East Suffolk Council
Transfer a premises licence
If a business which has a premises licence is sold or changes hands, the new owner or owners can apply to have the licence transferred into their name if they have the consent of the existing licence holder. If the existing licence holder’s consent to the transfer cannot be obtained for any reason, please contact us for advice.
Things to think about before applying for a transfer
Sale or supply of alcohol
Every premises licence that includes the sale of alcohol must include a designated premises supervisor (DPS). The DPS must be a personal licence holder. If you are considering taking on a premises licence which includes the sale or supply of alcohol you need to find out if the present DPS is still going to be working at the premises after the transfer. If the existing DPS is not staying on then you will need a new DPS before the transfer can be granted. This may involve another application to vary (change) the named DPS on the licence
Licence conditions
You should familiarise yourself with the licence that is in force and any conditions attached to the licence. You should do this before you apply for the transfer, especially if you plan to ask for the transfer to take immediate effect. Once the transfer is granted the responsibility to operate the premises licence in accordance with any conditions that are present on the licence will pass to you. If you are unsure about the meaning of any of the conditions, please contact us for advice.
How to apply to transfer a premises licence
Application and consent to transfer forms are also available from the GOV.UK website.
If you want to fill in your application by hand, print out the form and complete it using black ink and block capitals. This is important because the form will be scanned.
A fee of £23.00 is payable.
The current premises licence must also be included when you send the forms