Compliance Centre

Licensing and industry regulation

Some activities need permission before they begin. Which permissions depend entirely on what you do and where you do it.

EducationalCompliance topicLast reviewed 2026-08-14No named reviewer yet

What it covers

The scope of this area, in general terms.

Sector-specific approvals, permits and registrations that attach to an activity rather than to a business size.
Sector regulators, and the difference between registering a company and being authorised to carry on an activity.
Premises, safety, environmental and professional requirements that can apply alongside sector rules.
Anti-money-laundering obligations, which attach to certain businesses and professions under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.

When it becomes relevant

Circumstances in which this area usually matters. This is not a test of whether an obligation applies to you — that depends on your specific situation and should be confirmed with the relevant authority.

You handle client money, or provide financial, insurance or investment services.
You produce, import or sell food, drugs, cosmetics or regulated products.
You provide healthcare, education, security, telecommunications or transport services.
You are entering a new sector, a new state, or a new activity within your sector.

Good practice

Practices businesses commonly put in place. Educational, not prescriptive.

Confirm what authorisation your specific activity needs before you start it.
Verify requirements with the regulator directly rather than from secondary sources.
Keep permits, approvals and renewals in one register with owners named.
Re-check the position whenever the business adds an activity or a location.
Where anti-money-laundering duties apply, put identification and record-keeping procedures in place.

Common gaps

How this area usually goes wrong — rarely through bad faith, and almost always through nobody owning it.

Assuming company registration is the same as sector authorisation.
Operating a regulated activity as a small side line of an unregulated business.
Permits that lapsed because no one owned the renewal.
Expanding into a new state without re-checking local requirements.

When to involve a lawyer

When to speak to a lawyer

You are unsure whether your activity is regulated.
You are applying for, or have been refused, an authorisation.
A regulator has raised a concern or begun an inquiry.
You are entering a regulated sector by acquisition or partnership.

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What it covers

The scope of this area, in general terms.

Sector-specific approvals, permits and registrations that attach to an activity rather than to a business size.
Sector regulators, and the difference between registering a company and being authorised to carry on an activity.
Premises, safety, environmental and professional requirements that can apply alongside sector rules.
Anti-money-laundering obligations, which attach to certain businesses and professions under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.

When it becomes relevant

You handle client money, or provide financial, insurance or investment services.
You produce, import or sell food, drugs, cosmetics or regulated products.
You provide healthcare, education, security, telecommunications or transport services.
You are entering a new sector, a new state, or a new activity within your sector.

Good practice

Practices businesses commonly put in place. Educational, not prescriptive.

Confirm what authorisation your specific activity needs before you start it.
Verify requirements with the regulator directly rather than from secondary sources.
Keep permits, approvals and renewals in one register with owners named.
Re-check the position whenever the business adds an activity or a location.
Where anti-money-laundering duties apply, put identification and record-keeping procedures in place.

Common gaps

How this area usually goes wrong — rarely through bad faith, and almost always through nobody owning it.

Assuming company registration is the same as sector authorisation.
Operating a regulated activity as a small side line of an unregulated business.
Permits that lapsed because no one owned the renewal.
Expanding into a new state without re-checking local requirements.

What it covers

When it becomes relevant

Good practice

Common gaps

When to involve a lawyer

Related across the platform

What it covers

When it becomes relevant

Good practice

Common gaps

When to involve a lawyer

Related across the platform