Temporary Event Notice (TEN): Do You Need One & Deadline Checker
General answer
You need a TEN if you will sell alcohol (or provide other licensable activities) at premises without a licence in England or Wales — a marquee, village hall, field or your home. Fee: £21 to the local council. Hard limits: fewer than 500 people at all times including staff, max 168 hours. Submit at least 10 clear working days before the event; a late TEN (5–9 clear working days) can be refused. Licensed venues don't need one — their premises licence covers it.
Your numbers below — the calculator personalizes this.
Selling alcohol at premises without a licence (marquee, village hall, field, your home) requires a Temporary Event Notice in England & Wales.
England & Wales rules (Licensing Act 2003), GOV.UK, verified 2026-07-22. Deadline math excludes weekends and E&W bank holidays and is deliberately conservative — confirm dates with your local licensing authority. Scotland and Northern Ireland use different systems.
The three questions that decide it
First: is any licensable activity happening — alcohol sales (including a ticket price that covers drinks), regulated entertainment, late-night refreshment? Second: is the venue already licensed? A licensed venue's premises licence covers its activities, so weddings at hotels and licensed halls need nothing from you. Third: are you under the caps — fewer than 500 people at all times including staff, and within the premises' 15-TENs/21-days annual allowance?
The classic TEN cases are exactly the DIY routes people choose to save money: marquee in a field, village hall, back garden. Budget the £21 and, more importantly, the deadline.
Why the deadline is earlier than you think
Ten clear working days is not two weeks. Weekends don't count, bank holidays don't count, and neither the day you submit nor the event day counts. An August bank-holiday-weekend party effectively needs submission in the first days of August.
Use the checker above with your real date — it excludes England & Wales bank holidays for 2026–27 from GOV.UK. When in doubt, submit earlier: a standard TEN can only be blocked by police/environmental-health objection, but a late TEN can simply be refused.
Assumptions
- England & Wales only — Scotland (occasional licences) and Northern Ireland differ.
- 'Clear working days' exclude weekends, E&W bank holidays, the submission day and the event day; our deadline math is deliberately conservative.
What changes this answer
- Attendance reaches 500 including staff — a TEN cannot cover it at all.
- The premises already used 15 TENs or 21 TEN-days this year.
- Alcohol is genuinely free (no ticket covering it) — you may not need a TEN, but confirm with the council.
Common questions
How much does a TEN cost?
£21, paid to the local council (GOV.UK, verified 2026-07-22). The applicant must be at least 18.
Can I get a TEN for 600 guests?
No. TENs only cover events with fewer than 500 people present at any time, including staff. Above that you need a premises licence or a licensed venue.
Sources
- GOV.UK (Licensing Act 2003) — tier 1, verified 2026-07-22
- GOV.UK — tier 1, verified 2026-07-22
Last checked 2026-07-22. Tiers: 1 government/regulator · 2 industry body · 3 official supplier docs · 4 large surveys · 5 professional material.
Legal information — not legal advice
Rules cited on this page apply to: UK, UK-E&W. They were verified against the official sources listed above on 2026-07-22 and can change.Rules often differ by state, province, council or venue and depend on your event's specifics — confirm current requirements with the issuing authority before relying on them.