If the document is not a passport, a copy of the whole document should be provided.

Your right to work will be checked as part of your licensing application and this could involve us checking your immigration status with the Home Office. We may otherwise share information with the Home Office. Your licence application will not be determined until you have complied with this guidance.   

Home Office online right to work checking service

As an alternative to providing a copy of the documents listed above, applicants may demonstrate their right to work by allowing the licensing authority to carry out a check with the Home Office online right to work checking service.

To demonstrate their right to work via the Home Office online right to work checking service, applicants should include in this application their 9-digit share code (provided to them upon accessing the service at GOV.UK which, along with the applicant’s date of birth (provided within this application), will allow the licensing authority to carry out the check.

In order to establish the applicant’s 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 online right to work checking service sets out what information and/or documentation applicants will need in order to access the service. Applicants who are unable to obtain a share code from the service should submit copy documents as set out above.