Licensing act 2003

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The Licensing Act 2003 combines the licensing of the sale of alcohol, the provision of regulated entertainment and the provision of late-night refreshment.

The following are licensable under the Act:

• The retail sale of alcohol (including via the internet or mail order)
• The wholesale of alcohol to members of the public
• The supply of alcohol to members of registered clubs
• The supply of hot food or drink between 23.00 hours and 05.00 hours.

The provision of regulated entertainment in the presence of an audience, which includes:

• Performance of a play
• Film exhibitions
• Indoor sporting events
• Boxing or wrestling events (both indoor and outdoor)
• Performing live music
• Playing recorded music
• Dance performances
• Entertainment of similar descriptions

There are various types of licence available under the Licensing Act, please see the list below for further information.

• Premises licence
• Personal licences
• Club premises certificate
• Temporary event notices
• New Premises Licence Applications
• Applications for review

Age Verification Policy

The Premises Licence Holder or Club Premises Certificate Holder must make sure that an Age Verification Policy applies to the premises in relation to the sale or supply of alcohol.

This must as a minimum require individuals who appear to the responsible person to be under the age of 18 years of age to produce on request (before being served alcohol) identification bearing their photograph, date of birth, and a holographic mark.

Examples of acceptable ID include:

• A form of ID which meets the criteria laid out above, such as Touch2id
• Photo Card Driving Licences
• Passports
• Proof of Age cards bearing the PASS hologram (E.g. Validate or CitizenCard)

The Premises Licence Holder or Club Premises Certificate Holder must ensure that staff (in particular staff who are involved in the supply of alcohol) are made aware of the existence and content of the Age Verification Policy applied by the premises.

This condition does not exclude best practice schemes such as Challenge 21 or Challenge 25 which require individuals who appear to be under an age which is greater than 18 to provide ID.

Last updated: 23 December 2011