What license is needed to sell alcohol – Full list of licenses

Article overview

What license is needed to sell alcohol? Depending on the type of alcohol business, there will be different types of licenses. A liquor business license is a condition for business activities to take place legally and effectively. So what license is needed to sell alcohol? The article below by Long Phan will provide customers with detailed information about the types of alcohol business licenses.

What license is needed to sell alcohol?
What license is needed to sell alcohol?

What license is needed to sell alcohol?

According to regulations in Decree No. 105/2017/ND-CP, types of liquor business licenses include:

  • License for industrial alcohol production;
  • License to produce craft alcohol for business purposes;
  • Liquor distribution license;
  • Liquor wholesale license;
  • Liquor retail license;
  • License to sell alcohol for on-site consumption.

Frequently asked questions regarding liquor licenses

How to deal with alcohol business without a license?

Pursuant to Clause 2, Article 25 of Decree 98/2020, trading alcohol without a license is punished as follows:

Fine from 1,000,000 VND to 3,000,000 VND for selling alcohol with an alcohol content of 5.5 degrees or more for on-site consumption or trading alcohol with an alcohol content of less than 5.5 degrees without registering with the Chamber. Economy or district-level Department of Economics and Infrastructure according to regulations.

This is only the fine applicable to individuals; in the case of an organization, the fine will be doubled.

How long does it take to get a liquor license?

According to the provisions of Article 25 of Decree No. 105/2017/ND-CP, the time for granting alcohol business licenses is determined as follows:

  • For industrial alcohol production license, alcohol distribution license and alcohol wholesale license: Within 15 working days from the date of receipt of complete and valid documents.
  • For License for manual alcohol production for business purposes, Liquor retail License: Within 10 working days from the date of receipt of complete and valid documents.
The time limit for granting liquor business licenses
The time limit for granting liquor business licenses

Authority to issue liquor business licenses

The authority to issue liquor business licenses is specified in Decree No. 105/2017/ND-CP as follows:

  • Ministry of Industry and Trade: is the agency that issues licenses for industrial alcohol production with a scale of 03 million liters/year or more and alcohol distribution licenses.
  • Department of Industry and Trade: is the agency that issues licenses for industrial alcohol production with a scale of less than 3 million liters/year and licenses for wholesale alcohol sales in provinces and centrally run cities.
  • Department of Economics or Department of Economics and Infrastructure under the District People’s Committee: is the agency that issues the License to produce artisanal alcohol for business purposes and the License to retail alcohol in the area.

Term of Liquor Business License

The term of the liquor business license is specified in Article 28 of Decree 105/2017/ND-CP, specifically as follows:

  • The term of the Industrial Liquor Production License is 15 years.
  • The term of other types of licenses is 5 years. Including: License to produce artisanal alcohol for business purposes, License to distribute alcohol, License to wholesale alcohol, License to retail alcohol and License to sell alcohol for on-site consumption.

>>> Reference: What are the penalties for selling alcohol without a license?

Consulting services and guidance on applying for a liquor business license

We provide professional consulting services, helping customers complete documents and carry out procedures for applying for a liquor business license quickly and effectively. Our services include:

  • Consulting on specific types of alcohol business licenses applicable to each business case;
  • Consulting on business licensing and liquor business licensing;
  • Consulting on the authority to issue alcohol business licenses;
  • Consulting and drafting applications for alcohol business licenses;
  • Instructions on the order and procedures for granting alcohol business licenses;
  • Representing the customer to quickly apply for a liquor business license;
  • Consulting on the term of the liquor business license;
  • Consulting on how to handle the expiration of the liquor business license;
  • Consulting and answering other issues related to alcohol business licenses.
Consulting on licensing alcohol business
Consulting on licensing alcohol business

Legal alcohol business is a prerequisite to ensure business operations run smoothly and sustainably. Customers need to understand the regulations on liquor business licenses, prepare complete documents and follow the correct procedures to be licensed. If you have any questions, please contact Long Phan immediately via the hotline: 0906735386 for advice and support.