Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010: guidance for licensing boards

4. AGE VERIFICATION POLICY

4.1 Section 6 of the Alcohol Act amends the 2005 Act to impose a mandatory licence condition in relation to both premises and occasional licences that there must be an age verification policy in relation to the sale of alcohol. An age verification policy is a policy where steps are to be taken to establish the age of a person attempting to buy alcohol on the premises (the customer) if it appears to the person selling the alcohol that the customer may be less than 25 years of age (or such older age as may be specified in the policy). This condition does not apply to remote sales of alcohol. The minimum age that an age verification policy applies in relation to must be at least 25 years of age. It does not prescribe the details of the policy that must be in place, allowing flexibility for retailers to adopt the most appropriate procedures for them. Where current procedures are already in place and have a minimum age set at 25, it is envisaged that no further action will be required by the licence holder. This does not change the legal age at which alcohol may be purchased which remains at 18 years of age. A premises licence holder may wish to adopt a written document stating what the policy is. An example of a policy is attached as annex A