IMPORTANT NOTICE: There are a number of training organisations that hold Personal Licence courses in Hereford. One of these organisations is currently charging over £211 to deliver the one day Personal Licence course and complete the Personal Licence application forms. My course costs £150 AND includes the exact same form completing service. PLEASE do not get taken for a ride. Think before you pay over your hard earned money.

Remember, I can arrange a course just for you, or you and your colleagues, pretty much within a day or so, at my premises or yours. Just call me, Johnny Walker on 07970 134 730 for details.

I deliver the Highfield one-day Level II Personal Licence course every week in Hereford city centre. Please call me, Johnny Walker on 07970 134 730, for the next date to suit your diary. 

The course starts around 9.15am and finishes around 4.30pm. Candidates will sit a 40 question exam paper at the end of the formal teaching session. Highfield Personal Licence holder’s certificates usually follow in around 7 days depending on the time of year. It is this certificate that you will need when you make your application for your Personal Licence to your local licensing authority. You make the application for a Personal Licence to the local authority where you live, not necessarily where your business is situated. If you live in Hereford, you make your Personal Licence application to Hereford licensing.

During the day, I will help candidates to complete their application forms to make their Personal Licence application. I hold a stock of these forms for this very purpose. Many candidates find this helpful as form filling, at the best of times, is confusing! 

A Personal Licence is required by an individual to supply or authorise the sale of alcohol in any licensed premises. The Personal Licence is separate from the premises licence which authorises the premises to be used for the supply of alcohol.  A Personal Licence authorises its holder to supply alcohol only from establishments with a premises licence authorising the supply of alcohol in accordance with the premises licence.

Personal licence holders may authorise the sale of alcohol at premises licensed for that purpose and may also be employed as the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) at such premises. You should apply for a personal licence to the Council in whose area you ordinarily live.

A designated premises supervisor (DPS) must hold a personal licence. The DPS is the person named on a premises licence who has day to day responsibility for running the premises.

Personal licences will remain in force, unless forfeited, suspended, revoked or surrendered. A personal licence holder can also serve up to a maximum of 50 temporary event notices in a year.

There is an application fee payable when applying for a personal licence. GOV.UK has further information on alcohol licensing. Applications should be submitted to the licensing team at your local authority, just Google them for the adddress,

To make an application, you will need:

• a completed application form
• a completed disclosure of convictions and declaration
• a basic DBS disclosure certificate (less than 28 days old at the date of application)
• proof of qualification, the Highfield Level II certificate from me.
• two passport size photos (one signed to endorse it is a true likeness. Some authorities also request a photo form)
• the correct fee
• proof of your right to work in the United Kingdom (a photocopy of your passport)

Notification of change of address

The Licensing Act Section 127 (1) states that the holder of a personal licence must, as soon as is reasonably practical, notify the relevant licensing authority of any change in their name or address as stated in the personal licence. The notification must be accompanied by the prescribed fee (£10.50). There is no prescribed form of notification, a letter will suffice but most licesing authorities have a form on their web site for this purpose.

The notice must be accompanied by the personal licence or, if that is not practicable, by a statement setting out the reasons when the licence cannot be produced.

A Personal Licence holder who fails to give notice of the change in his name or address commits an offence, and on summary conviction, may be fined a sum not exceeding level 2 on the standard (£500).

Renewing your personal licence

The Deregulation Act 2015 came into effect on the 1 April 2015, and abolished the requirement to renew personal licences. Instead personal licences will carry on indefinitely until such time that they are either surrendered or revoked.

Can I still use my existing personal licence, even though it appears to have expired?

Yes. Because the requirement to renew has been abolished, the expiry date no longer applies. Just ignore the end date on your Personal Licence card.

Can I get my licence updated to remove the expiry date?

Yes. All newly issued Personal Licences will have the expiry date removed, and this will be done automatically the next time you apply to update your licence; for example if you change name or address. However, if you wish to have your licence updated early, you can apply for a newly issued “copy” of your licence. To do so you will need to supply your licensing authority with:

A written request to replace your Personal Licence, providing your full name, address, your existing Personal Licence or an explanation as to why it cannot be returned.
The £10.50 administration fee.

Do I need to change my photo?

No. There is currently no requirement to update your photo. However you may run into difficulties if you no longer resemble the photo printed upon your Personal Licence. I’ll be honest, who really looks like their ID photo anyway? Therefore I strongly recommend that you get your photo updated at least every 10 years (in line with the requirements of driving licences and passports). As with any change to a Personal Licence, this will incur a £10.50 administration fee. You need only pay a single fee if making multiple changes at the same time.

The Hereford Personal Licence course is a very popular and courses can be arranged for groups or one-to-one teaching. Just call me for details on 07970 134 730.

Remember, do not pay for someone to help you fill in a few forms……I do this on the day with you…it’s not rocket science!