Most municipal licence problems begin months before filing — at the moment a lease is signed on premises unsuited to the activity. Checking before signing is the cheapest step in the whole process.
The municipal licence is what turns your commercial registration into a business actually operating on the ground. And most people who run into trouble with it do so not because of the procedure, but because of a decision made before it: signing a lease on unsuitable premises.
Because a lease is a long financial commitment, discovering unsuitability afterwards is a direct and unrecoverable loss. This guide covers the requirements and refusal causes, and most importantly, what to check before signing.
What a municipal licence requires
The core file:
- Commercial registration including the relevant activity under the correct code
- Lease contract documented on the Ejar platform
- National address for the establishment
- Site sketch or layout plan
- Civil defence safety certificate
- Health certificates for staff in food activities
- Environmental permit for environmentally classified activities
What to check before signing the lease
This is the most important section here. Before you sign, check:
- Is the activity permitted in this zone? Some activities are prohibited in certain areas regardless of what else you satisfy
- Is the floor area sufficient for the requirements applying to your activity?
- Is there a genuine emergency exit, and do corridor widths comply?
- Is the building itself licensed for commercial use?
- Can ventilation and drainage requirements be met for your activity?
- Did the premises hold a previous licence — and for exactly which activity?
The "already licensed premises" myth
A landlord says the premises were licensed for a previous business, and the tenant relaxes. But a licence follows the activity, not the building.
A café in premises that were an office is not the same set of requirements: a kitchen, extraction systems, gas storage and occupancy load are added. A warehouse in premises that were a showroom faces entirely different storage requirements.
Always ask: licensed for which activity exactly? Then compare it to yours.
The most common causes of refusal
From the cases we handle:
- Premises not meeting the technical requirements for the activity
- No civil defence safety certificate, or a failed inspection
- A lease not documented on the Ejar platform
- An activity not permitted in that zone
- A mismatch between the activity on the commercial registration and the one being licensed
- A missing environmental permit for classified activities
Getting the sequence right
The municipal licence is neither the first step nor the last, and where it sits in the sequence determines how long you wait. The practical order we recommend:
Start with the commercial registration carrying the activity under the correct code, because any mismatch between it and the activity being licensed stops the application at the outset. Then check the premises before signing the lease, document the lease on Ejar, and start the civil defence track early — it is the one that may require construction work and therefore time.
Only then file the municipal licence application, with the safety certificate already in hand. Anyone filing before safety is complete waits twice: once for the inspection and once to refile.
Signage is a separate permit
Many assume the municipal licence covers signage. It does not. Signs and shopfront advertising need an independent permit with defined specifications for size, content and illumination.
Installing signage without a permit risks a fine and removal at your expense — a doubled cost, since you paid to fabricate it once and will pay to remove it again.
Renewal
The municipal licence requires periodic renewal, conditional on a valid safety certificate. Any lapse in safety makes renewal impossible, and an expired licence can lead to a closure order.
We recommend tracking four dates together: commercial registration, municipal licence, safety certificate, and environmental permit where applicable.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a municipal licence take?
Three days to three weeks depending on the activity and whether a site inspection or additional approvals are required. Food and industrial activities usually take longer than offices.
Does every business need one?
Every business with physical premises does. Activities carried on without premises open to the public may have different requirements — we review your activity and clarify what applies.
My licence was refused — can I appeal?
It depends on the cause. Technical causes such as insufficient exits or ventilation are resolved by remediation and refiling. But if the activity is not permitted in that zone, the only remedy is different premises.
Do I need a safety certificate before the municipal licence?
For most activities yes, the safety certificate is a prerequisite. This is why we recommend starting the civil defence track early, since it may require construction work.