How to get a BAR License in India?

If you are a kind of person who loves to party hard, chilling with hundreds of unknown people,
comfortable in enjoying time without your family, loved ones and do not feel bad while staying away
from your family then you are the perfect kind of person for this business and you can start your bar
business without wasting your time.

How to start a Bar Business?

Starting a bar business is a tough call as you have to give the endless sleepless night to your business
because the package comes with a number of challenges which demands a lot of thought and
planning in order to sail safely. So before, cap off your champagne bottle follow the rules that are set
up to open a bar business.

Types of Bar to Start as a Business

There are six categories of the bar from which you can choose your taste of bar because each type of
bar requires a different kind of set up, management style and financial funding etc. You have the full
right to choose your taste of bar that matches with your interest and makes you feel confident and
energetic about running that successfully.

Hence, the List of the bar is as discussed below-

 Lounge

 Tapas bar

 Pub

 Sports bar

 Nightclub

 Concept bar

You can choose whether you want to open your business without liquor or with liquor at the time of
filing an application for your Bar with the location also.

Perfect location for Bar business

Opening a bar in a perfect location requires the blend of keen research and dedicated time. The
location of your bar plays a stringent role in alluring a large number of customer form young to old
age. An area with a dodgy location could limit the customer to your bar.
Furthermore, many states in India have the regulation that a bar which is attached to a hotel should
have to comply with a certain specified number of rooms and the bars should be situated at a
defined distance from any educational institution, temples, and hospital. Therefore, it is very
significant to consult the state laws prior to choosing a location for your dream bar.

How to apply for Bar License in India?

A bar license is a fuel to operate a bar. Therefore, before obtaining a bar license first you need
to register a company and then apply for the bar license in the name of the company. This will create
a sense of trust in the customer's heart as the license is in the name of the company and with that
also it can also be transferred in near future. If necessary, you can open any kind of company like LLP
or OPC for registering your Bar. Into the bargain, you need to obtain an Employer Identification
Number from the IRS. This number will be required for many of your license and permits and your
tax documents while you are going for registration of your Bar.

As you are going to be a Bar owner, the two most important agencies to whom you’ll be dealing are
the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and your local department of Alcoholic Beverage
Control if you are serving Liquor in your bar and willing to have Liquor license depending upon the
type of Liquor you are serving.

Now, the first level you need to cover for your Bar License is the state level which is an Alcoholic
Beverage Control (ABC) agency that issue liquor license at the state level while the other issue at the
country level or city level. The State agency (ABC) after satisfying with all the due diligence will
approve your application for the license and will send you the information about your license.  The
time for approving the application for a new liquor license or to transfer the license is about 45 to 60
days. And if you get approved then an additional 30 days or longer will be taken to receive the
license.

FSSAI License

Coming to the food section after your Liquor License, if you are planning to serve food in your bar
then you need to have a license to do so. Generally, these licenses are time limit and can be issued
for a year and be renewed time by time. The license will also depend upon the size of your bar and
the type of equipment you have and how extensive your menu is, and on that, the cost of bar
license will depend which usually starts from $50 and goes up from there.

The state public health department has the responsibility to oversee the license and permits, and
between them, some allow local or country department to issue them and some conduct an
inspection.

How to get a Liquor License in India?

If you are planning to serve liquor in your bar then for that you have to get a liquor license first. The
following are the steps you need to take for obtaining a liquor license-

 Understand the type of Liquor license you required

Each state has its own rules and regulations for license. So you should first contact the local
authority to find out about alcohol laws and the sale of license in your states.  Furthermore, some
states have license quotas limiting the number of places that can sell alcohol within the state.

 Read out the need of On- License or Off – License

There are two major types of liquor license required by premises that sell alcohol

1. You will need an on- license if you intend to consume the liquor on the premises.

2. You will need an off- license if you intend to consume or sell the liquor on the premises

 Specific class of Liquor License  to be obtain

In some states, you will need to apply for the very specific class of license depending upon the
nature of the business and the nature of the liquor you intend to sell.

 Tavern License - this license is required in some states by the businesses that offer food but
make up to half of their profits through the sale of alcohol.

 Beer and Wine- the bars and the restaurants may be granted a license to sell “soft” liquors
like beer and wine.  After this license the owner is not entitle to sell hard liquor like spirits.

 Restaurants – Restaurants license merely permits any type of alcohol to be sold on the
premises. The percentage of the region of the alcohol is limited to the 40%.

Hence, you can follow the above steps to get your liquor license or what you can do is just link- 
contact us - and we will get you the Liquor License in  no time.