Licensing Act 2003 · Part 4
Club premises certificate: the club licence
A club premises certificate is the authorisation a qualifying members’ club in England and Wales needs to supply alcohol to members and guests or put on regulated entertainment. It is granted by the local licensing authority under Part 4 of the Licensing Act 2003, and needs no personal licence holder or designated premises supervisor.
Only a club that meets the statutory conditions can hold one. A proprietary club, run for profit by an owner, needs a premises licence instead.
Club premises certificate
01/ What a club premises certificate covers
Three qualifying club activities, and no more.
A club premises certificate is granted for premises “occupied by, and habitually used for the purposes of, a club”, and certifies that the club may use them for the qualifying club activities it names (Licensing Act 2003, s.60, UK statute).
The Act lists exactly three qualifying club activities (s.1(2)):
Qualifying club activities (s.1(2))
- 01The supply of alcohol by or on behalf of the club to, or to the order of, a member
- 02The sale of alcohol by or on behalf of the club to a guest of a member, for consumption on the premises
- 03Regulated entertainment provided by or on behalf of the club for members, or for members and their guests
Late night refreshment is a licensable activity but is not on that list, despite what some guides say. If a club wants to serve hot food or drink to the public after 11pm, check with the licensing authority what authorisation that needs.
Why a separate regime? In a members’ club there is technically no sale of alcohol to members, because the members already own the stock; the money that changes hands keeps things fair between those who drink more and those who drink less (City of London, local licensing authority).
02/ What is a qualifying club?
Five general conditions, three more for alcohol.
Tick each condition your club’s rules and practice already meet. The wording is summarised from sections 62 and 64.
A club is a qualifying club for regulated entertainment if it meets the five general conditions in section 62. For alcohol it must also meet the three additional conditions in section 64 (s.61, UK statute).
“Good faith” is not left to impression. The licensing authority must consider any tie restricting where the club buys alcohol, any rule letting club money or gains go anywhere other than to the club as a whole or to charitable, benevolent or political purposes, how members are told about the finances, the books kept, and the nature of the premises (s.63).
Registered societies and friendly societies have their own provision on how the alcohol committee is run (s.65, as cross-referenced in s.64).
Qualifying club conditions (ss.62 and 64) · 0/8 in place
Not yet met
03/ Proprietary clubs
Run for profit? You need a premises licence.
A proprietary club is owned by an individual, a partnership or a company and run commercially. It cannot meet additional condition 3, because its owner benefits from the bar by design.
Council guidance says it plainly: proprietary clubs “require a premises licence and are not qualifying clubs” (Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, local licensing authority).
The Home Office draws the same line nationally: businesses that sell alcohol on a permanent basis need a premises licence, while qualifying members’ clubs “such as the Royal British Legion, working men’s clubs and rugby clubs” apply for a club premises certificate (Home Office, Alcohol licensing, government guidance).
Most modern social clubs are proprietary. If you are starting one, see how to start a private members club for how that choice is made.
Which authorisation fits your club? · 0/4 answered
01Who owns the club and its assets?
02Who manages buying and supplying alcohol?
03Where does any bar surplus go?
04Will the public be admitted regularly?
Answer all 4 to see your result.
Our indicative tool, not legal advice; the statute and your licensing authority decide.
04/ How to apply for a club premises certificate
Four documents, an advert, then the authority.
The application goes to the licensing authority for the area, and must come with a club operating schedule, a plan of the premises and a copy of the club’s rules (s.71, UK statute).
The operating schedule states the activities, the times they happen, any other opening times for members and guests, whether alcohol is for consumption on or off the premises, and the steps the club will take to promote the licensing objectives.
Those objectives are the prevention of crime and disorder, the prevention of public nuisance, public safety and the protection of children from harm (Basingstoke and Deane).
The fee depends on the non-domestic rateable value band of the premises, under the Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations 2005, and an annual fee follows (Home Office).
If the application is properly made and no responsible authority or other person objects, the authority must grant it, with conditions consistent with the operating schedule (section 182 guidance, para 1.15, Home Office statutory guidance, February 2026 edition; a September 2026 revision has since been published).
Prepare
Club operating schedule
Activities, times and steps for the licensing objectives.
Attach
Plan and club rules
A plan in the prescribed form and a copy of the rules.
Submit
Form and fee
To the licensing authority, with the band fee.
Notify
Advertise and copy
Public notice, and copies to responsible authorities.
Decide
Grant or hearing
No representations: the authority must grant.
05/ Club premises certificate conditions
What the certificate can require of you.
A certificate can allow alcohol to be taken away only if it also allows supply for drinking on the premises. When it does, three conditions are mandatory: off-sales only while the bar is open to members, in a sealed container, and to a member in person (s.73, UK statute).
The club must tell the authority of any change to its name, registered address or rules, both before an application is decided and after the certificate is issued. Full and minor variations are available for changes to activities, conditions or the plan (City of London, local licensing authority).
Mandatory if off-sales are allowed (s.73)
- Only while the bar is open to members on the premises
- In a sealed container
- To a member in person
Conditions you propose
- Taken from the steps in your operating schedule
- Added or changed after a hearing if objections are made
What you must report
- A change of club name or registered address
- Any alteration to the club rules
- Variations to activities, hours or the plan
06/ Guests and associate members
Guests are allowed; the general public is not.
The Act lets a qualifying club sell alcohol to members’ guests for consumption on the premises (s.1(2)(b)). It treats an associate member, admitted as a member of another recognised club under the club’s rules, and that person’s guests in the same way (s.67).
There is no statutory requirement for guests to be signed in. But a club that lets in the public freely may reach the point where it is providing commercial services contrary to its qualifying status, and is no longer conducted in good faith (Basingstoke and Deane, local licensing authority).
For occasional public events, a temporary event notice is the usual route; for regular public trading, the council suggests a premises licence.
07/ Club premises certificate vs premises licence
Side by side: certificate and licence.
The practical difference is staffing. Under a premises licence that authorises alcohol, no supply may be made when there is no designated premises supervisor holding a personal licence, and every supply must be made or authorised by a personal licence holder (s.19, UK statute). A club premises certificate carries no such requirement.
The trade-off is that the certificate depends on the club continuing to qualify. If the licensing authority finds it no longer meets the conditions, it must withdraw the certificate; if the only failing is having fewer than 25 members, the withdrawal waits three months and lapses if numbers recover (s.90).
This page covers England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate licensing law and are not covered here.
→ Club premises certificate
→ Premises licence
08/ Keeping the club full
The licence opens the bar. Members fill it.
A certificate that depends on at least 25 members is a reminder that membership is the club’s licence to exist, not just its income.
For the wider picture of what a club is, see what is a private members club. If your membership is shrinking or ageing, our private members club marketing work helps clubs recruit and keep members.
Written by Dan Keegan
09/ questions
Club premises certificate FAQs.
What is a club premises certificate?
What is a qualifying club?
What is the difference between a club premises certificate and a premises licence?
Do proprietary clubs need a premises licence?
How many members does a club need for a club premises certificate?
Does a club premises certificate cover late night refreshment?
Can guests buy drinks in a members’ club?
How do I apply for a club premises certificate?
For club committees and managers
Keep the club full of members.
We help members’ clubs and proprietary clubs alike recruit the right members and keep them renewing.
11/ sources
Every claim, and where it came from
- Licensing Act 2003, ss.1 and 60–61 — Qualifying club activities; club premises certificate; qualifying clubsUK statute
- Licensing Act 2003, s.62 — The general conditionsUK statute
- Licensing Act 2003, s.63 — Determining good faithUK statute
- Licensing Act 2003, s.64 — Additional conditions for the supply of alcoholUK statute
- Licensing Act 2003, s.67 — Associate members and their guestsUK statute
- Licensing Act 2003, s.71 — Application for a club premises certificateUK statute
- Licensing Act 2003, s.73 — Mandatory conditions for off-suppliesUK statute
- Licensing Act 2003, s.19 — Mandatory conditions on a premises licence: DPS and personal licenceUK statute
- Licensing Act 2003, s.90 — Club ceasing to be a qualifying clubUK statute
- Home Office — Alcohol licensing (updated 8 August 2025)Government guidance
- Home Office — Revised guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, February 2026, para 1.15Statutory guidance
- City of London Corporation — Club premises certificate (updated 18 August 2025)Local licensing authority
- Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council — Club premises certificate: guidance on making an applicationLocal licensing authority