Delhi Liquor License

Opening a liquor store is brimmed with various intricacies, chief of which is the requirement for a valid liquor license that has to be possessed by the bartender by fulfilling the required criteria. In this article, we look at the procedure for obtaining the Delhi liquor license in detail.

Also, know about Delhi Drug License

Need for the License

In India, the rules and regulations concerning the sale and consumption of alcohol vary among the states. This is because the subject of alcohol is mentioned in the state list under the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The excise department in Delhi administers the liquor head.

The legal age for consumption of alcohol has been specified in every State. Legal age is also the Consumption Age in this context. Under Section 23 of the Delhi Excise Act, 2010 and Delhi Liquor License Rules, 1976, the legal age for alcohol consumption is 25.

Types of Liquor

Two types of liquor are available in the Indian market:

Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL): This kind of liquor refers to the Hard Liquor manufactured within India.

Imported Foreign Liquor (IFL): This kind of liquor manufactures outside India and later imported to India. These liquors are usually expensive than IMFL.

Liquor Law in India

Article 47 of the Indian Constitution briefly states that “The State shall endeavour to bring about a prohibition of the consumption except for the medicinal purpose of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are injurious to health.” It is noteworthy that five states in the country have been banned from the sale, purchase and consumption of alcohol.

Types of Liquor Licenses

The Delhi Liquor License Rules, 1976 pronounces the types of licenses that serve liquor in the State. Besides this, the act also ensures to supply safe and quality liquor to its consumers.  The categories of licenses used to sell the different variants of liquor are many. A few  of the liquor brands, which requires special trading licenses, are:

• Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL)
• Country liquor
• Denatured & Special Denatured Spirit
• Rectified Spirit
• Wholesale licensee for Indian Made Foreign Liquor

Granting of License

Licenses in this domain are of various kinds. The granting provisions for few of them are below:

Grant of L-1 License

The L-1 license is for wholesale vending to companies; societies; partnership firms or proprietorship firms subject to the condition that the applicant owns distillery/breweries/manufacturing units/bottling plants. Moreover, he/she has to abide by the terms and conditions ordained by the concerned authorities.

Grant of L-6 License

The L-6 license is for retail sales of foreign liquor/beer. Issuance of this license is to choose undertakings of the Delhi government, namely DTTDC, DSIDC, DSCSC and DCCWS.

Grant of L-9 License

The L-9 license is for the retail sale of various brands of Indian liquor and foreign liquor. This license was previously known as L-52 D. To attain this license, and the applicant requires to abide by the terms and conditions ordained by the concerned authorities.

Grant of L-10 License

The L-10 license is for the retail sale of various brands of Indian liquor and foreign liquor. However, the terms and conditions for an L-9 license do not apply to L-10 licenses.

Grant of P-10 and P-13

These licenses are temporary licenses for serving liquor in parties, functions and conferences. The terms and conditions ordained for these licenses vary for residents, hotels, clubs, restaurants and other premises.

Grant of L-15 and L-16

These licenses are to star hotels that are approved by the Department of Tourism to accommodate the tourists. The hotel management has to abide by the terms and conditions ordained by the authorities.

Grant of L-17 and L-18

These licenses are for the star hotels that are approved by the Department of Tourism. These establishments must be located in a commercial area with adequate space for parking.

Grant of L-28

The L-28 license is for clubs that have been registered with the registrar of firms/ registrar of cooperative societies to provide services of foreign liquor to its club members. All clubs that agree to the specified terms and conditions can apply for this license.

Grant of L-29

The L-29 license is for clubs or mess that provides liquor or beer exclusively for Government Servants; which are not subject to commercial rates and rules. The application procedure and the required documents for an L-29 license are similar to that of L-28 license.

Application Procedure

The Delhi Government has launched an online liquor license program to issue licenses to its citizens.

Step 1: Log on to the website

To start with, the applicant has to visit the official portal.

Step 2: Log on to the Portal

The licensee has to enter the username and password. Applicants using it for the first time must click on the ‘Register’ option to enter the details.

Step 3: Click on the application form

The licensee has to select the application form and enter all the required details.

Step 4: Submit the Form

After entering the details, the licensee can submit the form by entering the ‘Submit’ option.

Step 5: Issuing the license

Based on the request for the type of license, the officials will conduct proper verification, after which the certificate will be issued.

Renewal of license

To retain a license, renew every year by remitting the appropriate fee.

Cancellation of License

A liquor license can be cancelled if the licensee violates any rules laid by the authority. In addition to this, the cancellation will be enacted on those licensees who sell alcohol on dry days or to minors.