Vary or transfer your liquor licence

To apply to change the liquor licence category you hold, download the form below.

The kit contains all forms and related materials required to apply to change the hours of operation, area or size of the premises and general conditions of the licence or permit.

There is an application fee to vary liquor licence details.

The procedure requires you to submit:

• a completed and signed application form with the fee
• planning permit or permission
• four copies of red-line plan if changing the size or perimeter of the licensed area
• kerbside trading permit if adding the kerbside to the red-line area.

To apply to change liquor licence category you hold, download the form below.

There is an application fee(opens in a new window) to change your licence category.

The procedure requires you to submit:

• completed and signed application form with the fee
• copy of the red-line plan
• planning permit or permission.

If you want to change the category of your liquor licence from a full club licence to a restricted club licence, download the form below.

There is no fee for this application.

The procedure requires you to submit:

• completed and signed application form
• four copies of the red-line plan
• planning permit or permission.

If two or more clubs are sharing facilities and paying separate licences, they may decide to amalgamate licences for greater administrative efficiency and to save costs.

Download the Amalgamated club licence application kit.

There is an application fee(opens in a new window) to amalgamate club licences.

The procedure requires you to submit:

• completed and signed application form with the fee
• planning permit or permission
• completed questionnaires for each person named on the application
• club rules
• Certificate of Incorporation
• a plan of the premises
• evidence of required training completed
• your most recent meeting minutes or AGM minutes.

If you want to change your existing licence to producer’s licence, download the form below.

There is no fee for this application.

The procedure requires you to submit:

• completed and signed application form
• copy of the red-line plan
• planning permit or permission.

If you're a licensee of a live music venue and you wish to vary your liquor licence conditions in relation to crowd controllers, CCTV cameras and RSA trained staff download the form below.

There is no fee for this application.

The procedure requires you to submit:

• completed and signed application form
• planning permit or permission (if applicable)
• proposed management plan (not applicable in all cases).

If you are applying to vary your liquor licence to specify patron numbers for a function room or accommodation area for the purposes of excluding these patrons from the venue capacity multiplier, download the form below.

There is no fee for this application.

The procedure requires you to submit:

• completed and signed application form
• planning permit or permission
• copy of the red-line plan
• calculation by a registered building surveyor of the patron numbers.

On 6 October 2023 the Victorian Government extended its planning exemptions under the Planning and Environment Act 1987. These exemptions were first created in 2020 to help businesses to continue trading during COVID-19 restrictions and have been extended until 24 October 2024. These exemptions may mean that no planning approval is required to include outdoor areas including courtyards, footpaths and parklets into your red line plan. If you want to use these exemptions at a licensed venue, you may need to make changes to your existing licence.

Information for you

We have an expedited variation application for venues seeking to add an external area that is exempt from planning form. This process only applies if you meet the following criteria:

• You are seeking to add a new external area on either private or public land, and
• Council have advised you do not need planning or are exempt from planning, and
• That the external area will close at 11pm, and
• You are not seeking to change your trading hours, patron capacity or any other conditions of your existing licence.

If you do not meet the above criteria, you will need to lodge a variation application. For more information visit, Vary or transfer your liquor licence.

Information needed in your application

Before you make any application to us, you must gather the following information:

• Supporting documents from your local council to use the private or public area (see below for information)
• An updated red line plan that covers your current area and the external outdoor area

Outdoor area on public land

You will need to speak to your local council about your requirements for an outdoor dining permit or footpath trading permit.

Your council will be able to guide you in what they need and the correct use of your new area.

In your liquor application to us, you will need to provide either:

• a copy of the relevant trading permit, or
• written confirmation, such as an email, from your local council that you may use the public area.

Outdoor area on private land

You will need to speak to your local council about your planning requirements. Your council will be able to guide you in what they need and the correct use of your new area.

For areas that are exempt from planning, you need to provide written confirmation from your local council. A letter or email from your council is acceptable.

How to apply

See below the steps you are required to complete to take advantage of the planning exemptions to have a new area outdoor area added to your licence.

1. Download the variation to an existing licence or permit application form
2. Complete sections 1, 2 and 3 with the details of the licensee, contact person and address of the venue.
3. Section 4, only tick ‘the size or perimeter of the licensed area’.
4. In the box below write ‘Extension of licensed area to include a new public/private area to 11pm’. Do not tick any other boxes in this section, or you will not be eligible for an expedited application process.
5. Advise at the bottom left of the page if the new area requires building works or is ready to trade immediately.
6. Have the licensee, or director of the licensee sign and date section 5.
7. Save a copy of the form, along with your council documents and new red line plan.
8. Attach a copy of the form, council document and new red line plan to an email. Use the subject line ‘[Your licence number] – variation of licence to include new outdoor area under planning exemption’.
9. Email this to contact@liquor.vic.gov.au

What you can expect

• We will receive your application and acknowledge it within 2 weeks of your email.
• You will need to pay your application fee of $238.50. For more information visit Liquor licence application fees.
• We will send a copy of your application to your local Council and Victoria Police for comment. They have up to 30 days to respond to us.
• You will need to display a public notice at your venue with dates given to you by us. Please do not display your public before you are instructed to do so.
• If you do not provide your council documents with your application, your application will be delayed. We will ask for them and wait until you can provide them to start the application.
• If your application becomes contested, or should we have concerns, this may also extend the processing time.

If we vary your licence to include the external outdoor area, what happens after October 2024?

At the end of the planning exemptions, you will need to have on-going planning permission from your local council already or stop using the outdoor area.

You do not need to advise us if you stop using the external area.

If you would like to remove an area from your plan you an email us at contact@liquor.vic.gov.au with a new red line plan that meets our requirements.

If you're an executor, trustee, administrator, owner or mortgagee in possession of a licensed premises and wish to apply to have your name endorsed on the licence or permit, download the form below.

There is an application fee to endorse a name on a licence.

The procedure will require you to submit:

• the completed application form
• completed questionnaire
• evidence of licensee training completed
• evidence of eligibility or proof of ownership.

To apply to add a new director or nominee to an existing liquor licence or permit, complete the application online via the applications portal(opens in a new window). There is an application fee(opens in a new window).

The procedure requires you to submit:

• the completed and signed application form with the fee
• completed questionnaire
• evidence of licensee training completed.

To register or update the details of an owner or mortgagee on an existing liquor licence, download the form below.

There is no fee for this application.

The procedure requires you to submit the completed and signed application form.

An associate of a liquor licence applicant/licensee is a person who holds a financial interest, or can exercise any power in the selling of liquor by any business operated by the applicant/licensee. An associate can also be a relative who is involved in the operations and management of any business selling liquor operated by the applicant. A full description is defined in the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998.

Licensees/permittees must notify the Commission within 14 days if their associates have changed. For bodies corporate, this also includes associates of directors. This is an ongoing obligation for all current licensees/permittees and failure to do so may result in enforcement action by LCV.

Licensees must notify LCV through completing the below form.

The procedure requires you to submit the fully completed and signed application form below. There is no fee for this application.

To apply to allow another person to carry on a business of supplying liquor on a licensed premises or to sublet a licensed premises to another business, download the form below.

There is an application fee for this application.

This procedure requires you to submit:

• completed and signed application form
• completed questionnaire(s)
• evidence of required training completed
• copy of the lease, sub-lease or other written management agreement
• terms and conditions consent form.

This procedure is to be used when you want Liquor Control Victoria (LCV) to approve the presence on any part of the licensed premises of persons under the age of 18 years at an underage or youth event, other than in the company of a parent, spouse or legal guardian or responsible adult.

There are strict conditions set out in the 2 available application forms below that you need to be aware of. Please check each form's checklist to find out which application is right for your event.

There is an application fee for a temporary approval for underage patrons.

This procedure requires you to submit the fully completed application form with the fee.

To apply for a permanent authority to permit persons under the age of 18 years to be on the licensed premises other than in the company of a responsible adult, download the form below.

There is no fee for this application.

The procedure requires you to submit the completed and signed application form.

Use this procedure if you are a licensed club and you want to apply for approval to allow the attendance of underage persons on the licensed club premises.

There is no fee for this application

The procedure requires you to submit the completed and signed application form below.

To apply for an exemption from the requirement to provide free drinking water at licensed premises, please visit the free water for patrons(opens in a new window) page.

Licensees who hold a general, on-premises, late night or packaged liquor licence may apply for an exemption from one or more of the training requirements relating to RSA. There is no fee for this application. To apply visit the licensee training page.

To relocate your existing liquor licence to a new premises, download and complete the form below.

There is an application fee(opens in a new window) to relocate a liquor licence.

The procedure will require you to submit:

• completed and signed application form with the fee
• copy of the red-line plan
• planning permit or permission.

Visit the online liquor portal to change your postal address.