Two licences, not one
If you sell alcohol only for on-premises consumption, you don't need a federal licence. For home delivery or takeaway sales, the "Alcohol and Tobacco Dealer Licence" is mandatory, to be requested from Customs and Excise. This licence is free and applies per VAT number, even with multiple locations. If you only serve on-premises, you need a municipal alcohol licence instead.
Example: Bistro Lola in Antwerp serves wine and beer at tables and has a municipal alcohol licence for this. When the business also starts offering wine bottles for home delivery, the federal licence Alcohol and Tobacco Dealerturns out to be missing. Only after notification to Customs and Excise is this corrected.
Fermented or strong drinks: two separate licences
The municipal alcohol licence comes in two types. For fermented drinks like beer and wine, the basic licence is enough. If you also want to serve strong drinks, like cognac, whisky or a cocktail, you need an additional licence. The mayor decides on the application, based on an extract from the criminal record of the operator.
Example:Tom has an alcohol licence for fermented drinks and serves beer and wine in his café. When he also adds cocktails with gin and rum to the menu, he thinks his existing licence covers this. During an inspection, it turns out he also needs the licence for strong drinks.
Note:thinking one licence covers everything is the most common mistake. A business that serves and delivers to homes needs both the municipal alcohol licence and the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Dealer licence.
We find the right licence for you
Which licence or combination of licences you need depends on what you actually offer. Connect Inn determines this for your business, puts together the dossier and applies for the licence from the right authority. You won't be without a licence on opening day. Schedule an appointment and we'll review your dossier together.