do not have a liquor licence, you can apply for a licence that allows late night trading
If you need a licence, these licence types allow you to trade after 1 am:
Late night (general) licence.
Late night (on-premises) licence.
Late night (packaged liquor) licence.
Applications for a packaged liquor (late night) licence are assessed with careful consideration of potential alcohol-related harm. We do not base our decision on commercial reasons, such as the need to generate more income or increase access to your products.
Key features
A late night trading licence allows you to trade after 1 am with the same key features as a:
Read about the key features of these licence types, so you know which late-night version you need.
Trading hours
Late night (general) licence:
you apply for the hours you want to supply alcohol for customers to drink at your venue and we must approve them.
you can only supply alcohol to take away or drink away from your venue, footpath or kerbside until 11 pm.
Late night (on-premises) licence:
you apply for the hours you want to supply alcohol for customers to drink at your venue, including your kerbside area, and we must approve them.
Late night (packaged liquor) licence:
you apply for the hours you want to supply packaged alcohol for customers to drink away from your shop and we must approve them.
Apply at least 11 weeks before you need a licence. It may take longer if we need more information or if there are objections.
Who this licence suits
A late night (general) or late night (on-premises) licence may suit if you want to sell alcohol for customers to drink at your venue, including after 1am.
A late night (packaged liquor) licence may suit if you want to sell packaged alcohol for customers to drink away from your location after 1 am.
Application fees
You need to pay a non-refundable application fee when you apply.
For a late night (general) or late night (on-premises) licence, if your venue capacity is:
zero to 200 customers, the fee is $1,260.80
201 to 400 customers, the fee is $1,386.80
401 or more customers, the fee is $2,269.40.
For a late night (packaged liquor) licence, if your floor space is:
zero to 750 square metres, the fee is $5,547.30
more than 750 square metres, the fee is $11,094.60.
If we grant a general (late night) or on-premises (late night) licence, you must complete advanced RSA training within 6 months of the licence grant.
Only an authorised person can apply for the licence. This depends on who is applying.
If you are applying as:
an individual, you must apply for the licence yourself (on the form this is called a 'natural person')
a company, a current director or someone the board has officially authorised to sign documents must apply
an incorporated association, an executive committee member must apply
a partnership, a partner must apply (partnerships can only be made up of individuals).
Have these details and documents ready:
business name
trading hours
proof of required training – either a certificate of completion or booking confirmation
red line plan that shows where alcohol will be sold and consumed
maximum patron capacity (how many customers your venue can hold). Get this from your council planning permit, if it's listed as a condition, or find out how to show it on your red line plan.
ASIC current and historical information extract (if applying as a company). The extract must be dated within the past 90 days. To buy one, search organisations and business names in the ASIC register. Make sure you have the correct document. We cannot process your application without it.
credit card details – to pay the non-refundable application fee (Visa or Mastercard).
The form will ask you to declare that you have the right to occupy the venue. You must have a property title, lease or other legal document that gives you the right.
You no longer need to upload a council planning permit with your application. Instead, upload the LCV new licence or permit planning document when the form asks for a planning permit. This is a temporary step until we update the form. You can upload a planning permit instead, if you have one.
If you are applying for a late night (general) or late night (on-premises) licence, your application needs extra documents if your venue is located in the council areas of:
Melbourne
Port Phillip
Yarra
Stonnington.
In addition to the above documents, you must also provide:
venue management plan, detailing how you will minimise the risk of harm from late night trading.
noise mitigation strategy, detailing how amenity and noise (including music) will be managed under Environment Protection Authority (EPA) regulations and guidelines relating to noise.
your history of compliance with liquor laws and EPA regulations relating to noise
ASIC current and historical information extract (if applying as a company). The extract must be dated within the past 90 days. To buy one, search organisations and business names in the ASIC register. Make sure you have the correct document. We cannot process your application without it.
community impact assessment, if your floor space is more than 750 square metres
credit card details – to pay the non-refundable application fee (Visa or Mastercard).
The form will ask you to declare that you have the right to occupy the venue. You must have a property title, lease or other legal document that gives you the right.
You no longer need to upload a council planning permit with your application. Instead, upload the LCV new licence or permit planning document when the form asks for a planning permit. This is a temporary step until we update the form. You can upload a planning permit instead, if you have one.
They must explain how the licence could negatively affect the area’s amenity – for example, noise or disruption to their quiet enjoyment of living there.
Victoria Police and the local council may also object to the licence.
If we receive any valid objections, we’ll contact you to respond.
For example, if someone raises a concern about noise, you could explain how you plan to manage it.
We’ll take this into account when we assess your application.
When you get your decision
It can take about 9 to 11 weeks to get your decision.
It may take longer if someone objected to your licence or we needed to ask for more information.
We email to advise that we are granting your licence.
The email tells you how to sign up to our Liquor Portal.
It's important that you register. It's where you can:
If we granted a late night (general) or late night (on-premises) licence, you must complete advanced RSA training within 6 months of the licence grant.
Stay compliant
Be aware of your obligations under the law and as a licensee.
