Provincial

Manufacturer licence: brewery, winery or distillery

Needed to make beer, wine (cider, mead and sake included) or spirits. The base licence covers production, tastings and tours; an on-site store endorsement lets you sell bottles and cans on site, online, by delivery and — with a market authorization — at farmers’ markets, and a lounge or special event area lets you sell drinks by the glass on site (both need local government input). You must own or lease the equipment, and hold your federal excise licence before the final inspection.

Who issues it
Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch
Cost
$550 to apply, plus a first-year fee of up to $1,100 (brewery or distillery) or $550 (winery), prorated. An on-site store endorsement adds $110 to the application fee and $110 to the first-year fee, then $143 a year.
Forms and pages

Do you need it?

You need it if

  • You make beer, wine, cider, mead or spirits to sell.
Where this comes from

Sources

How to get it

  1. 1

    Apply in the Liquor and Cannabis Licensing Portal

    With a Business BCeID, your CRA business number, personal history forms, a scaled floor plan of equipment, sampling area and store, a site map and your sign. You must own the equipment or lease it for at least a year.

  2. 2

    Ask your municipality for any add-ons

    An on-site store, lounge or event area needs local government input, which takes longer.

  3. 3

    Sign the LDB sales agreement

    The Liquor Distribution Branch contacts you after approval in principle.

  4. 4

    Get your federal excise licence, then the final inspection

    The excise licence must be in hand before the final inspection. Once you pass and pay the prorated annual fee, the licence is issued.

Where this comes from

Sources

Once you have it

  • The licence expires March 31 and is renewed every year; add-ons raise the fee.
Where this comes from

Sources

What comes next

Sales agreement with the Liquor Distribution BranchBC Liquor Distribution BranchFederal excise licenceCanada Revenue Agency

Which businesses need it

Breweries, wineries, cideries & distilleriesMaking beer, wine, cider, mead or spirits.

The rules behind this page

Last checked 5 November 2026. We check this guide regularly against Island Health, provincial and municipal sources, but regulations and laws change often and we can’t guarantee it is complete or current. Confirm with Island Health and your municipality before you apply, build or sell.

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