Getting advice
Businesses change and evolve over time as do the people who own them. Whether you’re thinking of cancelling your liquor licence due to financial concerns or personal circumstances we encourage you to seek advice before you start closing.
Visit www.business.gov.au/Closing/Selling-or-closing
Ways to cancel your liquor licence
There are two ways to cancel your licence:
- Temporarily - this is a good option if you’d like to renovate, transform your business model, or rebrand
- Permanently – this is called surrendering your licence and means that your licence will be officially cancelled.
Temporarily cease trading
You must notify us if you wish to stop using your liquor licence for six weeks or longer – this may be during a period of renovations, for example.
Cease to trade - Apply online through the Liquor Licence Manager
Unless you have been given an exemption, you are required to keep your applicable competencies up to date including RSA, RCG, Licensee Training and Advanced Licensee Training. Request an exemption here.
Resume trading
When you’re ready to begin trading again, you must let us know.
If you are a licensee or approved manager of a liquor licence, you have an obligation under the Liquor Act 2007 to ensure you have a current recognised competency card with appropriate licensee training or advanced licensee training endorsements before you recommence trading. Penalties apply for non-compliance with this requirement.
Re-commence trading - Apply online through the Liquor Licence Manager
All liquor licences that have temporarily ceased trading are still subject to the annual liquor licence fee.
Surrender your liquor licence
If you decide to permanently surrender your licence you need to notify Liquor & Gaming NSW and complete an application form. Surrendering your liquor licence is permanent and becomes official from the date that we approve your application.
What we need from you
Written consent from the premises owner and the business owner needs to be included on your application form. We can’t process your application without these approvals.
Surrender your liquor licence - Apply online through the Liquor Licence Manager
What happens next
Once you’ve lodged your application to surrender your licence including consent from the premises owner and the business owner, it will take about three weeks to approve. You will receive a confirmation email from us that your licence has been permanently cancelled.