Personal Licence Renewals

Their accuracy, efficiency, competence and knowledge cannot be bettered in Scotland - Legal 500.

Personal Licence Renewals – All you need to know and what you need to do

2019 marks a milestone year for the licensed trade. It is 10 years since the 2005 Act came into effect which also means that it is time for the first batch of personal licences to be renewed.

But there is a problem. The legislation is unclear on many points relating to the renewal process. The trade desperately needs guidance which has been scarcely available from Holyrood and the information which has been released is misleading and inconsistent. Just this week a document circulated by the Government which was meant to clarify the qualification required for a personal licence renewal contradicted earlier communications and only served to confuse operators more.

The message may have been unclear up until now but what is certain is that if your personal licence states that it was issued on 1 September 2009 or that it expires on 31 August 2019 you need to take action now. The following applies:

  • Your renewal application must be lodged by 31 May 2019 (3 months before expiry);
  • Your renewal application must be accompanied by a training certificate, two new photographs, the £50 fee, a declaration regarding your convictions and your current personal licence (or a reason why it has not been produced);
  • An old Scottish Certificate for Personal Licenceholders (SCPLH) training certificate would be acceptable.
  • As an alternative, the Government is about to allow the use of a refresher training certificate (SCPLHR) certificate for renewals as long as it was obtained on or after 1 September 2014.

Simultaneous to this process the following also applies:

  • Refresher training (SCPLHR) must be completed within 5 years from 1 September 2014, so by 31 August 2019. This will be your second batch of refresher training as it is due every five years and the third training course you will have attended.
  • Personal licenceholders have until 30 November 2019 to send the SCPLHR certificate to the Licensing Board.

The best and safest approach is to combine these two processes. Think of it as a BOGOF deal which is actually permitted. This will work as follows:

  • Complete refresher training as soon as possible so that you can submit your new SCPLHR certificate with your renewal application by 31 May;
  • Do not use an old SCPLH certificate for the renewal.
  • There will therefore be no need to make a separate refresher training notification after your renewal.

It is also important to remember that although the bulk of renewals relate to personal licences expiring on 31 August 2019 there will be personal licences which expire shortly after this which can’t be overlooked. Always count back 3 months from expiry for your deadline. Licensing Boards are already warning that they will be under immense pressure with limited resources during this time so send all documentation by recorded delivery or keep your receipt safe. One way or another make sure you’ve evidence that the Board has the application. If a licence isn’t renewed by the expiry date it immediately lapses.

Contact Our Licensing Solicitors Glasgow, Scotland

Read our practical guide on how to renew your personal licence. The key advice is don’t wait. Act now to ensure your business doesn’t face yet more challenges next year which can, in this case, be avoided by taking a few simple steps. To find out more, please contact our Licensing team on 0141 221 1919 or fill in our online form.

Get in touch today

Please let us know your name.
Please enter a valid telephone number
Please let us know your email address.
Invalid Input
Invalid Input
Please let us know your message.

News & Insights

Read the latest insights from our team

Licensing Boards Growing Focus on Ensuring Staff Can Get Home Safely
Read the full article
  The new Licensing Board Policy statements which have recently been released have brought some significant changes to Licensing Policy across Scotland. A welcomed and notable new policy point highlighted in both Glasgow and Edinburgh is the imp...
Glasgow's New 1 am Pilot Scheme for On Sales Premises within The City Centre
Read the full article
  The City of Glasgow Licensing Board published their new statement of licensing policy at the beginning of November 2023.  The new statement has introduced some significant changes to licensing policy in Glasgow, one of the most notable ch...
Miller Samuel Hill Brown Maintains Band 1 Chambers Status for Two Decades
Read the full article
We are thrilled to share that our Licensing team has once again secured a remarkable achievement in the Chambers and Partners UK Guide, retaining their Band 1 status. Our team's consistently high levels of both legal expertise and outstanding client ...
Licensing Board Policy Statements
Read the full article
Licensing Boards in Scotland have a statutory duty to publish their ‘statement of licensing policy’ every five years under The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. Each individual Licensing Board is required to publish a policy statement before the beginni...
Short-Term Lets in Scotland – Where Are We Now?
Read the full article
Scotland's short-term let licensing scheme came into effect in October 2022 and has quickly became one of the most topical issues within the licensing sector. The scheme is mandatory for all short-term let accommodation across the country. In this ar...
"@context": "http://schema.org/", "@type": "WebSite", "name": "Miller Samuel Hill Brown Solcititors", "url": "https://www.mshblegal.com", "potentialAction": { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": "https://www.mshblegal.com/search?q={search_term_string}", "query-input": "required name=search_term_string" } }