Check if you need a liquor licence

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.