Alcohol Licence for a Restaurant in Poland 2026

Selling alcohol can significantly improve a restaurant's margins in Poland - but it requires a licence governed by the strict rules of the Act on Upbringing in Sobriety and Counteracting Alcoholism. In 2026 the framework is the same as it has been for years: three licence types (A, B, C), fees that depend on your sales value, an annual declaration due by 31 January, and a list of situations in which you can lose the licence overnight. This guide walks you through the whole process - from the application to the municipality to your day-to-day obligations. Keep in mind that the alcohol licence is a separate obligation, independent of the Sanepid requirements for food service, which your premises must meet in parallel.

Three licence types: A, B and C

Licences for selling alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises (i.e. in your restaurant or bar) are divided into three categories by alcohol content. Each category is a separate licence, a separate application, and a separate fee - if you want to serve beer, wine, and vodka, you need all three.

Type	Scope	Base fee (first year)	Sales value threshold	Fee above the threshold
A	beverages up to 4.5% alcohol and beer	PLN 525	PLN 37,500	1.4% of sales value
B	beverages above 4.5% up to 18% alcohol (except beer)	PLN 525	PLN 37,500	1.4% of sales value
C	beverages above 18% alcohol	PLN 2,100	PLN 77,000	2.7% of sales value

Which licences you need

• Beer only (including craft) and beverages up to 4.5% - licence A is enough. The most common starting point for a pizzeria, burger place, or bistro.
• Wine, vermouth, liqueurs up to 18% - you need licence B. Note: beer is excluded from B, even strong beer.
• Vodka, whisky, spirits above 18%, cocktails on strong alcohol - licence C, the most expensive and with the highest fee threshold.

The procedure: who issues the licence and how the application works

The licence is issued by the mayor of the municipality (wojt, burmistrz, or city president) competent for the location of the sales point - after a positive opinion from the municipal commission for solving alcohol problems on whether the location complies with the municipal council's resolutions. For food service (consumption on the premises), licences are issued for a period of at least 4 years (for retail shops - at least 2 years).

Step by step

1. Check your municipality's resolutions - the municipal council sets a maximum number of licences (limits on sales points) and location rules, e.g. minimum distances from schools or churches. If the local limit is exhausted, your application will fail regardless of how good your venue is.
2. File the application with the municipal office - the form is on your municipality's website. Standard attachments include a document confirming your legal title to the premises, consent of the building owner or manager (for premises in multi-family buildings), and the Sanepid decision confirming that sanitary requirements are met. Confirm the exact list with your municipality.
3. Wait for the opinion of the municipal commission for solving alcohol problems - it assesses whether the location complies with council resolutions.
4. Collect the licence and pay the fee - the fee for using the licence is paid before it is issued (for the first year, proportionally to the licence's validity in that calendar year).

Key rule: The licence is tied to a specific business operator and a specific sales point. Moving the venue, changing the company's legal form, or taking over an existing business all require contact with the municipality - a licence cannot simply be "transferred" like kitchen equipment.

The licence and Sanepid - two separate tracks

The Sanepid establishment approval decision is one of the documents the licensing procedure relies on. In practice this means your sanitary requirements for food premises - including HACCP and GHP/GMP documentation - must be in order before you apply for the alcohol licence. No approved premises, no licence.

Fees: first year, renewal years, and instalments

First year of sales

A business starting alcohol sales pays the base fee: PLN 525 for licence A, PLN 525 for licence B, and PLN 2,100 for licence C. The full set of three licences costs PLN 3,150 at the start (for licences covering a full calendar year; mid-year starts are charged proportionally).

Following years - the fee depends on turnover

From the second year, the fee depends on the value of sales of each alcohol type in the previous year:

• Below the threshold (PLN 37,500 for A and B, PLN 77,000 for C) - you pay the base fee, as in the first year.
• Above the threshold - you pay a percentage of the sales value: 1.4% for licence A, 1.4% for licence B, 2.7% for licence C.

The sales value declaration - by 31 January

The fee is calculated on the basis of a declaration of the value of sales of each type of alcoholic beverage in the previous year, which you file with the municipality by 31 January each year. This is one of the most important dates in a restaurateur's calendar - filing late or providing false figures carries painful financial consequences and, in the worst case, loss of the licence.

Instalments: three dates per year

The annual fee can be paid in one sum or in three equal instalments, due:

1. by 31 January,
2. by 31 May,
3. by 30 September.

Put these three dates (plus the declaration deadline) in your permanent compliance calendar, next to employee medical checks and the reviews from our 30-minute pre-inspection checklist. Missing an instalment deadline is a straight path to the licence expiring.

Day-to-day obligations while selling alcohol

• Absolute ban on selling alcohol to minors - in case of doubt about age, staff have the right to ask for an ID document. Train every person behind the bar and on the floor; responsibility falls on both the staff member and the business owner.
• Ban on selling to intoxicated persons - staff must be able to refuse another drink and know they not only may, but must.
• Ban on selling on credit or against a pledge.
• Sales only in the place covered by the licence - if you open an outdoor seating area beyond the venue's footprint, confirm with the municipality that it is covered.
• Declarations and fees on time - as above: 31 January, 31 May, 30 September.
• Required information notices about the harmfulness of alcohol at the point of sale; confirm the details with your municipality.

What can cost you the licence

The Act provides for revocation of the licence in cases including:

• selling alcohol to minors or intoxicated persons - the most frequently cited and most dangerous ground; one documented case is enough,
• selling on credit or against a pledge,
• failure to comply with the sales conditions set out in the Act and the licence,
• repeated disturbance of public order at or near the sales point where the operator fails to notify the authorities responsible for keeping order,
• selling alcohol from illegal sources,
• providing false data in the sales value declaration.

An operator whose licence was revoked may apply for a new one only after the waiting period provided in the Act. A separate category is expiry of the licence - e.g. due to closing the sales point, the licence term ending, a change of business type, or failure to file the declaration or pay the fee on time (the Act provides a rescue mechanism with an additional deadline and an increased fee - check the details with your municipality, because every day counts).

The most expensive lesson in hospitality: one documented sale of alcohol to a minor can end in revocation of the licence - and without alcohol, many business models stop adding up. An age verification procedure and staff training cost incomparably less.

Frequently asked questions

Can I start with a beer licence only and add wine later?

Yes. Licences A, B, and C are independent - you can start with A (beer and beverages up to 4.5%) and apply for B or C at any time. Each licence means a separate application, a separate fee, and a separate line in the annual declaration.

How long is a licence issued for in food service?

For alcohol sold for consumption on the premises (restaurants, bars), licences are issued for at least 4 years. For retail (shops), the minimum is 2 years. The specific term is set by the municipality in the licence.

What happens if I miss the 31 January declaration deadline?

Failure to file the sales value declaration on time leads to expiry of the licence, though the Act provides a rescue option within an additional deadline for an increased fee. Do not count on that mechanism - confirm the details with your municipality and treat 31 January as a hard deadline.

How much will I pay in year two if I sold less than PLN 37,500 of beer?

If the value of sales under licence A did not exceed the PLN 37,500 threshold, you pay the base fee of PLN 525 for the next year. Only above the threshold does the fee become a percentage (1.4% of sales value for A and B, 2.7% for C with its PLN 77,000 threshold).

Can the municipality refuse even though I meet all the conditions?

Yes - if the limit of licences set by the municipal council is exhausted, or the location does not meet the local placement rules (e.g. distances from protected sites). Check the municipal resolutions before signing a lease.

Does the alcohol licence replace Sanepid approval of the premises?

No - these are two independent procedures. The Sanepid decision confirming sanitary compliance is a standard document in the licence application. First establishment approval and complete HACCP/GHP documentation, then the alcohol application.

Two seasonal situations follow their own rules and are worth checking early: selling at a Christmas market, where a one-off permit is issued for 2 days, and New Year's Eve as a private event, where alcohol included in the ticket price still counts as a sale.

The alcohol licence is just one piece of the legal puzzle for a food venue in Poland - the foundation remains a Sanepid-approved establishment with a working HACCP system and GHP/GMP procedures. If you want that foundation ready quickly and without mistakes, see the HACCP and GHP/GMP documentation packages from GastroReady - templates compliant with Regulation 852/2004 that you fill in with your venue's details.

See HACCP documentation packages →