The Excise Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh on January 21, 2026, issued the Uttar Pradesh Excise (Settlement of licences for Premium retail Vends of Foreign Liquor) (Fourth Amendment) Rules, 2025, to further amend the Uttar Pradesh Excise (Settlement of Licenses for Premium Retail Vends of Foreign Liquor) Rules, 2020.
The following has been amended:
• Under Rule 2, definitions have been revised, most notably reducing the security deposit from one-fourth of the licence fee to 10%, to be furnished through e-bank guarantee or other prescribed modes, and expanding the scope of transport permits to include additional licence categories.
• Rule 3 has been substituted to allow one or more licences in a mall, along with new provisions mandating CCTV installation, digital payment facilities, and POS machines, while also prohibiting operation in multiplex areas and permitting such vends in large IT/ITES establishments.
• Under Rule 5, eligibility conditions remain largely the same, but a cap has been introduced restricting any person/firm/company to a maximum of two licences (FL-4C and FL-4D).
• Rule 6 revises grant conditions by introducing a minimum distance restriction of 200 meters from model or composite liquor shops (relaxed to 100 meters in specified urban areas), applicable only to new licences.
• Rule 7 simplifies procedural requirements by allowing applicants from outside the state to submit a notarized affidavit in place of a no-dues certificate. A significant change under Rule 9 increases the permissible number of licences per entity from one to two licences.
• Rule 13 restructures provisions relating to death of a licensee by introducing a formal nomination and name transfer mechanism, along with rules for renewal and refund.
• Rule 14 retains standard business hours (10 AM to 10 PM) but aligns operating hours in malls and airports with their respective functional timings.
• Finally, Rule 18 clearly classifies the scope of sale by distinguishing between FL-4C (premium liquor categories) and FL-4D (wine, beer, and low alcoholic beverages), thereby bringing greater clarity and regulation to permissible sales.
[Notification no. - 2041/X-License-171/FL-Premium Retail Vends/2025-26]
