Personal functional licence

The cost for a PFL is £185. We can accept payment from most credit or debit cards, but unfortunately we are not able to accept American Express or Visa Electron.

We will not return your fee if your application is unsuccessful or you choose to withdraw from the application process.

To complete the PFL application process you will need to have the following ready:

• an email address and mobile number to create and retrieve your application
• all your residential addresses for the last 5 years and the dates you lived there
• a UK correspondence address
• verified ID documents for upload.
• For casino industry employees, you should have an ID verification form completed by your employer ready for upload.
• If you currently reside in England and Wales, you will be asked to agree to an electronic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to be carried out on you via the PFL Apply service.
• If you live/work in Scotland a Disclosure Scotland form will be required to be completed.
• If you live overseas you will be required to provide a credit report or a letter of good standing from your overseas bank. The letter must show how you have managed your bank account. It must be supported by an English translation where relevant.
• Where the applicant has lived overseas within the 5-year address history, a Police extract from that country of residence must be provided. 
• Where the country of birth is not the UK, they must also provide a Police extract from their country of birth. This is because the home country should be told about any offences committed overseas. All overseas Police reports must be supported by an English translation where relevant.
• a credit or debit card to pay the application fee.

You must tell us about any convictions including current investigations. Unless otherwise stated we will complete basic criminal check with the Disclosure and Barring Service or Disclosure Scotland.

If you live/work in England and Wales, a Disclosure and Barring Service check will be completed.

If you live/work in Scotland, you will be required to complete a Disclosure Scotland check. You will be provided with the form that must be completed and returned within 7 days. Failure to do this will result in your application being considered for refusal.

When you receive your Disclosure Scotland certificate you must send this to us within 7 days of receiving it in order for your application to be progressed. We will return this to you by recorded delivery. Failure to send in your certificate will result in your application being considered for refusal.

Overseas applicants are required to obtain police reports with an English translation. Failure to provide this with your application will result in your application being considered for refusal.

More information about the personal licence maintenance process is available. 

You should inform us of any changes in circumstances, for example if your contact details change. See the full list of things you need to tell us about as part of your licence conditions.

Original documents posted to us will be returned by recorded or special delivery and will need to be signed for upon receipt.

Post to the address below quoting your name and the unique application reference ID given to you during the online application.

Licensing submissions
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham
B2 4BP

Keep your licence in a safe place. You need to be able to produce your licence on demand within a specified period, if a constable or enforcement officer asks to see it.

Your licence will last indefinitely unless:

• it is revoked
• it is suspended
• you choose to surrender it
• it lapses, for example due to bankruptcy
• it is forfeit, for example if a court orders it when you are convicted of a relevant offence

If you need a copy of your personal licence login to eServices - Personal, and you will be able to download a copy of your licence.

 

Change	Cost
Adding a licensed activity	25% of standard licence fee
Amending a licensed activity	25% of standard licence fee
Removing a licensed activity	£25 administration fee
Adding a condition	25% of standard licence fee
Amending a condition	25% of standard licence fee
Removing a condition	25% of standard licence fee

Variations to personal licence applications take around 5 days to process, providing full information is submitted.

If we reject your application, we will let you know the reasons why and the steps you can take to appeal if you are unhappy with our decision. If we have given you a final decision and you are not satisfied with it, you can appeal to HM Courts & Tribunals Service, which is an independent body.