License for selling alcohol in South Africa

This guide is intended to assist any person who wishes to register as a macro manufacture and/or distributor of liquor.

Before you apply for a Liquor License

To make sure that the Zoning of the proposed premises does not prohibit the application of a Liquor License. You can apply for a Zoning Certificate at your local Municipality. Under the Gauteng Liquor Act, the applicant of a Liquor License in Gauteng for a Liquor Store, Pub, Tavern, pool club, and Night club must obtain, in writing, a local authority approval to apply for such a liquor license. This is in addition to any Zoning laws. It is advisable not to apply for a liquor license if this is not in place.

PLEASE NOTE: We do not apply for liqour licensing on residential stands (at your house) – Click on Rights for further information.

PLEASE NOTE: We DON’T apply for a MOBILE Liquor License. Refer to the article Mobile Liquor Licenses

Types of Liquor Licenses.

Liquor Licenses are divided in two distinct categories namely On Consumption Liquor License (Liquor sold may only be consumed on the premises and may not be removed from the premises) and Off Consumption Liquor License (Liquor sold may not be consumed on   the premises.) In addition to this the law provides for a Distributors Liquor License or Wholesale Liquor License. (Liquor may only be sold to licensed entities such as Liquor Stores, Pubs and other) and Manufacturers Liquor License.

Eventually each Province will have its own Provincial Liquor Act. The requirements and  types of licenses may differ from province to province.

Renewal of Liquor Licenses.

All Liquor Licenses must be renewed annually. Should a Liquor License holder fail to renew, the Liquor License will expire after specific time. Should a Liquor License expire, a new Liquor License application must be lodged.

Lodgement of Liquor License Applications.

Liquor Licenses can only be lodged on the first Friday of every month. Advertisements in the Government Gazette have a deadline (roughly in the middle of the month). Should one of these dates be missed, the lodgement of the Liquor License is delayed by a month. We will advise the applicant which information is required for the submission of his Liquor License Application. We cannot lodge an application with outstanding information.

Other requirements

A major factor remains the zoning of the property. Your local Municipality`s Planning Department or Land Use Department can confirm the suitability of a premises for an  application for a specific Liquor License, should it be a Liquor Store, Restaurant, Tavern, Club or any other Liquor License.
The Applicant of the Liquor License must be domiciled in South Africa, have no criminal record, may not be insolvent or a minor and must be in good standing at the Receiver of Revenue, to name only a few requirements. It is important to remember that: A manager must be appointed should the holder of the Liquor License not be available to manage and be responsible for the business. Before any alterations or extensions of the licensed premises are made, the license holder must apply to the Liquor Board for approval.

The licensee shall at all times display at a conspicuous place on the premises the Liquor License. It is advisable to attach the proof of payment of the Liquor License for the current year to the license.

In Gauteng;  The licensee shall ensure that the name of the Business, type of Business, type of Liquor License, times of Business and Liquor License number are visibly written in characters of larger than 5 centimetres in height, on the front door or window of the licensed premises.

Choosing a Liquor License Consultant


The applicant must take great care in choosing a Liquor License Consultant. Unfortunately there are many unethical and incompetent Liquor License Consultants.

To safeguard yourself use the following check points to evaluate a Liquor License consultant.                   

  1. Ask for references and proof that the Liquor Licenses of the references given to you have been issued by the Liquor Board.
  2. Ask for a written quote. Ask the questions – what is included/excluded? What cost must be paid by the applicant once the Liquor License is handed to him

(Does the Liquor Consultant pay the application fee, floor plan, photos, advertisements in the Government Gazette/Newspapers; does he pay for  the Liquor Traders registration (if applicable)?

  1. How long has the Liquor License consultant been operating? Ask for proof of his first successful Liquor License that was issued by the Liquor Board.
  2. Ask for identification of the Liquor License Consultant and record it.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A MANUFACTURING AND/OR DISTRIBUTION LICENCE

To apply for a distribution and/or manufacturing registration, applicants need to visit the NLA online system on: https://thenla.thedti.gov.za. All instructions should be properly followed.

INSTRUCTION A: SHAREHOLDERS INFORMATION

The applicant should provide the following information:

  • Name(s) of applicant
  • Race of applicant
  • Gender of applicant
  • Identity number of applicant
  • Address of applicant

INSTRUCTION B: FINANCIAL INTEREST IN THE LIQUOR INDUSTRY

  • The prospective registrant should indicate if they receive financial income from another entity within the liquor industry, e.g. ownership of a retail outlet, having shares in companies involved in the liquor trade etc.
  • The prospective registrant should state where he/she has a financial interest in the liquor industry within the republic, and provide the information equally in respect of each shareholder, member, partner or beneficiary if the applicant or transferee is not an individual.

INSTRUCTION C: B-BBEE AND COMBATING ALCOHOL ABUSE

  • The applicant needs to indicate their commitment in respect of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Codes of Good Practice (the codes can be accessed here.
  • The applicant is expected to propose a contribution towards combating liquor abuse; he/she can make financial and/or non-financial contributions.

INSTRUCTION D:

The applicant should describe in detail the extent to which their activities will affect the following:

  • New entrants into the industry: Are your business activities going to encourage or hamper the entry of new entrants into the liquor industry?
  • Job creation: Are your business activities going to help create more jobs within the industry?
  • Diversity of ownership within the liquor industry: Will your registration promote or restrict ownership concentration at vertical or horizontal levels of the industry?
  • Efficiency of operation: Your expertise to run a business of this nature.
  • Exports: Are your business activities going to encourage or hamper the exportation of liquor from the country? Here the applicant also needs to indicate the volume and type of liquor to be exported, if any.
  • Competition within the industry: Indicate how your business activities will affect competition within the industry. The applicant should provide a list of competitors as well as their market share within a particular geographic market.

INSTRUCTION E: PROJECTED ANNUAL TURNOVER

Provide information of the projected annual turnover and pay the application fee relevant to the projected/annual turnover.

Proof of payment

The applicant should provide and attach proof of payment of the application fee (R500) when lodging the application.

INSTRUCTION F: REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Applications should be accompanied by:

  • A business zoning certificate for industrial purposes or a consent letter from the relevant municipality;
  • A comprehensive written representation in support of the application;
  • Any determination, consent approval or authority required by the Act;
  • Valid proof that the prescribed application fee has been deposited in the bank account of the dti;
  • A valid certified copy of ID or passport of the applicant;
  • Trading business permit if the applicant is a foreigner;
  • A South African Police Services (SAPS) police clearance certificate not older than three months from the date of issue;
  • If the applicant is a juristic person, valid copies of registration issued by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) or any other relevant registration authority indicating the financial interest of all members, shareholders, partners or beneficiaries as the case may be;
  • A valid tax clearance certificate if the applicant is a juristic person issued by the South African Revenue Services (SARS) within 12 months from the date of application; and
  • Verification certificate issued in terms of the B-BBEE Act.

REGISTRATION FEE

Once the final conditions of registration are imposed and before registration, the applicant will be required to pay a registration fee that correlates with the projected annual turnover.

REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE

A NLA 9 registration certificate will be issued to the applicant with the final conditions of registration.

ANNUAL RENEWAL

The registrant has to ensure that the registration is renewed annually and complete fully the form NLA 28 and pay the annual renewal fee. Renewal should be done a month before the expiry of the registration.

BANK DETAILS

You can deposit cash/bank guaranteed cheque/electronically transfer the funds into the account number and details are provided below:

Parent Name:Department of Trade and Industry
Bank:Standard Bank
Name of account:Liquor Licence Deposit
Type of account:Business Current Account
Number:370 650 077
Branch:Sunnyside
Branch code:01 0645
  
Reference for new application:01/Trading name
Reference for renewal:02/RG No/Trading name

LODGMENT METHOD

Only new applications to be submitted at any time via https://thenla.thedti.gov.za

Any other applications may be hand-delivered, e-mailed or posted to:

the dti Campus
77 Meintjies Street
Block B, Ground Floor, Sunnyside
Pretoria

or

Private Bag X84
Pretoria
0001

or

E-mail: nationalliquorauthority@thedti.gov.za

PRE-REGISTRATION

If the application is approved, the applicant will be provided with proposed conditions in the form NLA 6, of which he/she may accept or decline by completing NLA 7.

NB: Retail Licence

Any person wishing to register for a retail liquor license (tavern, pub, bottle store, etc.) can contact the provincial liquor authority/board in their respective province – regulatory bodies.