Fees and forms vary, and this is not legal advice
The fees below are the amounts set in legislation, read on 24 October 2026. Councils in England and Wales and Licensing Boards in Scotland run their own application process, so forms, payment methods and timings differ. Your own council or Board’s page is the one that counts. Northern Ireland has separate rules and is not covered.
The short version
- England and Wales: pass the Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH), then apply to your council. The fee is £37. The licence has no expiry date and no renewal.
- Scotland: pass the Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (SCPLH), then apply to your Licensing Board. The fee is £50. The licence lasts 10 years and can be renewed. Refresher training is due every 5 years.
- In both: you must be 18 or over, and the qualification must come from an accredited awarding body.
The two routes side by side
| Detail | England and Wales | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Law | Licensing Act 2003 | Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 |
| Qualification | Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH) | Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (SCPLH), SCQF Level 6 |
| Apply to | The council where you ordinarily live | The Licensing Board for the area where you ordinarily live |
| Criminal record | A basic DBS certificate from you, issued within a calendar month before applying | The Board sends your application to the chief constable, who replies with any relevant convictions |
| Application fee | £37 | £50 |
| Length of licence | No expiry date | 10 years |
| Renewal | None | Yes, for another 10 years. Fee £50 |
| Refresher training | Not required | Required every 5 years, or the Board must revoke the licence |
England and Wales
Who can apply. GOV.UK says you must be 18 or over and hold a licensing qualification such as the APLH. Home Office guidance adds that you must be entitled to work in the UK and must not have had a personal licence forfeited in the last 5 years.
The qualification. The Home Office lists seven accredited awarding bodies: BIIAB, Highfield, LASER, QNUK, Qualsafe, SQA and TQUK (list updated 12 June 2025). BIIAB’s guide gives 40 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes with a pass mark of 28, although its own text elsewhere says 30 questions. Other awarding bodies set their own papers.
What you send. The Licensing Act 2003 (Personal licences) Regulations 2005 set the list:
- Two photographs, 45 mm by 35 mm. One must be endorsed as a true likeness by a solicitor, notary, person of standing in the community or professional.
- A criminal conviction certificate under section 112 of the Police Act 1997, which is a basic DBS check. It must be issued no earlier than one calendar month before you apply. GOV.UK gives the basic check fee as £20.
- A declaration about relevant offences and immigration penalties.
- Your qualification certificate and the fee.
- Proof of your right to work. Home Office guidance says you can send an accepted document or let the council check online with your share code.
Where. You apply to the licensing authority for the area where you ordinarily live. If you do not live in a licensing authority’s area, you can apply to any council in England and Wales.
The fee. The Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations 2005 set £37, and Mole Valley District Council still states £37. legislation.gov.uk shows the Regulations in their original form, so check your council’s page.
If you have a conviction. If you have an unspent relevant offence, the police can object. The council must then hold a hearing unless everyone agrees it is unnecessary.
How long it takes. The sources we read give no national timescale. Derby City Council says it issues the licence within three months of receiving an application. Mole Valley takes applications by email. Derby also asks for proof of residence and treats a basic check as valid for 28 days. Other councils may differ.
After you have it. The Deregulation Act 2015 removed renewal from 1 April 2015. Under section 115 of the Act a licence has effect indefinitely. Home Office guidance says it stays valid unless it is surrendered, suspended, revoked or forfeited by a court, and that older expiry dates no longer have an effect. It lapses if you stop being entitled to work in the UK. The guidance does not mention refresher training. You must tell the council about a change of name or address, and about relevant convictions.
Scotland
Who can apply. Section 72 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 lets anyone aged 18 or over apply. Under section 74 the Board must refuse if you have no licensing qualification, already hold a personal licence, or had one revoked in the last 5 years.
The qualification. The SCPLH is assessed by an externally set exam of 40 multiple-choice questions lasting one hour. The awarding body’s page gives 10 hours of training, 6 of direct learning and 4 of self-study. It now refers to Qualifications Scotland as well as SQA. The Scottish Government points to five awarding bodies: SQA, City and Guilds, Highfield, BIIAB and REHIS.
Where, and the fee. You apply to the Licensing Board where you ordinarily live, or to any Board if you do not live in a Board’s area. The fee is £50, set by the Licensing (Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2007. City of Edinburgh Council also states £50. Edinburgh asks for two passport-sized photographs, one certified as a true likeness, and accepts online applications only. Other Boards may ask for something different.
Police check. The Board sends a copy of your application to the chief constable, who has 21 days to say whether you have relevant convictions. The page we read for Edinburgh does not ask applicants for a separate certificate.
Length and renewal. A licence lasts 10 years. A renewal extends it by 10 years. You can apply in the 9 months that begin 12 months before expiry, so the last day is 3 months before. The renewal fee is £50. The Board must write to you at least 9 months before expiry.
Refresher training. Section 87 requires you to give the Board evidence of training within 3 months after each 5-year period. The Board must tell you about this at least 3 months before. If you do not comply, the Board must revoke the licence. The Scottish Government names the Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (Refresher) at SCQF Level 6. The awarding body’s page describes a 3-hour course with the same 40-question, one-hour exam. You must tell the Board of a change of name or address within one month.
Practice before the exam
Our free APLH practice quiz and SCPLH practice quiz each have 25 original questions with answers and sources. The paid APLH question bank has 234 questions and the SCPLH question bank has 229. Each is £19. They are not from an awarding body.
Frequently asked questions
Does a personal licence expire in England and Wales?
No. Section 115 of the Licensing Act 2003 says a licence has effect indefinitely, and the Home Office says the renewal requirement was removed in 2015.
What happens if I miss the Scottish refresher deadline?
Section 87 says the Board must revoke the licence.
Is the qualification all I pay for?
No. The fee, the basic DBS check in England and Wales, and the course are separate. Course prices are not covered here.
Sources
Last checked 24 October 2026.
- Apply for a personal licence to sell alcohol, GOV.UK
- Revised guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, chapter 4, Home Office (September 2026)
- Licensing Act 2003, sections 115, 117 and 120, legislation.gov.uk
- Licensing Act 2003 (Personal licences) Regulations 2005, regulation 7, legislation.gov.uk
- Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations 2005, legislation.gov.uk
- Accredited personal licence qualification providers, Home Office (12 June 2025)
- BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders, qualification guide v2.2 (November 2025)
- Request a basic DBS check, GOV.UK
- Personal licences, Derby City Council
- Personal licences, Mole Valley District Council
- Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, sections 72 to 78 and 87 to 88, legislation.gov.uk
- Licensing (Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 and Amendment Regulations 2018, legislation.gov.uk
- Alcohol licensing guidance: personal licence holders, Scottish Government (last updated 26 January 2023)
- Alcohol licensing information for centres, SQA and Qualifications Scotland
- Personal licence, City of Edinburgh Council
Changes to this guide
- 24 October 2026: Draft written.
This guide is general information written from the official sources listed above and checked on 24 October 2026. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and Plainfiles is not endorsed by any government body. Rules change, so check the linked official pages for your own situation. Written and designed by Plainfiles with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, then checked against the official legislation and guidance listed in the sources. How we write and check our guides.