To start a business in the U.K you must have a business license depending on it’s scale. Let’s discuss how to get a business License in UK and how much is the cost of a business Licenses in UK.
Needs of a business license in UK ?
In some businesses you can trade without a business license. But in a wide range of activities, it is required to have one, hence you’ll need a business License in UK.
There are tonnes of businesses which require the need of a license to operate legally. In order to trade businesses such as pet shops, hotels, taxi firms, food outlets, stationary shops, etc all require a license. Even if you plan to include the Public in any affairs a license is required. If you wish to start any financial activities in the UK, such as lending money to others, or recovering debts then you must have a license from the financial conducts authority to do so.
How to get a business License in the UK ?
The first step is to know what kind of business license your small business needs. There are many tools which can help assist in what license you need, such as the “license finder tool”. This tool give you an accurate guide about what business license you would need. The Licenses are then generated and granted by the indivisual local authority.
This tool helps you find the correct points of contact to make your application and also if you have any doubt then you can talk to an advisor in regards to making your application. The advisor will usually be from your local authority.
For example if in the UK you want to play record music in public. You would need to speak with PPL,PRS because they are the license body of music in the UK.
How much does a business license cost ?
The cost of the license depends on what kind of business you want to operate. Each license has a different price and only the local authority can advise once you have selected which type of license it is you require.
Business license costs are always updated on the websites of your local authority.
Examples :
- Security CCTV – License from the Security Industry Authority is required.
- To operate a food business, you would also need a permission form from your local council regarding this matter. Similarly, for the food business you would need permission for the premises also approval
- If you want a market store license, again you would need to take permission from your indivisual local authority. In this, restrictions can apply such not being able to open your store from more then eight hours, and they will also decide what your store opening and closing times will be. If you get a temporary license from your local authority then you may not receive a fixed spot for your stall and if you get a permanent authority license from your local authority then you may get a fixed spot for your market store. It all depends on what the current rules state on the website for the type of license you require.
