Apply for a Food Primary licence

The applicant needs to submit documents based on their business type: 

• Personal History Summary form (281KB,PDF)
• Other documents outlined in the above form, such as:
  • Police information check (criminal record check)
  • Canadian criminal record and judicial matters check
  • Statutory Declaration
  • Driver's Abstract

The business types include:

• Sole proprietorship
• Private corporation
• Partnership
• Public corporation
• Society or non-profit corporation
• Other applicant types

Check below to see what's required for your business type.

A complete application includes a

• Hand-drawn or computer-generated floor plan of your business. It must include:
  • Stamp of occupant load - from your local government
  • Any partial walls and planters
  • Areas where liquor will be served from (bar, etc.)
  • Entrances and stairs
  • Furniture layout
  • Location of patio(s)
  • Kitchen and equipment
  • Washrooms
  • Labels for each room
• Sample restaurant sign

You will need:

• Required business documents
• Personal History Summary form (s)
• Floor plan of establishment (restaurant), with occupant load
• Sample sign for establishment
• Payment

As part of the Personal History Summary, attach the following documents, if required:

• Police information check (criminal record check)
• Canadian criminal record and judicial matters check
• Statutory declaration
• Driver's abstract

Apply online

To request liquor service beyond midnight or apply for Patron Participation Entertainment, include:

• Local government or Indigenous Nation sign-off

If your restaurant is at a winery, brewery or distillery, include:

• Site map
• Description of how areas are separated
• Agricultural Land Commission approval
  • If on Agricultural Land Reserve
• Apply for a Manufacturer structural change online
  • If the food licence will change manufacturing service areas

An endorsement allows you to use your space for different purposes. You can add the following to your licence:

• Patron participation entertainment
• Catering
• Temporary Use Area (TUA)
• Third party operator

Once you've submitted a complete application, the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) works with the Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) to review your application.

If everything is in order, the branches offer an Approval in Principle.

They also send you the name and contact information of your local liquor inspector within 6 months of submitting a complete application.

When you are ready to open, contact your local liquor inspector for a final inspection.

If the inspection goes well, your food primary licence will be issued.