Determine Your Eligibility
You are eligible to apply for a liquor-primary licence if you are:
- at least 19 years old, and
- a resident of British Columbia, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada (if you are applying as a corporation, and none of your shareholders live in B.C., you must appoint a resident manager).
You, your resident manager (if you have one) and any identified shareholders and partners, will also need to consent to a criminal record search and in some cases a review of your driver’s record. Having a criminal record or driving infraction does not automatically mean that we will turn down your application. We will look carefully at the circumstances of your case and how they relate to the responsibilities that go with holding a liquor-primary licence. See Submitting your liquor-primary licence application for more information.
If you have held a liquor licence before, we will also look at your history as a liquor licensee. A poor history as a licensee may make it more difficult for you to qualify for a liquor-primary licence.
In addition:
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you must be the owner of the business and have a "valid interest" in the property where the establishment will be located (i.e., you own, or have a lease on, the property and facilities that will not expire for at least 12 months from the date we issue your licence), and
- you cannot be "tied" to a particular liquor manufacturer, independent agent or UBrew/UVin (i.e., you cannot have an agreement with one liquor manufacturer to sell only that manufacturer's products in your establishment, or be associated - financially or personally - with a liquor manufacturer unless approved by the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch)
