The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) is operating the Anti-epidemic Fund - Catering Business (Social Distancing) Subsidy Scheme (Liquor Licence (with Bar Endorsement) of Licensed Restaurant).  The Scheme is now open to applications from eligible Liquor Licence holders with bar endorsement of licensed restaurants for a grant of one-off subsidy.  A one-off subsidy of $50,000 will be released to eligible licence holders of the liquor licensed premises which are required to be closed the whole of its premises pursuant to the directions issued under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F).

The application period and procedures are set out below:

Eligibility

1. To apply for the subsidy, an applicant is required to fulfil the following criteria:

1. the applicant holds a valid Liquor Licence (with bar endorsement) issued by the LLB and the connected restaurant licence (listed in item (1) of Part III of application form) issued by the FEHD shall be valid for any period when the relevant directions issued pursuant to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F) are in effect. (Currently, the directions issued so far pursuant to Cap. 599F took effect from 6:00 pm on 3 April 2020, initially for a period 14 days and subsequently extended to 7 May 2020. This period may be extended subject to any further directions issued by the Secretary for Food and Health.); AND

2. on the date of approval of the application, the applicant is still holding a valid liquor licence and the connected restaurant licence shall be valid ; AND

3. the bar business is in operation on the date of submission of the application and on the date of approval of the application; AND

4. no application for transfer, voluntary surrender or cancellation of licence in respect of the liquor licensed premises is under processing between the date of submission of the application and the date of approval of the application; AND

5. the whole of each eligible licensed premises has been closed as directed under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F).
2. As an exceptional arrangement, an applicant not holding a valid Liquor Licence (with bar endorsement) on 3 April 2020, may apply for the subsidy, provided that:
   1. an application for transfer of a liquor licence was made on or before 2 April 2020, the application was approved when the relevant directions are no longer in effect, and the applicant is the approved transferee on or before 5 June 2020; AND
   2. no subsidy has been granted by the FEHD under this Subsidy Scheme to the original licence holder in respect of the licence transferred; AND
   3. the applicant meets the criteria in items (1)(b), (1)(c), (1)(d) and (1)(e) above.

Means of Application

• Obtaining Application Forms

  During the application period, eligible applicants may download the application form from the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk).  Alternatively, they may obtain the form in person at Licensing Offices during office hours.

  • Notes on filling in and submission of application forms

    Before completing the application form, please read carefully the form, the application criteria and the notes therein.

• Submission of Application Forms
  • Completed application forms should be submitted within the application period by the following means:
    1. Return the application form by post to the relevant Licensing Office where the liquor licensed premises is located; or
    2. Submit the application form in person to the relevant Licensing Office where the liquor licensed premises is located.

       The opening hours of the relevant Licensing Offices are as follow: Monday to Friday： 8:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays Addresses and Telephone Numbers of relevant Licensing Offices

  • An applicant may submit only one application form for each liquor licensed premises.  The provision of personal data in the application form is voluntary.  Applications will not be accepted if applicants do not use the prescribed form, tender late submission, provide insufficient or incorrect information or tender multiple applications.
  • The application form shall be submitted by post or in person before 5:00 p.m. on 5 June 2020.  For applications by post, the date of application will be determined according to the postmark date.

Processing of Application

• FEHD will in general issue an acknowledgement application to the applicant on receipt of application.  No matter the application is submitted by post or in person, FEHD will make use of the local mobile phone number entered in the Application Form to issue acknowledgment of receipt of application and the relevant application number through SMS.  No acknowledgement and notification of application number through SMS will be made if a local mobile phone number is not provided.
• Applications will be processed and approved by the FEHD in the order they are received.  On approval, each eligible holder of the liquor licence (with bar endorsement) will receive a one-off subsidy of $50,000.  The subsidy will be released to the licensee by a crossed cheque and sent by post to the address of the licensed premises according to the record of the Liquor Licensing Board.

Other Points to Note

• FEHD will only issue one-off subsidy for each licence.
• The Government reserves the right to take appropriate action, including but not limited to refusing or not approving an application for subsidy or revoking any approval given and recovering any subsidy granted and all related expense incurred if false information is given, false declaration is made, or there is a breach of Cap. 599F or the direction issued thereunder.
• It is an offence under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (Cap. 201) to offer advantages to government officers in relation to their official duties.
• Applicants may be required to attend an interview and provide documentary proof before the release of subsidy.
• No fee is payable for obtaining or submitting an application form.
• FEHD has not entrusted any organisations/persons to receive/ process applications or assist in the submission of applications.