Apply for a mini bar licence

To sell alcohol only from a mini bar in hotel rooms, you need to apply for a mini bar licence. 

If you already have a liquor sales licence for your location and want to also sell liquor from a mini bar located in hotel rooms that are adjacent to the liquor sales licensed area, you can apply for a mini bar endorsement. There’s no fee for a mini bar endorsement.

Before you apply for a mini bar licence, you’ll need to:

• Verify zoning 
  check with your local municipality to make sure that your location is zoned for the type of business you want to operate to make sure that your location is zoned for the type of business you want to operate
• Verify your tax compliance 
  use the Ontario Ministry of Finance’s Tax Compliance Verification (TCV) portal to see if your business is in good standing (the portal will generate your TCV number, which you’ll need for this application)

What you’ll need for the application

1. Entity disclosure
   Provide the names of anyone or any business that:
   1. Has or will have an interest in the business
   2. Has or will have a key management or operational role
   3. Holds 10% or more of the outstanding shares, or a class of shares
2. Personal disclosure
   You’ll need to provide personal disclosures from all the following people (where it applies): 
   1. Sole proprietors
   2. All officers and/or directors
   3. All partners
   4. Any shareholder holding 10% or more of the outstanding shares or of a class of shares
   5. On-site manager, if applicable
       
3. Signature form 
   Complete the signature form and have the following people sign it:
   1. You, the applicant, or the person authorized to sign if the applicant is a corporation
   2. Partners, if you are part of a partnership or limited partnership
   3. An agent authorized to sign if the application is submitted on behalf of the person applying for the mini bar licence
       

To get a mini bar licence, create an account on the iAGCO portal. Once you’ve set up your iAGCO account, you can apply for your mini bar licence and print the licence once it’s approved.

Apply for a licence now

Background check

You, your officers, directors and managers of your business may have to go through a police and financial background check. This is part of the standard application process.

As a licensee, are responsible for meeting all Registrar’s Standards that apply to your licence or endorsement, all applicable laws and regulations (including the liquor licence control act), and any terms and conditions that may be applied to your licence. 

When you receive your mini bar licence, print it out and post it somewhere that customers, inspectors and the police can see it.

You’ll need to either control access to the liquor or lock the mini bars, and restrict access to guests 19 years or older.

Keep records of your mini bar sales for at least one year.

You must comply with all the conditions that come with having a mini bar licence. If you don’t comply with these conditions, several things could happen. This could range from warnings (verbal and written), to paying a monetary penalty, to having your licence revoked or suspended.

Make sure you understand all your responsibilities as a licensee. Read more about your Responsibilities and resources. 
 

Inspections

From time to time, the AGCO may inspect your location. If we find anything of concern, an AGCO inspector will often try to work with you to help you solve the issues.