Jersey business licence: who needs one and how to apply

Almost every business in Jersey needs a business licence before it starts trading. Many people call it a trading licence. This guide sets out the rules as the Government of Jersey publishes them in its Control of Housing and Work business guidance (opens in a new tab), which we checked on 28 October 2026.

We are a web studio, not business advisers. The Business Hub gives free, definite answers for your situation: call 01534 444444 (option 4) or email businesshub@gov.je.

What is a business licence in Jersey?

It is a licence under the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law. It lets a business operate in Jersey and employ people. You need one to run a business whether or not it makes a profit, and it covers any trade or activity that serves members of the public.

A resident business licence lets you employ any number of people with Permanent Entitled, Entitled or Entitled for Work Only status. Jersey does not limit how many resident business licences it issues. If you want to employ people with other statuses, the licence also needs staffing permissions (see below).

The licence is separate from registering a business name or a company with the JFSC. If you trade under a name that is not your own, you register that name as well. Our guide to becoming a sole trader in Jersey covers the name and its fees.

Who needs a business licence?

• A business based permanently in Jersey needs a resident business licence.
• A business from outside Jersey with at least one employee physically based in Jersey also needs a resident business licence.
• A business from outside Jersey that comes to work on contracts, or sells to the public here, needs a non-resident business licence (see the section for UK and other off-island businesses).
• A resident business employing Standard, Licensed or Licensed for Lease Only staff generally needs a staffing licence too.

Who does not need one?

gov.je lists these exemptions from the resident business licence:

• A sole trader, or a company, with no employees, working under eight hours a week, where the owner holds Permanent Entitled, Entitled, Entitled for Work Only, Licensed or Licensed for Lease Only status.
• A business where nobody is paid anything, including the owner.
• A business providing domestic or personal services, such as gardening, cleaning or childcare, to no more than two households.
• A business letting accommodation in five or fewer premises or units, with no property development, that does not have to register under the tourism, care, nursing home or lodging house laws.
• A business where everyone carries out a regulated activity in Jersey for 60 days or less in 12 months as a member of a governing body.

How much does a business licence cost?

A resident business licence is free. The charges are for staffing permissions. Each permission is charged every year on 1 November, whether or not the job is filled. The 2026 charges are:

• Standard permission: £55.14 a year (£551.40 for an employment agency).
• Licensed permission: £247.02 a year.
• Licensed for Lease Only permission: £247.02 a year.
• Non-profit organisations under the Non-Profit Organizations (Jersey) Law 2008 do not pay the annual charge.

How do I apply for a business licence?

Apply online with the business licensing application on one.gov.je (opens in a new tab). The same form covers a new resident business licence and a staffing licence. There are separate online forms for adding Standard, Licensed or Licensed for Lease Only staff permissions later, and for a change of ownership.

If you will work with children or vulnerable adults, you must supply a DBS check dated within the last six months. Have your business details ready, including what the business does and who owns it.

How long does a business licence take?

The Business Hub’s customer promise is five working days for a resident business licence and ten working days for a non-resident one. It aims to answer emails to the Business Hub within two days. Allow longer if information is missing, if it asks you for more, or if the application is referred to the Minister.

How long does a licence last?

A resident business licence normally has no end date, although some carry an expiry date or a review period. Staffing permissions can include a review period too. A non-resident business licence lasts up to 12 months.

Employing staff: what the statuses mean

Before you offer someone a job, check their Control of Housing and Work status. It decides whether you need a permission to employ them.

• Permanent Entitled, Entitled and Entitled for Work Only: can work anywhere. No permission needed.
• Standard: can only work for a business holding a Standard permission. Standard replaced Registered status on 14 September 2026. Nothing needs to change: the two names mean the same while records update.
• Licensed and Licensed for Lease Only: can only work for a business holding that kind of permission.

When staff do not need a permission

• A replacement worker overlapping for 30 days or less, to allow a handover.
• Cover for someone on leave: up to 52 weeks for parental or sick leave, or up to three months for other leave.
• Someone working a second job for you while working more than 25 hours a week elsewhere.
• An agency worker sent to you by an employment agency.
• A short-term worker for ten days or less in 12 months.

Changing your licence

You can apply to vary a condition on a resident licence, such as the number of staff permissions. A significant change of ownership makes the licence invalid, so you apply again. For a company, gov.je treats it as significant when less than 60% of the share capital is held by people with Permanent Entitled, Entitled, Entitled for Work Only or Licensed status. Sole traders and partnerships changing owner must apply too.

Licensed employers also send manpower returns: monthly with their ITIS and Social Security payments, or every six months if the only people working are the owners.

UK and other off-island businesses working in Jersey

A company, partnership or sole trader from outside Jersey needs a non-resident business licence (opens in a new tab) before starting work here, and should bring it when they travel. You need a contract in place before you apply, unless you are trading direct to the public. You do not need one if a Jersey business or person contracts you for ten days or less in 12 months, but a business selling to the public has no exemption.

The fee depends on the days you will work in Jersey in a 12-month period. The licence lasts up to 12 months, and a new contract, extra days or an amendment needs a new licence. The 2026 fees, which are not refundable, are:

• Up to 30 days: £636.52
• 31 to 60 days: £1,274.07
• 61 to 90 days: £1,910.60
• 91 to 180 days: £2,548.15
• 181 to 270 days: £3,503.45
• 271 to 365 days: £4,459.77

What if I trade without a licence?

Running a business without the licence you need is a criminal offence, and so is breaking its conditions. The maximum penalty is two years in prison and a fine. The government can also revoke a licence or issue a notice to stop trading.

Your business licence and your website

The gov.je guidance we checked does not ask you to show a licence number on your website. What a Jersey website should show is your business or company name, a privacy notice and clear prices. Our guide to what the law asks of a Jersey business website covers it, and starting a business in Jersey puts the licence in order with the other registrations.

The short checklist

• Check whether you are exempt: under eight hours a week with no staff, unpaid, or one of the other exemptions.
• Not exempt? Apply on one.gov.je before you start trading. It is free for a resident business.
• Trading under another name? Register the business name with the JFSC as well.
• Hiring? Check each person’s status before you offer the job, and add staff permissions if needed.
• Budget for the annual permission charges, billed on 1 November.
• Coming from the UK to work here? Get a non-resident licence first, unless the work is ten days or less.