Alcohol licences
Who needs a licence
If you are selling alcohol, you will need certain licences.
Any premises where alcohol will be sold on a permanent basis need a premises licence.
Premises that wish to sell alcohol will also require a designated premises supervisor (DPS) who holds a personal licence.
Qualifying members’ clubs (such as the Royal British Legion, working men’s clubs, and rugby clubs) need a club premises certificate. Club premises don’t require a DPS.
Anyone planning to sell or supply alcohol or provide regulated entertainment on a temporary basis must submit a temporary event notice (TEN).
If you’re not sure whether or not you need a licence for providing entertainment, please see the GOV.UK website for guidance.
If you’re planning an event where a TEN can’t be used, for example if the total attendance will exceed the 499 people limit set for a TEN, then you will need to apply for a premises licence instead. Premises licences can be granted for a fixed period or on an ongoing basis.
View our statement of licensing policy.
Automatic extensions for the World Cup 2026
The government has automatically extended licensing hours for the sale of alcohol for some World Cup matches. This only applies to certain games where a home nation team plays and is also only applicable for where the match kicks off at a certain time. The premises must already be licensed to sell alcohol on the premises up until or after 11pm to qualify for the automatic extension. The extension applies from 11pm until 1am. It applies on the following dates when kick off is at the time specified (some dates have more than one kick off time specified):
- kick off at 6pm on 29 June and 4 July
- kick off at 9:30pm on 29 June
- kick off at 10pm on 30 June, 4 July, 11 July, and 18 July
- kick off at 5pm on 1 July
- kick off at 9pm on 5 July, 7 July, and 9 July
- kick off at 8pm on 6 July, 10 July, 14 July, 15 July, and 19 July.
You can view the Licensing Act 2003 (FIFA World Cup Licensing Hours) Order 2026 on the legislation.gov website.
Street parties
Read the government's street party guidance, if you're thinking of organising a street party.