What licence do I need for mobile catering?

The four registrations you need, at a glance

There are different types of permissions, issued by different authorities. Some are about food safety, some are about where you can trade, and some are about your tax status. Here are the four you actually need, in order:

EHO registration: free, essential, and non-negotiable

Your local Environmental Health Officer is actually your friend in this — they want you to succeed. The first thing you must do is register your food business with them. It's completely free. The catch? You must do it at least 28 days before you start trading. This is a legal requirement, not optional.

Here's how it works: contact your local council's environmental health department, and they send you a registration form. You fill it in with details about your mobile catering unit, the type of food you'll be selling, your equipment, and your proposed location. Once they receive it, you're registered. They'll then arrange an inspection to check your unit meets food safety standards before you're cleared to trade.

The inspection isn't about catching you out — it's about ensuring you have the right equipment, temperature controls, hand-washing facilities, and documentation in place. If anything needs fixing, they'll tell you what to do, and once it's done, you're good to go.

David's insider tip: having everything clean, tidy and well-organised when the EHO inspector arrives builds their confidence that you understand the regulations. Being disorganised or evasive triggers deeper scrutiny you don't need.

Street trading licence: the big variable cost

If you're trading on a public highway, car park, street, or any council land, you'll need a street trading licence. This is issued by your local council and costs vary wildly depending on where you are. I've seen them cost as little as £50 a year in some areas, and over £7,000 in busy city centres.

The licence tells the council (and the public) you've been officially approved to trade at your location. Typically issued for 12 months and must be renewed. Some councils offer cheaper rates if you trade fewer days per week — if you're starting out with a Saturday pitch, you might get a reduced licence. Always check your council's street-trading page first.

If you're trading on private land — like a supermarket car park or retail park — you won't need a council street trading licence. Instead, you'll need permission from the landowner. Most supermarket managers and retail park owners have a procedure for this. They'll want proof of your liability insurance and your food hygiene certificate, and may take a percentage of your takings or charge a daily/weekly pitch fee.

Food Hygiene Level 2 certificate: 2–3 hours, online

This is the first and easiest certification to get. It's not issued by the council — it's a qualification you complete yourself, usually online. The certificate proves to customers and to the EHO that you understand food safety, temperature control, cross-contamination and personal hygiene.

It takes about 2–3 hours, costs £20–£100 depending on the provider, and you can do it at home on your own time. The most popular provider is Virtual College (virtualcollege.co.uk), but local colleges and some councils offer it too. Pass the test and you get a certificate valid for 3 years — display it in your catering unit, customers see it and it builds confidence.

This isn't just paperwork — it teaches you the temperature rules that matter: hot food above 63°C, cold food below 4°C. You'll learn why cross-contamination (mixing raw meat with ready-to-eat food) is dangerous, and how to set up proper hand-washing and cleaning procedures.

HMRC self-employment registration: the tax bit

Once you've registered with the EHO and you're ready to trade, you need to register as self-employed with HMRC. You're legally required to do this within 3 months of starting, though I recommend earlier — ideally before you start — so you can keep proper records from day one.

Registration is free and takes about 10 minutes online at www.gov.uk. You'll set up a Government Gateway account, fill in your details and confirm your start date. Once registered, you'll pay National Insurance contributions (currently around £163/month if you're self-employed) and file a self-assessment tax return annually. Keep all receipts and records of income.

Late-night trading & other permits

If you plan to sell food between 11 PM and 5 AM, or sell alcohol, you'll need additional licences from your council. A late-night trading licence is usually required to control night-time nuisance and street crime. If you're only trading during normal business hours (which most new caterers do), you don't need this.

Some markets require a market trader's licence. Others require consent from the landowner before the street trading licence is issued. The key: contact your local council's trading standards or environmental health department, tell them exactly where you'll trade and what hours, and they'll tell you what you need. Don't guess — getting it wrong costs money and wasted effort.

Frequently asked questions