All your licensing needs in one place

The licensing process can be complex and involved, which is why Complete Licensing is here to help you every step of the way. Our wraparound service will ensure you secure the correct licence to successfully and legally run your business.

How we can help

Our consultants come from licensing law, policing, environmental health and the night-time economy itself. Whatever the requirement, we have handled it before.

  • New Premises Licence Applications

    Whether you are taking over an existing business or setting up a new venture, we prepare the application, draft the operating schedule and manage the 28-day consultation from start to finish.

  • Premises Licence Variations

    Change your hours, activities, conditions or licensed layout. We assess the licence, recommend the right route, prepare the application and support you at a hearing.

  • Change a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS)

    Complete Licensing prepares the DPS change application, obtains the necessary consents and manages the process with the licensing authority and the police.

  • Premises Licence Expert Witness Reports and Hearing Evidence

    Independent expert evidence for contested licensing hearings — reports, data analysis, observations and oral evidence for applications, variations, reviews and appeals.

  • Festival Licensing

    When planning a music festival, food and drink festival, community event or a large outdoor event, you may need a festival licence to authorise alcohol sales, regulated entertainment or late-night refreshment.

  • Premises Licence Services for Commercial Landlords

    Protect the licensing position of your commercial property with specialist support for premises licence ownership, transfers, tenant changes, shadow licences and unexpected disruption.

  • Premises Licence Preservation in Insolvency

    Get help to preserve your premises licence after insolvency. Support with interim authority notices, licence transfers and urgent deadlines in England and Wales.

  • Ongoing Licensing Compliance Services for Licensed Premises

    Protect your premises licence with professional compliance inspections, audits, incident reviews, staff training and ongoing support.

  • Licensed Premises Policies and Procedures

    Bespoke policy drafting, review and implementation — documents your managers, bar staff and security teams can actually follow during a live shift.

  • Premises Licence Reviews

    A premises licence review can cost you trading hours, alcohol sales, your DPS or the licence itself. Our premises licence review consultants assess the case, prepare the evidence and represent you at the sub-committee hearing.

  • Licensing Crisis Management for Licensed Premises

    Complete Licensing provides support when a serious incident, police action or licensing enforcement threatens your premises licence and puts your business at risk.

  • Sexual Entertainment Venue Licensing (SEV)

    Sexual entertainment venues are licensed separately from the Licensing Act 2003, under a regime where local policy decides most outcomes. We assess your position before you commit.

  • Temporary Event Notice Applications (TENs)

    A Temporary Event Notice can authorise licensable activities for a one-off event, extended hours or an additional activity. The deadlines are strict and unforgiving, so the earlier you talk to us the better.

  • Gambling Licence Application and Compliance Support

    Independent support with gambling licence applications, changes to existing permissions, regulatory engagement and hearing preparation.

  • Late Night Refreshment Licence Applications

    Independent help identifying the correct permission, preparing a properly evidenced application and responding to local-authority concerns about late-night hot food and drink.

What our clients say

  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    As a business we have been working with Complete Licensing since 2020 and have always received an excellent level of service. They supported us throughout the process of obtaining the premises licence for our venue and continue to assist us with TEN applications and general licensing advice.

    James and his team are always accommodating, knowledgeable and happy to help. Their advice is clear, practical and reliable, and we would highly recommend Complete Licensing to anyone looking for professional licensing support.

    Read the full review from Lauren Hazel
    Lauren Hazel
  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    I’ve used James for over 10 years on my venues, events and festivals. The best in the businesss

    Michael Younger
  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    Very reliable and experienced. Highly recommend if you want to be on the right side of winning!

    Aristogen Jahah
  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    James and team are great to work with.

    Who you want in your corner when facing all problems licensing.

    Expert, personable, knowledgeable and efficient service and input.

    Michael James
  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    We used Complete Licensing to help with our premises licence application and couldn't have asked for better support.

    The process took just over two months and, throughout, the team were always available when we needed them. Whether it was a quick phone call, advice on a particular issue, or simply talking through the next steps, they were responsive and easy to deal with.

    James was excellent. He's clearly very experienced and knows licensing inside out. What we appreciated most was that he wasn't afraid to challenge us or tell us when he thought we were wrong. It wasn't always what we wanted to hear, but it was usually what we needed to hear, and it undoubtedly helped us make better decisions.

    The wider team was equally impressive. They have access to some very knowledgeable licensing specialists and barristers, and their experience dealing with local authorities was clear throughout the process. Having that level of expertise behind us gave us a lot of confidence. They have great contacts within the licensing team.

    Applying for a premises licence can be stressful and complicated, but Complete Licensing helped guide us through it every step of the way. We'd have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone going through the licensing process.

    Read the full review from Bijal Soni
    Bijal Soni
  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    Been using complete licensing for over year now and the experience and professionalism has been next to none. From all areas of licensing they have it covered. Your complete in house guide to all Your licensing needs.

    Tigerbay Enfield
  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    We cannot recommend Complete Licensing highly enough! They handled the entire process of securing our later license for our restaurant with the utmost professionalism from start to finish. Their expertise and attention to detail were exceptional, ensuring everything was managed smoothly and efficiently.

    Without their guidance and support, we wouldn’t have been able to secure our extended hours. They navigated every step seamlessly, making what could have been a stressful process feel effortless. If you’re looking for a licensing team that is knowledgeable, reliable, and truly delivers results, Complete Licensing is the one to trust.

    Thank you again for making this happen for us!

    — Sip City

    Read the full review from Sip City
    Sip City
  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    5 rejections back to back to get the licence needed to run my restaurant ; cabana ld. complete licencing went above and beyond and took the case on board as if they were owners. The police and council did everything in their power to stop the licence being approved. Complete licencing managed to win me my case and get me a better licence than I originally applied for. My case was looking very bleak but they managed to get me the win ..highly recommend them and this is a very genuine review .. the case can be googled to verify this. These lot are literally the best, I have had tons of licensing lawyers in the past but they don’t compare to them. Can’t stress how much I recommend them. If your case is looking bleak or you just need good licencing lawyers don’t waste your money with anybody else !

    Read the full review from dapson talabi
    dapson talabi
  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    The most professional team i have met within the hospitality business, specialised for the licensing they know exactly what they are doing and put my mind at ease completely. My license has been refused the first time in Soho, London and we reapplied again with complete licensing, and they got it for us. I have never met a team so professional and caring before, Jim Sollas was also amongst those who was delightful to work with and so kind and caring with the help he presented to us. I would recommend this team to everyone and I would definitely use them again in the future if I need to.

    Read the full review from Labinot Pacolli
    Labinot Pacolli
  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    I had an exceptional experience complete licensing and their team. They were incredibly professional, always putting our needs first and making us feel safe and confident about our legal position. Their availability, even at odd hours, was truly impressive and showed their dedication to their clients. I highly recommend their services to anyone in need of legal assistance.

    Read the full review from Chris Regha
    Chris Regha
  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    We have worked with Complete Licensing for the last few years and I can not recommend them enough! James and his team have gone above and beyond to help and advise us, I will certainly be using them for all my licensing needs!

    Jack Malin
  • Rated 5 out of 5.

    If I only could give more stars ✨ Had an amazing experience with Complete licensing especially with James. Definitely recommend it.

    Kreshnik Shala

Licensing explained

A short introduction to what the licensing process involves and where we fit in.

Talk to a consultant

Experience across every part of the trade

Our team of consultants come from a wide variety of backgrounds: lawyers, barristers, former senior police officers, acoustic consultants, industry-leading health and safety experts and others with first-hand experience of running successful and challenging night-time venues.

We work with clients across every area of the leisure and hospitality industry and we’re confident that we can guide you through your licence application smoothly and successfully.

More about us

Latest from the blog

· Work We've Done

Mediation wins the day for Shere Khan

Following our success in securing a late licence for the Tiger Bay shisha bar in Ealing recently, Complete Licensing has produced a repeat performance with another of the group’s bars.

All posts

Schedule an appointment

We want you to know that we’re here to help. We have the resources, the knowledge and the experience to help you. Call us today to schedule your first appointment.