Personal Licence

You will need to apply to Fife Licensing Board for a Personal Licence if you wish to:

• authorise the sale of alcohol in licensed premises
• supervise the sale of alcohol in licensed premises
• be a nominated premises' manager

You must:

• hold a recognised training certificate for Personal Licence holders in Scotland
• be aged 18 or over
• be resident in Fife

A personal licence lasts for 10 years from the granted date.

A personal licence holder must sit refresher training every five years, from the date they were granted their licence. They must send the training certificate to Fife Licensing Board. This must be done within the relevant timescales or they will lose their licence.

You can use the form below to tell us that you have completed your refresher course: Personal Licence Refresher Training

A personal licence holder must apply to renew their personal licence every 10 years. They must lodge the renewal application no later than three months before the expiry date of the licence. If this is not done, the licence will expire on the expiry date and will no longer be valid.

Please see the frequently asked questions at the bottom of the page for further information.

The following regulation bodies will be able to provide details of training organisations who deliver the necessary training:

• SQA (customer@sqa.org.uk)
• BIIAB (customersupport@bii.org)

How to Apply

To apply or renew a Personal Licence, download the following application: Application for a First/Renewal Personal Licence

The cost of a Personal Licence is £50.

Applications must be on the form above and include:

• A copy of the relevant accredited qualification
  (For a First/New Application, the only evidence acceptable is The Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders at SCQF Level 6 first introduced 01 December 2020.
  For a Renewal Application, an updated Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (Refresher) certificate is required)
• Two passport-sized photographs (one endorsed on the back)
• Photo ID, such as a copy of driving licence, passport or cards bearing the PASS hologram
• Application Fee of £50.00 (details of how to pay are on the Application Form or use the Pay for a Personal Licence link at the bottom of the page).

Applications can be submitted via email to: Liquor.Admin@fife.gov.uk or by post to: The Licensing Team, 2nd Floor, Fife House, North Street, Glenrothes, KY7 5LT

Fife Licensing Board will send a copy of the application to

• the Chief Constable of Police Scotland; and
• the Licensing Standards Officer as part of their consideration

The Chief Constable can tell us if you have any convictions for relevant offences or foreign offences. If there are no convictions or no information received that is considered to be relevant to the application, then the Board must grant the application.

If there are convictions, then the Chief Constable may recommend that the application is refused.

Consideration of the application will be at a hearing.

Assumed consent will not apply, as it's in the public interest that the Licensing Board must process your application.

Failed Application and Appeal

Appeals against the refusal of an application must be made to the Sheriff of the Sheriffdom of Tayside, Central and Fife.

Appeals can only be made under one of the following grounds:

• the Licensing Board made a lawful error
• the decision was made on incorrect material facts
• the Licensing Board acted contrary to natural justice
• the Licensing Board used their discretion in an unreasonable manner

Consumer Complaint

If anyone wishes to complain about a Personal Licence holder, normally the first contact is made with the Liquor Licensing Team, the Licensing Standards Officer, or Police Scotland.

Personal Licence Holders have a vital job within the licensed trade. They authorise the sale of alcohol, in both on and off sales businesses. They make sure that each and every sale is legal. Personal Licence Holders have two important obligations:-

• They must undergo refresher training every five years to refresh their knowledge of the licensing regime, and send the training certificate to the relevant Licensing Board; and
• They must apply to renew their personal licence every ten years. and lodge the renewal application no later than 3 months before expiry date of the licence

See FAQs Below:

Related Publications

For any enquiries, please email: liquor.admin@fife.gov.uk