Obtaining a Personal Licence
Under the new Licensing Act of 2003, it is mandatory for anyone operating or wishing to operate a licensed premises to be a Personal Licence Holder.
If you need to obtain a Personal Licence, you will need to follow the steps detailed below:
Obtaining the Right Qualifications
In order to obtain a Personal Licence, you must attend a one day course and pass the National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH). There are a number of companies who run this course including Charles Wells. At the end of the course, there is an exam and individuals who successfully pass the exam, will be issued with a certificate. It can take up to 3 weeks to receive this certificate.
Personal Licence Application Form
Obtain a Personal Licence application form and Disclosure of Convictions & Declaration Form from the Licensing department of the local authority in which you reside. Although you will be unable to send off the application form at this stage as you will not yet have all the necessary attachments, it will save some time later in the process.
Criminal Records Bureau Checks
Once your NCPLH certificate has been received, the next step is to complete an application form for a Standard Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) reference check. The application form can be obtained from Disclosure Scotland, Basic EHU Section, PO Box 250, Glasgow G51 1YU or alternatively through their website on www.disclosurescotland.co.uk. There will be a fee for processing the CRB which is currently £13.50 for postal applications and £14.50 for an on line application. Please note that only CRB checks that are less than 28 days old will be accepted by the local authorities when applying for a Personal Licence. It can take a minimum of 14 days to receive the CRB reference.
Applying for your Personal Licence
When the CRB reference has been received, immediately complete and return the Personal Licence application form to the Licensing department of your local authority, along with the other required attachments which are:
- CRB check - original copy will only be accepted
- NCPLH certificate - original copy only accepted
- Disclosure of Convictions & Declaration Form - original copy
- 2 endorsed passport sized photos - see note 1 below
Within 8 weeks the local authority Licensing department will send you written confirmation of receipt of your Personal Licence Application.
What to do with your Personal Licence
Once you have been granted a Personal Licence this will be valid for 10 years and you can now act as a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS). If you are offered a tenancy or lease agreement with the Charles Wells Pub Company, we will need to see your Personal Licence before a formal offer is made to you so always ensure that you keep this important document safely.
Note 1:
Passport sized photos can only be endorsed by someone in authority or with a professional qualification such as: teacher, doctor, lawyer, councillor, accountant etc. The wording on the back of the photos must read:
I hereby certify this as a true likeness of “full name of applicant”
The passport photos must show a clear image of the applicant and must not have hair obstructing the face.
Download our guide to getting a personal licence here.
