Applying for a wholesale licence for alcoholic beverages
General information on the application process
Apply for a wholesale licence for alcoholic beverages in Allu e-services. Go to Allu e-services.
An application for a wholesale licence can be submitted using the wholesale licence application form that you can obtain from Valvira (www.valvira.fi). The application may be submitted by the applicant or its authorised agent.
The completed and signed form, including attachments, is returned to the e-mail address alkoholi(at)valvira.fi or the postal address PL 43, 00521 Helsinki.
The application should be submitted sufficiently in advance of commencing wholesale activities. The length of the application’s processing varies on a case-by-case basis. However, the average processing time is around three months. If necessary, Valvira may carry out an advance review of the storage facilities together with a representative of the licence applicant in order to assess the compliance of the storage with the prerequisites of the Alcohol Act and the Food Act. Furthermore, issues related to the application, legislation, self-monitoring and reporting are reviewed with the licence applicant.
The processing fee for the decision is determined in accordance with the Decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
General criteria for granting a licence
A wholesale licence is granted to a competent organisation (e.g. a limited liability company or co-operative registered in the Trade Register, or to an established partnership for which a basic notification has been made to the register authorities, or to a person (sole trader) who is considered to possess the prerequisites and reliability required for these operations.
A licence is granted to an applicant who is not bankrupt, is financially able to manage the operations and the fulfilment of their legal obligations, is known to be reliable and possesses personal qualities that make them suitable for the task. The licence is not granted if the applicant’s or person’s previous activity indicates that the applicant or person is clearly unsuitable for managing a business operation according to this act.
The assessment of reliability and suitability takes into consideration, for example, the repeated and significant neglect to pay taxes or other public fees by the applicant or its persons in charge, other than temporary insolvency discovered during execution, a licence under the Alcohol Act revoked within the last five years, and sentences passed within the last five years for an intentional offence related to business activities that may result in imprisonment.
Self-monitoring plan as per the Alcohol Act
Being granted a wholesale licence requires that the applicant has prepared a written plan for ensuring the legality of its operations (self-monitoring plan). The plan must be delivered to Valvira as an attachment to the production licence application form, but the plan must be primarily kept at the storage facilities, available for perusal by the personnel implementing the plan.
Special prerequisites for wholesale
The application must include proof of the applicant possessing the competence required by the product safety and quality assurance of the products in question. Additionally, the application must include proof of the actor’s storage facilities being suitable for ensuring product safety, quality and supervision.
Storage and the relevant requirements
The storage of alcoholic beverages must be arranged in such a manner that effective supervision is possible. If necessary, Valvira will carry out an advance review of the storage facilities during the processing of a new wholesale licence application in order to assess whether the storage facilities meet the requirements set for them to sufficiently ensure product safety and quality.
According to the Food Act, all companies storing, transporting and selling foodstuffs, including alcoholic beverages, must make a notification of food premises to the food supervisory authorities. A wholesaler of alcoholic beverages must make a notification of food premises to Valvira for the storage (both taxable and tax-free storage) before the planned start of operations. A written self-monitoring plan must be presented to Valvira in connection with the notification. In accordance with the Food Act, the Decree of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on the food hygiene of notified food premises is applied to the requirements of the storage facilities of alcoholic beverages.
A completed storage/production location form must be delivered as an attachment to the application form for a wholesale licence for alcoholic beverages that also acts as a notification of food premises as per Section 13 of the Food Act. The form describes the quality and structures, and location, of the storage facilities.
If alcoholic beverages are stored tax-free, a tax-free storage application must be submitted to the Tax Administration.
Organic production
An importer and wholesaler of organic alcoholic beverages must enrol in Valvira’s organic product control system prior to commencing wholesale.