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How Many Times Can I Sell Alcohol at the Same Place on an Occasional Licence in Scotland?

by Marius Ailenei
(aberdeen,scotland)

Burgundy converted horsebox mobile bar serving drinks at a Scottish outdoor event

Burgundy converted horsebox mobile bar serving drinks at a Scottish outdoor event

how many times am I allowed to apply for the license as I have my own catering business, let say I have 3 places to go, how many time per year I'm allowed to go to the same place. I know is 58 day per year for occasional licence.is that applying even if I have my own catering business?

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Sep 07, 2026
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by: MobCater

Marius, this is a good question and it trips up a lot of caterers north of the border, because the alcohol side of things runs on a completely separate track from your food trading. You are talking about the occasional licence under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, and the 56 days figure you have heard is real, but it does not apply to you in the way you think.

That 56 day cap is written into the Act specifically for voluntary organisations, things like clubs, community groups and charities. They are limited to 56 days of occasional licences in any 12 month period, and even then no more than four licences of four days or longer plus twelve shorter ones. You are running your own catering business, so you sit in the commercial category, and the Act does not pin you to that same fixed number.

Here is the part that actually matters for you. Each occasional licence lasts a maximum of 14 days, and you apply to the licensing board for the council area where each place sits, so Aberdeen City or Aberdeenshire depending on the pitch. As a business rather than a voluntary group, you apply as a personal licence holder, which means you need to hold your own personal licence first. That comes from passing the Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders course, so if you have not done that yet, it is the first job to sort.

The catch with your three places is not really a hard number, it is the board's judgement. Occasional licences are meant for genuinely occasional trading. If you keep applying for the same pitch week after week, the board can take the view that you are running a permanent operation and avoiding a proper premises licence, and they are entitled to refuse. So a handful of events a year at a given spot is fine, turning up every weekend at the same place is asking for trouble.

Get your applications in early, because Police Scotland are consulted on every one and boards have their own notice periods. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire both publish their forms and timescales online, so start there.

All the best

David

Disclaimer: Alcohol licensing in Scotland runs under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, and licensing boards apply their own local policies. Always confirm the current rules and timescales with the licensing board for your council area before you plan to trade.

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