Applying for and Renewing a GLA Licence
For detailed information about how the GLA makes licence decisions click here.
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Applying for a licence
Apply online or by telephoning us on 0845 602 5020.
If you apply online, you need to complete two simple steps before starting your application:
- Step 1 register with the Government Gateway. If you have already registered, you can proceed straight to step 2.
- Step 2 enrol. This will enable you to access the application form.
Click here to read the application form guidance. This guidance tells you the information you need to provide when applying.
Click here to start your application.
If you are applying for a GLA licence to provide workers to the United Kingdom (UK) from outside of the UK you will be required to attend an inspection with a GLA officer in the UK. Once you have made your application, written instructions will be issued as to what you will required to bring with you to the inspection. For further guidance on the expectations the GLA have of applicants and licence holders please see the licensing standards.
If you apply for or hold a licence your business details will be placed on the GLA public register.
Renewing your licence
You can renew by phoning the GLA on 0845 602 5020
A GLA licence lasts for one year from the date it was issued. If you want to continue trading in the licensed sectors you will need to renew your licence.
As a result of changes to the Licensing Standards that came into force on the 6 April 2009, the GLA needs to review the information you provided on your original application to check that it is stil appropriate for you to hold a licence. We will also require you to sign a declaration that the information you provide is correct.
Before the renewal process can begin, you must review your licence details to ensure the information we hold is correct and up to date.
To ensure you have all the information we require before you call to renew, please consider the questions that will be asked .
The renewal fee will be based on your turnover for the preceding financial year. There will be no automatic inspection when you renew your licence and there will be no charge if the GLA chooses to inspect you.
If you don't renew, your licence will expire at midnight exactly one year after it was issued.
If your licence does expire you will need to make a new application, stop trading until you have a licence decision and pay another inspection fee. If you operate without a licence you are committing an offence.
Renewing online
Due to the amount of different questions for the licence renewal this year the GLA has suspended online renewals from 6 April 2009 due to the changes in questions asked as a result of the new licensing standards. This is to avoid complications and ease the process during the transition period of the new licensing standards.
Renewing by phone
If you would like to review your details and submit your turnover by telephone, please call us on 0845 602 5020. The licensing officer will then send you a copy of your business details, if these are wrong, please correct immediately re-sign the form and send back to the GLA.
If you do not wish to renew your licence please let us know on 0845 602 5020.
Licence Fees for financial year 2010 - 2011
Fees are calculated according to the annual turnover of your business in the licensed sectors. The tables below show the different fee bands and associated costs.
Warning: Your application fee and renewal fee are based on the turnover figure you submit. This should be the turnover figure for business in the sectors of industry regulated by the GLA. Should you over declare the business turnover you will not receive a refund if at a later date you discover you misunderstood the question. If you under declare your business turnover you will risk the refusal of your application or revocation of your licence. For further assistance please refer to the application form guidance.
Application, renewal and inspection fees
Please note no inspection fee is charged for a renewal of a licence.
| Annual Turnover | Fee Band |
Application or |
Inspection Fee |
| £10 million or more | A | £2,600 | £2,900 |
| From £5 million to less than £10 million | B | £2,000 | £2,400 |
| From £1 million to less than £5 million | C | £1,200 | £2,150 |
| Less than £1 million | D | £400 | £1,850 |
You will be able to pay the fees by any of the following methods:
- BACS (Bankers Automated Clearing Services)
- CHAPS (Clearing House Automated Payment System)
- Cheque
- Bankers Draft
- FPS (Faster Payment Services)
Please note, that should your application fail or be cancelled after the GLA receive cleared funds, all fees and charges are non-refundable.
Licence Transfers
Can licences be transferred?
Any licence holder can ask for its licence to be transferred to another person or business before it expires. However, we will not normally grant such a request. Any legal entity wanting to be licensed should apply for a licence in their own right and be subject to normal application checks. This makes sure that the business is fit and proper to hold a licence.
We are particularly concerned with identifying and tackling "phoenix" companies - something which is most effectively dealt with through the GLA application process for new licences.
When a licence holder makes a decision on whether the benefits from a restructure outweigh the costs, applying for a licence is something which needs to be taken into account as part of any restructuring process.
We recognise that it is important to minimise disruption to labour users and workers. However, this makes it all the more important for the licensed business to factor in the time required to acquire a new GLA licence as part of any restructuring process.
Once a licence has expired, no request for a transfer can be made as there is no longer anything to be transferred. A licence has expired if:
- It is not renewed before its expiry date, or
- The licence holder's Companies House number, Unique Tax Reference or Value Added Tax number change (as required by paragraph 5 of the Gangmasters (Licensing Conditions) Rules 2009).
What happens to the licence if the licence holder is dissolved or wound up?
A GLA licence is granted to an individual legal entity. As soon as a company with a GLA licence is dissolved or wound up, the licence expires as the legal entity granted the licence no longer exists. Should business be moved to an unlicensed company (either an existing or new comany), that unlicensed company must apply and be granted a licence before it can start trading in the GLA sectors - any trading before this happens is a criminal offence.
Rights of Appeal
There is a right of appeal against any decision we make to refuse a transfer of a valid licence. This process will be explained when we notify the licence holder of our decision. This does not apply if the licence has already expired.
