Category of Japan Wine Seller License
Mail order liquor shop license
Necessary documents to obtain Japan Wine Seller License
Office space to obtain Japan wine seller license
Important Knowledge to obtain Japan wine seller license
Preparation of facility to get Sake Seller Business Permit
Lecture Certificate to obtain Wine Seller License in Japan
Business experience to obtain Japan Wine Seller License
Days and Cost to obtain Japan Wine Seller License
Category of Japan Wine Seller License
In the case you establish physical shop or website to sell alcohol beverage etc (ex.Wine, Sake, Nihonshu, Shochu, Beer, Liquor) to general consumers or restaurant or bars, (who do not have alcohol seller license) in Japan, you need to obtain license of common alcohol beverage seller license = Ippan shurui Kouri gyo menkyo = 一般酒類小売業免許.
In the case you import alcohol beverage and sell it to general consumers or shops or bars, restaurants (who do not have alcohol seller license) in Japan, alcohol beverage seller license is necessary.
Wine whole seller business license is not necessary.
In the case you import alcoholic beverage and sell it to other alcoholic beverage seller (ex. Wine), you need to obtain other kind of license. ( business is wholesaler. So, other license is required).)
In the case you import alcoholic beverage to sell it in Japan ( even if you sell it in your restaurant ), you need to take process related to quarantine office.
In the case you sell alcohol beverages after you uncork the bottle, you do not need to obtain this alcohol beverage seller license.
(meaning you will sell it at your restaurant)
Even if you do not uncork the alcohol beverage, when you sell it at your restaurant, you do not need to obtain common alcohol beverage seller license = Ippan shurui Kouri gyo menkyo = 一般酒類小売業免許.
However, you need to obtain restaurant business license.
If you are not in Japan and to sell alcohol beverages to Japan, you do not obtain this license in Japan.
In order to obtain this license, your or your companies financial situation should be good and it should be prove by documents. So I would like to explain necessary documents to obtain alcohol beverage (Wine etc.) seller business in Japan.
In this page, I called it as “Japan Wine Seller Business License“.
Mail order Wine Seller License
In the case of common alcohol beverage sale license = Ippan shurui Kouri gyo menkyo, you can not sell alcohol beverage through internet or catalog.
In the case you sell Wine etc. via internet, you need to obtain mail order Wine Seller License (通信販売酒類小売業免許 ＝ tsushin hanbai shurui kouri gyo menkyo ).
In the case you distribute catalog, flyer and receive order from customers, you need to obtain mail order Wine Seller License.
However, even if you sell alcohol beverage through internet or catalog, if your customers are located in one prefecture, you can operate your business with common alcohol beverage sale license.
Even if you have mail order Wine Seller License, you can not sell alcohol beverage at your physical shop.
You can not establish wine seller shop along the street.
In the case of mail order alcohol beverage seller license, basically you can not sell domestically produced alcohol beverage (made in Japan).
( If the amount of manufacturing of a specific domestic alcohol beverage is 3,000 kiloliter or less, you can sell it with mail order Wine Seller License ( 通信販売酒類小売業免許 ＝ tsushin hanbai shurui kouri gyo menkyo ).
In the case of imported alcohol beverage, there is not this kind of regulation.
Necessary documents to obtain Japan Wine Seller License
I would like to explain necessary documents to obtain Wine seller license in Japan.
Resume is necessary to obtain Japan wine seller license.
In the case of legal entity, resume of all officers ( Including auditor ) is required.
In the case, you are renting shop and you are going to operate your business there, you need to provide scanned copy of lease contract.
In the case you own office, certified copy of real estate register is required.
In the case you are renting an apartment and you use your residence as your shop, if in the lease contract, it is stipulated that you cannot use your residence for business purpose, in order to obtain this license, you need to obtain permit from landlord.
Even if you own your apartment, there should be apartment association rule.
And if it stipulates that ” Owner can not manage business in this apartment “, you can not obtain this license in your apartment.
(However if you can receive agreement paper from apartment association =Kanrikumiai, you can obtain this license)
So, if you are seriously interested in starting this business, you need to prepare office space ( Not residential building ).
In the case your company obtain Japan wine seller license, you need to prepare financial statement for past 3 years.
If you have already legal entity but it does not filed tax return legally, your company can not obtain this license.
In that case you need to establish new company.
In the case you obtain Japan wine seller license with status of individual, you need to provide your income and expenditure statement ( shushi keisansho ).
Document that can indicate way of your sales is required.
If you have website, you can print it out and provide.
(content of website is also stipulated by law strictly)
You need to clarify supplier of beverage and the supplier should be wholesaler or importer. The supplier should have wine wholesaler license. So photocopy of the wholesaler license certificate is necessary.
You can not write ” I will purchase it at convenience store “.
In the case your company obtains Japan Wine Seller License, objectives of your company should include ” management of alcohol beverage seller shop”.
So, if it is not stipulated in articles of incorporation of your company, your company needs to change it and file registration of change of objectives. ( Registration tax of 30,000 yen is required ) and need to provide Certificate of Company Registration should be submitted.
As mentioned above, Financial statement of past 3 years ( In the case of legal entity ) is required.
If your company is in the condition in which it is unable to pay its debts in full with its property for past 3 fiscal years, your company cannot obtain this license.
If you are operating service trade, like restaurant, bar, hotel, inn, you can not obtain this license.
However, if you clearly distinguish liquor shop business and other business, you may be able to obtain license.
Income and expenditure account statement = Shushi keisansho ( In the case of individual ) for past 3 years is required.
Certificate of tax payment issued from prefectural government and city hall is required.
This certificates should clarify that there is not nonpayment of your tax.
This certificates also should indicate that there was not nonpayment of tax for past 2 years.
Office space to obtain Japan wine seller license
In order to obtain SAKE, wine, Nihonshu, Chuhai license, operator of liquor shop should be clearly separated from operator of other business.
So, if X company ( who sells liquor ) and Y company ( who operates restaurant ) shares one shop space, X company ( who sells liquor ) can not obtain liquor shop license.
( Because, if X company has obtained alcohol beverage seller license, it may be able to purchase alcohol beverage at cheap price and it call sell the beverage at its restaurant at cheap price. In that case, it will lead to price competition ).
In that case, you need to install partition and not to your employee engage in both business.
Assumed that you operate restaurant business in a shop and provide liquor in a glass.
Then, if you want to sell same liquor with corked bottle to persons including they are not customer of your restaurant, you need to separate space for selling the liquor from restaurant and you need to prepare separate cash register.
In the case you sell alcohol beverage via internet, you do not hope to prepare office space for your business.
However basically you need to prepare office space other than your residence.
Though there is a way that you can obtain this license in your residence.
In the case you want to operate wine seller license in your residence, you need to separate space, room for your daily life and Wine Seller business.
So, you can not operate your business in Residential room.
You need to prepare exclusive use room for your business.
When you receive order from your customers, you need to complete it in the office room.
You need to store liquor where you have filed as your shop.
If you want to store the liquor other than your shop ( residence ), you need to obtain other permit from authority as for the warehouse.
In the case there is a apartment association ( KANRI KUMIAI ) in your residential apartment, you need to obtain permit from the association.
Important Knowledge to obtain Japan wine seller license
Of course, you can not sell Wine (Sake) to Child. So when you operate Wine shop physically, Notification board is necessary
Sake seller needs to display notification board to prevent minorities from drinking alcohol beverage.
In the event you sell alcohol beverage, you need to confirm purchaser’s age (within reason)
You also need to display notification board that clarify that your shop is liquor shop.
Size of letters in this notification board is stipulated.
In the case you sell さけ via internet, you do not prepare notification board in your office.
However in your website, catalog, you need to indicate it clearly. Even specific sentences are stipulated by law.
Preparation of facility to get Sake Seller Business Permit
When you operate alcohol beverage seller business, you need to prepare register.
In this register, following items should be recorded and kept for five years.
The number of alcohol beverage that you purchased and sold and its date.
Information of seller ( if you purchased beverage from S company, information of S company ) and purchaser ( if you sold beverage to Mr.B, information of Mr. B ).
You need to report tax office the number of beverage you have sold ( during 1st April to 31th March of following year ) and the number of inventory ( as of 31th March ) by end of April.
You need to fulfill this duty every year.
Lecture Certificate to obtain Wine Seller License in Japan
In order to operate Wine seller business in Japan, you need to appoint supervisor. Supervisor will manage legal matters relating to Wine Seller Business. So you will try to become the supervisor. In order to become supervisor, you need to participate in lecture seminar.
Even if you are not native Japanese speaker, you may be able to take this seminar and become supervisor.
The alcohol beverage seller supervisor should be full time employee.
If you operate alcohol beverage selling business without appointing supervisor, you will be sentenced of fine of 500,000 yen or less.
In the case, supervisor is often out of liquor shop for more than 2 hours, you need to appoint temporary supervisor.
She is substitute of supervisor.
In the case you are salaried worker and you plan to sell wine via internet, you will think that full time supervisor is not necessary.
However, it is stipulated that full time worker is necessary.
In the case you appoint supervisor ( 酒類販売管理者 ), you need to file him within 2 weeks from appointment with tax office.
It is recommended that supervisor takes a lecture lesson about management of alcohol beverage selling business in every 3 years.
Business experience to obtain Japan Wine Seller License
In order to obtain SAKE license in Japan, you need to satisfy following requirements.
① You have experience of working in licensed liquor manufacturer or seller business operators for 3 years or more.
Even if you were part time worker, as long as you engaged in liquor selling business, you can include those years in this 3 years.
Or
② You have experience of working in food seasoning selling business for 3 years or more.
③ You can sum up ① and ② and if it is for 3 years or more, you can fulfill the requirements.
Or
④ You have experience of operating business other than above and take necessary lecture.
Even if you only have experience of salaried worker like IT engineer, you may be able to obtain this license as far as lecture seminar conducted by specific organization.
Actually even if you do not understand Japanese language, you can participate in this lecture.
Days and Cost to obtain Japan Wine Seller License
Several months are necessary to get Wine Seller license
1 In order to apply for alcohol beverage seller license, you fill in application paper and prepare many necessary documents to be attached and submit them to Tax office that has jurisdiction over your shop.
2 Officer of tax office inspects the papers. Generally it will take 2 months to inspect after application.
Depending on situation, officer will visit your office to inspect situation.
3 If officer approves your application, he notifies you by document. Even if your application is denied, you will be notified by paper.
4 When you receive license, you need to pay 30,000 yen.
This is government fee.
5 You can start your business of selling alcohol beverage. If you operate business of selling alcohol beverage without this license, you will be sentenced to imprisonment of one year or less, or fine of 500,000 yen or less.
Financial situation of your company should be good to obtain Japan Wine Seller License
Liquor seller license and tax payment of your company in Japan
In order to obtain wine etc sale license in Japan, your company needs to have paid tax properly
The reason why you need to obtain this alcohol beverage seller license when you sell corked alcohol beverages.
When a person imports or manufactures alcohol beverage, she has to pay liquor tax ( shuzei ) in advance.( Assumed 100 yen ).
When she sells the liquor to retailer shop ( who has intention to sell it to consumers or bars ), she can reimburse, collect money ( 100 yen ) for the taxes.
In the case manufacturer or wholesaler sells liquor to retailer shop, they will sell it by credit.
So, if a person operates retailer shop without stable foundation, status of manufacturer or wholesaler will be unstable.
Because, they have already paid high rate of liquor tax.
So, Japanese government aims to eliminate such unstable alcohol beverage seller .
So, if your company hopes to obtain this license, if financial situation of your company is not good, it can not obtain these license.
Specifically speaking, if your company falls under either of below, it can not obtain these licenses.
1) If your company is behind its tax ( if your company does not submit tax filing, of course, it can not obtain these license. Even if you submitted documents to suspend your company, your company still needs to submit tax filing every year )
2) In latest balanced sheet of your company, the amount of carried over loss is more than amount of capital amount.
3) For past three years, the amount of loss is 20% or more of capital amount.
For example, the amount of register capital amount （ Shihon kin ）+ Capital surplus ( Shihon joyo kin ) + Retained earnings ( Rieki joyokin ) = 1 million yen, if the amount of loss is 200,001 yen for past 3 years, your company can not obtain these licenses ).
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