Liquor licence application pack
A liquor licence in South Africa is a provincial process, and it is slow and easy to get wrong. Every province has its own liquor authority and its own forms, and most applications also need the property zoned correctly, a police clearance, and public notices to your neighbours. We prepare the full application for your province and hand you a clear submission plan. You lodge it; the fees the authority and the newspaper charge are separate from ours.
Liquor licence application pack costs R1 490 at ProperSA. That is our fixed service fee; government and authority fees are charged at cost on top. If you give us everything we ask for and we still fail to deliver what this page promises, we refund our fee; a refusal by the authority is not refundable.
What is included
- The correct application forms for your province, filled in and ready
- A full list of every supporting document, in the order the authority wants them
- The public notice steps: newspaper advert, site notice and notice to neighbours
- What you need on zoning, premises plans and the SAPS police clearance
- A tax and good-standing checklist, because the authority checks these
- A submission plan with the lodging date and what to expect afterwards
How ordering works
- Order below and pay securely by card or instant EFT.
- Tell us your province, your premises and the licence you want, for example on-consumption for a restaurant or off-consumption for a bottle store.
- We prepare the forms and the document checklist for that province, and set out the notice and zoning steps.
- The pack lands in your portal. You gather the documents, place the notices and lodge the application with your provincial liquor authority.
- The authority charges its own application and licence fees, and the newspaper charges for the advert. Those are separate from our fee.
Not sure this is the right one for you? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.
What we will need from you
Liquor licensing is provincial, so the process, forms and fees differ depending on where the premises are. These are the details common to all of them.
- The exact street address of the premises, and which province it falls in.
- What kind of licence you need: on-consumption such as a restaurant, pub or venue, or off-consumption such as a bottle store.
- Proof you may occupy the premises, being the title deed or a signed lease.
- Municipal zoning confirmation that the property may be used for this. This is the most common reason an application dies, and it is worth checking before you sign a lease.
- A floor plan of the premises.
- The applicant’s details: identity number, or company registration documents if a company will hold the licence.
- Confirmation of a clear criminal record for the applicant.
Expect the process to run for months rather than weeks, and expect a public notice and objection period. Anyone promising a licence in days is selling something else.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get the licence for me?
We prepare everything and guide you through lodging it, but the application is provincial and you lodge it yourself, the same way you would hand in your own documents. That is what keeps our fee fixed and low.
Which law applies?
Retail and consumption licences are provincial. Gauteng uses the Gauteng Liquor Act, the Western Cape its own act, and so on. Making or distributing liquor is national, under the National Liquor Act 59 of 2003. Tell us your province and we prepare the right one.
How long does it take?
Expect roughly four to five months from lodging, depending on the province and whether anyone objects. Many provinces only accept new applications once a month.
What decides whether I get it?
Mostly the premises. The property must be zoned for it, and neighbours and the police get a say through the notices. Getting the zoning and notices right the first time is where most applications go wrong, which is exactly what this pack is for.
Do I need a registered company?
Not always, but most authorities and landlords expect one and it helps. We can register a company for you as well.
Where this comes from
National Liquor Act 59 of 2003 (manufacture and distribution) and the provincial liquor acts, for example the Gauteng Liquor Act 2 of 2003, which govern retail and consumption licences. Rules and fees change; confirm anything you rely on with the relevant authority before you act.