Check if you need a liquor licence

Check if you need a liquor licence or BYO permit.

Why you need a licence or permit

It is illegal to trade without a liquor licence or permit if the law says you need one.

There are serious penalties if you do not comply, including jail time and large fines.

It is illegal to share or use someone else’s liquor licence.

Who needs a licence or permit

If you are selling or supplying alcohol to the public, or selling it wholesale, you usually need a liquor licence or permit.

Explore all liquor licence or permit types.

Open all

Hiring unlicensed venues

You need a licence if you are hiring an unlicensed venue for an event and the venue:

usually serves meals to the public (e.g. unlicensed restaurants or cafes), not including town halls with commercial kitchens
is occupied by a club (e.g. local sporting, social club or RSL club)
sells snacks and non-alcoholic drinks to the public to consume at the venue.

Events and catering

You need a licence or permit if you:

run events where alcohol is sold or included in the ticket price
provide catering with food and alcohol at private events
offer alcohol in return for buying a product or service
stock a work fridge with alcohol and use an honesty box for payment
offer free alcohol at an exhibition that’s only available to subscribers or ticket holders
sell alcohol at the bar of a free-entry exhibition or event
allow people to bring their own alcohol to your location for you to mix or serve.

When you may not need one

You may not need a licence if your situation meets the requirements.

Supplying alcohol for free

If you are supplying alcohol for free, you may not need a licence.

Gratuitous supply is when alcohol is provided free of charge, with no requirement to give or exchange something in return.

This includes money, goods, services or any future agreement that there will be an exchange.

Examples where you may not need a licence include:

art exhibition where a glass of wine is provided on entry – exhibition is available to the public with no entry fee and no obligation to buy anything.
person hosting a party in their home and providing alcohol for free.
company providing free drinks after work to staff.
display home opening that provides a glass of champagne when people enter.
school or charity fundraiser providing a glass of wine free at the door with no other purchase required, such as a ticket to the event or a donation on entry.
shoe shop inviting regular shoppers to a showing of a new range, providing wine as customers browse, with no expectation to buy.
private function, such as birthday parties, weddings or christenings, held at a town hall where alcohol is free or BYO only. If you are catering for an event, read about a temporary limited licence or contact us to discuss your situation.

When you’re exempt

You do not need a licence or permit if your business:

is one of the exempt business types
meets every one of the requirements for exemption.

If it does, you do not need to let us know about your intention to trade. If you do not meet every requirement, you are not exempt. You may need a licence or permit to trade.

If you are not sure if you qualify, you can contact us to discuss your situation.

Open all

Bed and breakfast, including short stay providers

To get the exemption, your bed and breakfast must:

only accommodate up to 8 adults at a time
supply no more than 750ml of liquor per room per day
not supply alcohol to minors. The proprietor does not need to:
live at the property
complete Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) training.

Florists and gift services

To get the exemption:

your main business must be selling flowers, food or other products as gifts
alcohol must be packaged with the gift (not sold on its own)
you cannot supply more than 1.5 litres of alcohol to a person per day
the alcohol and its packaging must be less than 50% of the total gift value
the business must buy the alcohol at retail prices
both the buyer and the recipient must be aged 18 or over.

Hairdressers

To get the exemption:

your main business must be hairdressing or barber services
alcohol is supplied for free (not sold) as part of your hairdressing service, not as a separate service
the customer must drink the alcohol at your location, not take it away
you must not supply alcohol to minors. Other types of salons, such as beauty or nail salons, cannot get the exemption.

Butchers

To get the exemption:

your main business must be selling raw meat or fish for people to take away and eat elsewhere (not at your location)
alcohol must be packaged in sealed containers for taking away, not drinking at your location
you can only supply beer, wine, cider or mead
you cannot supply more than 1.5 litres of alcohol to a person per day
you must not supply alcohol to minors.

Cruise ships

To get the exemption:

the cruise ship has sleeping facilities for at least 100 passengers (not including crew)
the ship transports passengers for a fee, whether within Victoria, interstate or overseas
you only supply alcohol to registered passengers or crew
alcohol is only consumed on board the ship.

Hospital, residential care services and retirement villages

To get the exemption you:

must only provide alcohol to a resident or patient or their visitors
must not supply alcohol to minors
cannot supply more than 2 standard drinks per day to a person
must buy the alcohol retail (not wholesale).

Definitions

A hospital, under the Health Services Act 1998, includes:

public and private hospitals
denominational and metropolitan hospitals
designated or privately operated hospitals. A residential care service, under the Health Services Act 1998, refers to a facility where people receive, with subsidies provided under Commonwealth legislation:
accommodation
personal or nursing care. A retirement village, under the Retirement Villages Act 1986, is a community where:
most residents are retired
residents are provided accommodation and general services (not nursing care)
at least one person pays or is required to pay a contribution when they go into the retirement village to live.

When you cannot be licensed

By law, some venues cannot be licensed.

This is because they are considered high risk or inappropriate. For example, they may encourage drink driving or expose minors to alcohol-related harm.

Venues that cannot be licensed include:

drive-in cinemas
petrol stations
businesses located at or within highway service stations
convenience stores
locations mainly used by minors (under 18s).

Jobs, work and business

Updated 12 February 2026

Economic Growth Statement

Mini vic.gov.au

Check if you need a liquor licence

On this page

Why you need a licence or permit

Who needs a licence or permit

When you may not need one

When you’re exempt

Definitions

When you cannot be licensed

About the VIC Government

Grants and programs

Jobs and careers

Arts, culture and heritage

Business and the workplace

Communities

Education and training

Environment, water and energy

Finance and economy

Housing and property

Law and justice

Safety and emergencies

Science and technology

Sport and recreation

Traffic and transport

Working in the Victorian Government