Applying for a licence to use industrial alcohol
The term ‘industrial alcohol’ refers to any alcoholic beverage, spirit or other alcoholic preparation intended for educational, research or industrial purposes that contains more than 1.2% by volume of ethyl alcohol. A licence to purchase and use industrial alcohol must be obtained from the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira).
Apply for a licence in the e-service of the alcohol trade register (Allu).
In your application, you must specify for what purpose the alcohol will be used, how much alcohol you will need per year and where the alcohol will be used. The licence is site-specific. In addition to the name and address of the licence holder and the site, the alcohol types, their approved intended use and the annual quota are recorded in the licence.
The processing time varies on a case-by-case basis, but as a rule, licence applications will be processed in approximately two weeks from the date of receipt. The fee payable for the application is determined in accordance with a Decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. For applications received by 31 December 2025, it is EUR 300.
The issued licence is valid until further notice, i.e. will remain valid as long as the licence holder is deemed to comply with the licence conditions, or until it is cancelled by the licence holder.
The licence holder is obliged to notify Valvira in writing of any changes to their contact details or activities (type of alcohol used, the intended use or annual consumption). The fee payable for an amendment of the licence is determined in accordance with a Decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. For applications received by 31 December 2023, it is EUR 180. A new application must be submitted if the business moves to a new location or changes ownership. Valvira must also be notified if the business is closed or the licence is no longer used.
Alcohol products subject to licensing must be stored in a locked storage area, and the licence holder is obliged to keep a record of consumption.
An annual control fee is payable by licence holders for the control activities on spirits and alcoholic beverages performed by Valvira. The fee is payable in arrears, and the amount is determined by the licence holder’s alcohol purchases and the number of litres imported for their own use. The control fee term runs from 1 September until 31 August, and invoices are issued annually no later than the end of November.
The control fee is EUR 0.19 per litre for spirits and EUR 0.09 per litre for alcoholic beverages. Please note that the site-specific minimum fee is EUR 200 and the maximum fee is EUR 1,900.