In order to apply for a personal licence you will need to show you have the right to work in the UK.
A personal licence will not be issued to an individual or an individual in a partnership which is not a limited liability partnership who is resident in the UK who:
- does not have the right to live and work in the UK
- is subject to a condition preventing them from working in a licensable activity
Any personal licence issued for an application made on or after 6 April 2017 will become invalid if the holder loses their right to work in the UK.
Applicants must demonstrate that they have the right to work in the UK. They can do this by providing copies or scanned copies of the following documents (which do not need to be certified), or by providing the 9-digit ‘share code’ for the Home Office online right to work checking service.
Your right to work will be checked as part of your licensing application and this could involve us checking your immigration status with the Home Office. We may otherwise share information with the Home Office. Your licence application will not be determined until you have complied with this guidance.
Documents which show you can work in the UK
You can send us a copy of any of these documents to prove you have the right to work in the UK.
Original documents must not be sent to us.
Passports
If the document copied is a passport, a copy of the following pages should be provided:
- any page containing your personal details including nationality
- any page containing your photograph
- any page containing your signature
- any page containing the date of expiry
- any page containing information showing you have permission to enter or remain in the UK and are permitted to work.
- an expired or current passport showing that you, or a person named in the passport as your child, is a British citizen or a citizen of the UK and Colonies having the right of abode in the UK
- an expired or current passport or national identity card showing that you, or a person named in the passport as your child, is a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland
- a current passport endorsed to show that you are exempt from immigration control and you are allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, have the right of abode in the UK, or have no time limit on your stay
- a current passport endorsed to show that you are allowed to stay in the UK, are currently allowed to work and not subject to a condition preventing you from doing work relating to the carrying on of a licensable activity
If you don’t have a passport
If the document is not a passport, a copy of the whole document should be provided. You can use:
- a Registration Certificate or document certifying you have permanent residence issued by the Home Office to a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland
- a Permanent Residence Card issued by the Home Office showing you are the family member of a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland
- a current Biometric Immigration Document (Biometric Residence Permit) issued by the Home Office indicating that you are allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, or has no time limit on your stay in the UK
- a current Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to you with an endorsement indicating that you are allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK or have no time limit on your stay, produced in combination with an official document giving your permanent National Insurance number and name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer.
- a full birth or adoption certificate issued in the UK which includes the name(s) of at least one of your parents or adoptive parents, when produced in combination with an official document giving your permanent National Insurance number and name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer
- a birth or adoption certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland when produced in combination with an official document giving your permanent National Insurance number and name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer
- a certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, produced in combination with an official document giving your permanent National Insurance number and name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer
- a current Biometric Immigration Document (Biometric Residence Permit) issued by the Home Office to you which indicates that you can currently stay in the UK and you are allowed to work in relation in a licensable activity
- a current Residence Card issued by the Home Office to a person who is not a national of a European Economic Area state or Switzerland but who is a family member of such a national or who has derivative rights or residence
You can also use a combination of these documents:
- as current Immigration Status Document containing a photograph issued by the Home Office to you with an endorsement indicating that you may stay in the UK, you are allowed to work and are not subject to a condition preventing you from working in a licensable activity. This should be produced in combination with an official document giving your permanent National Insurance number and name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer
- a Certificate of Application, less than 6 months old, issued by the Home Office under regulation 17(3) or 18A (2) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006, to you if you are not a national of a European Economic Area state or Switzerland but you are a family member of such a national or who has derivative rights of residence
- reasonable evidence that you have an outstanding application to vary your permission to be in the UK with the Home Office, such as the Home Office acknowledgement letter or proof of postage evidence. Or you need reasonable evidence that you have an appeal or administrative review pending on an immigration decision, such as an appeal or administrative review reference number
- reasonable evidence that, if you are not a national of a European Economic Area state or Switzerland, but you are a family member of such a national or you have derivative rights of residence in exercising treaty rights in the UK including:
- evidence of your identity – such as a passport
- evidence of your relationship with the European Economic Area family member – eg a marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate or birth certificate, and
- evidence that the European Economic Area national has a right of permanent residence in the UK or is one of the following if they have been in the UK for more than 3 months:
- working eg employment contract, wage slips, letter from the employer
- self-employed eg contracts, invoices, or audited accounts with a bank
- studying eg letter from the school, college or university and evidence of sufficient funds
- self-sufficient eg bank statements
Family members of European Economic Area nationals who are studying or financially independent must also provide evidence that the European Economic Area national and any family members hold comprehensive sickness insurance in the UK. This can include a private medical insurance policy, an EHIC card or an S1, S2 or S3 form.
