Apply to transfer a premises licence

If you take over a business and wish to carrying out licensable activities authorized by the premises licence in force at the premises then you must apply to transfer the premises licence.

Apply for transfer of a premises licence 

• save a copy of the completed form for your own records
• make the payment using a debit or credit card
• you do not need to send an additional copy to the Police when you make an online application, as we will fulfil these requirements.  

 Apply by post

• Complete and print the transfer application form
• keep a copy of the completed form for your own records
• send the original completed form and the original premises licence with a cheque for the required payment (made payable to Kingston Council) to the Licensing Team. You can also pay over the phone by calling 0208 547 5080
• a copy of your application must be sent to the Police (Licensing Officer, Kingston Police Station, 5-7 High Street, Kingston, KT1 1LB)

Consent form

The current licence holder must complete and sign a consent form that confirms they are happy to transfer the premises licence. If the form is completed by hand and sent in the post, this document must be the original and not a copy. If you are unable to obtain this form because you cannot contact the existing licence holder you should contact this office before submitting your application.

Fee

You must include the prescribed fee

What happens next

As soon as we receive your application, we will check to ensure that the application is valid and has been submitted to the police

If we identify a problem

If there is a minor problem with the application, we may contact you for further information or may return the application to you for correction. Where there is a fundamental error, the application may be rejected.

Objections by the police

If you apply to transfer an existing premises licence and the police have concerns about crime and disorder, they may object to the application (within 14 days). In such cases we will contact you. If you wish to proceed with the application we will hold a hearing of the council's licensing committee to decide on the application

If no objections are received

We will send the transferred licence to you.

How long does it take to transfer a licence

We aim to process transfer applications within 28 days of receipt (or sooner if the police raise no objection). However, you can ask that your application takes immediate effect from the date that we receive it by ticking the appropriate box on the application form.