What licenses are required to sell alcohol?

Whether you plan to open a café, bar, or restaurant, you will need a specific license if you intend to serve alcoholic beverages to your customers. To clarify the process, this article reviews the regulations, the various licenses for alcohol sales, and the necessary steps to obtain your license.

Why a License is Mandatory

A catering license will be necessary if you open an establishment serving alcoholic beverages. However, there are several types of licenses depending on the beverages you offer and the service provided: you will not need the same license if you serve the drink during a meal or independently.

When opening your restaurant, you should therefore ask yourself a number of questions:

• "Do I want to sell alcoholic beverages?"
• "Will I serve alcohol outside of meals?"
• "What type(s) of alcohol do I wish to sell?"

Your answers to these questions will guide your choice and enable you to select the appropriate license.

Licenses and Alcohol Categories

First, it's important to note that different types of alcohol are divided into four categories (formerly 5), classified by alcohol content. The various licenses correspond to these categories.

Group 1 - Unrestricted Sale

• All non-alcoholic beverages
• No license is required to sell these types of beverages.

Group 3 - License III

• This group includes non-distilled fermented beverages and natural sweet wines (wine, beer, cider, perry, liqueur wines, wine-based aperitifs, and fruit liqueurs such as strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, or cherry, with an alcohol content not exceeding 18% pure alcohol). In summary, these are alcoholic beverages below 18% alcohol by volume.
• To sell these types of beverages, it is necessary to obtain a License III (license 3), also known as a restricted license or small restaurant license.

Groups 4 and 5 - License IV

• This group includes rums, distilled spirits, and other alcoholic beverages above 18% alcohol by volume (e.g., gin, vodka, whisky).
• To sell these beverages, you need a License IV (license 4), also known as a full license, general license, or restaurant license.

Good to know: Are you wondering what happened to Group 2 licenses? They were merged with Group 3 licenses in 2015. Therefore, any remaining valid License II automatically becomes a License III.

Restaurant License or License IV: What changes depending on the service type

You can choose whether or not to serve alcohol outside of meal times; you will then need to apply for a different license.

If you serve alcohol only during meals, you will need to apply for a "restaurant license" (for all alcohol groups) or a "small restaurant license" (for Group 3 beverages only, i.e., wines, beers, ciders, etc.).

If you also wish to sell alcohol outside of meal times, you will need to obtain a License III (to sell only wines, beers, ciders, etc.) or a License IV (to serve all types of alcohol). In this scenario, you will not need a restaurant license or a small restaurant license.

Finally, if you wish to sell alcoholic beverages for takeaway, you only need the license corresponding to the beverages you intend to sell (License III or License IV). If you only want to sell beverages for takeaway, you will need a "small takeaway license" for Group 3 beverages (cider, wine, beer, etc.), and a "takeaway license" for spirits above 18% ABV.

Applying for a License

Now that you know which license to apply for, you can proceed with the application process! Remember that a beverage sales license is mandatory to sell wine and all other alcoholic beverages in your establishment.

Two steps are required to apply for your license: obtaining an operating permit and making a preliminary declaration.

The operating permit is issued after a mandatory 20-hour in-person training (6 hours for a permit renewal). This training must be provided by an accredited organization and aims to inform you about the prevention and fight against alcoholism, the protection of minors, the repression of public intoxication, the resale of tobacco, noise control, drug legislation, and the general principles of civil and criminal liability.

Once obtained, your operating permit is valid for 10 years.

You will also need to make a preliminary declaration at the town hall using Cerfa form n°11542 04. A small tip: plan ahead! The application must be submitted at least two weeks before the establishment's opening.

Following this declaration, you will receive a license declaration receipt.

This receipt must be included with your business creation file when registering with the Business Formalities Centre (CFE) and your registration with the Trade and Companies Register (RCS). This final step is what grants legal existence to your bar or restaurant.

Now that you know everything, all that's left is to get started. The hardest part will be choosing the type of beverages you will sell in your establishment. Good luck!