Previously, in accordance with the law, it was clear that a license is issued for a period of up to 3 or 5 years. But after the latest changes for most areas of activity, such restrictions have been removed. That is, now the license will operate indefinitely or until it is withdrawn due to violations. This applies to many, but not all areas of activity.
By itself, this document provides the right of a person or organization to engage in certain activities. Without a license, if a person performs actions subject to mandatory registration and registration, a fine will be imposed on him. If the violation has led to serious consequences, criminal liability is possible. When registering a legal entity, you should familiarize yourself with those types of activities that require licensing, and draw up the necessary documents.
Why do i need a license?
In accordance with the official interpretation, regardless of how long the license is issued, the main purpose of the document is to prevent damage to the life, health, rights and interests of ordinary citizens. It is it that allows you to ensure the protection of the environment, places of culture and recreation, the security of the country and so on.
For example, if there was no such procedure, any person would get the opportunity to sell alcohol. Even at officially registered points, fakes are sometimes found that are harmful to health, and sometimes even fatal, to say nothing of the situation where everyone will trade whatever they want. As a result, cases of poisoning would significantly increase. It is in order to prevent such a development of events that the license is used. Such a document is issued for a period of not more than 3-5 years only for certain types of activity.
It should be noted that there is always the possibility of renewing or renewing a permit. In the absence of violations, increasing the validity period is not difficult. If there were some comments from state bodies, it is recommended to eliminate them as soon as possible. Otherwise, you may be denied a request to extend the permit document.
Features of different fields of activity
On the period for which a license is issued, the activity of the enterprise most actively affects. She is in first place. On the second - the desire of leadership. In some cases, you will need to take a license for a certain period in order to temporarily perform the necessary functions, and in the future it will become irrelevant.
In another situation, the scope of the company may be such that, under the law, a license is issued for a period of 2, 3, 4 or 5 years. Sometimes an extension is not provided. It will be required to issue a new license. In another option, you just need to extend the validity period of the document once, and it will automatically become unlimited. All this strongly depends also on the territory, features of economic development and the type of proposed activity.
It should be noted that obtaining a license in one region allows you to work in any part of the country, but you should first register with local government agencies.
Requirements
Regardless of how long a license is issued, the fact of its registration has a number of certain requirements. So, in many cases, a legal entity is required to request this document. That is, an ordinary person simply does not have the right to receive a license for certain types of activities. Given the simplicity of registration as an individual entrepreneur, this is not a particular problem. This is the most common and simple requirement.
In another case, it may be necessary to present certain certificates, for example, for real estate appraisal. Among other things, it may be necessary to confirm the fact of compliance with the legislation, provide proper protection of the territory, create conditions for work, properly equip the premises, provide training for personnel, and also provide access to the place of work, if necessary.
There are many other possible conditions that will cause refusal, but usually all of them are still needed for full-fledged activity and are not a problem either. Please note that a license is issued for a period of at least 3 years. But there are workarounds. The applicant may require that this document be valid for only 1 year, and he must meet them. When few people use this, it is not always clear at what point in time what may be required.
Payment Features
It is strictly forbidden by law to require any money from the applicant in order to issue a license. That is, an employee of state bodies himself has no right to this, no matter what happens. But, even if the license is issued for a period of 1 year or several months, the applicant must pay the fee. It is small, but partially allows the country to cover the costs of maintaining the entire staff of employees who are involved in issuing such documents.
This is a common practice often found in many states. Only in rare cases, the state duty is not charged, but this is the exception rather than the rule. It should be noted separately that the amount of such a payment is not only small, but it is not particularly difficult to make a payment. That is, this is not an obstacle for the development of private business. Much more money will have to be spent on equipment, premises, employees' salaries and so on. Amid all this, an insignificant payment to the country's treasury can go unnoticed. But there will be an official right to engage in the desired activity, which is very important in all cases.
Standard License Duration
The time frame for the operation of such a document is of interest to most entrepreneurs. Based on what is written above, we can conclude that the license is issued for a period that will be specified by the applicant. Otherwise, it will not have an expiration date. The exceptions are also mentioned above, but when studying this problem, the first thing to do is decide in which region the enterprise will operate, what will be its features and what specific licenses may be needed for this. Only after a comprehensive study of these issues can you already in more detail and in depth search for data on the necessary permits. This approach is much simpler and more understandable than trying to figure out everything you can about the problem as a whole.
Features of alcoholic beverages
Unlike most other types of activities, the sale of vodka, beer and other similar products implies the issuance of an exclusively temporary license. Its validity period is 5 years, but the applicant, as mentioned above, has the right to demand the expiration date of the document to be set in 1 year, 2 or more, but only up to the limit of five years.
Naturally, it usually takes as much time as possible, but in some cases another need may arise. After the expiration date, the document can be extended, but provided that no violations have been recorded before. In this case, a refusal to renew may follow. Such a license is required for all institutions that, to one degree or another, are engaged in the sale of alcoholic beverages. Without it, their activities would be illegal.
How long is a license issued to banks?
The procedure for processing documents for the right to engage in activities with a financial institution is somewhat different from the sale of alcohol. When applying for a banking permit, certain problems will arise regarding large start-up capital and working conditions. But the question of how long a bank license is issued in this case does not arise, because it is unlimited.
But you need to carefully observe the law. For serious violations, licenses may be revoked. In this case, it may not be possible to restore it more. And in the version of the bank, which for many years has been forced to gain credibility, attract customers and so on, such events can be critical. Thus, a banking license is issued for the life of a financial institution. Recalling it actually means liquidation. Some legal entities and individuals provide approximately the same types of services, and many of them even have official permission. The rest act illegally.
General License Features
At its core, such a document is a continuation of its usual variety. It has approximately the same requirements, but it provides an opportunity to act not only in the territory of the Russian Federation, but also abroad, opening representative offices, branches or even entire subsidiaries, if the Central Bank gives consent. This is one of the main features that arise when a general license is issued. The validity period of this document is equal to the period of existence of the financial organization. Many banks receive exactly this version of the permitting document, although not everyone uses the opportunities it provides. This is not an obligation, but just an opportunity that you may not have to use.
Temporary License
Not only financial companies or companies selling alcohol need special documents permitting their activities. The same is required for insurance companies. The difference in this case is that in this case, a temporary license can be issued for a period of not more than three years. At the same time, as in any other cases, you can always specify a different period of time if it does not exceed the maximum allowable.
Such an authorization document differs, in fact, only in this. Naturally, it is always possible to extend its validity on the same rules, but only on condition that no violations of the law have been recorded in the previous period. In addition, if they were, then it is necessary to eliminate all errors before the expiration date of the document. Otherwise, the extension may be refused.
Separately, it should be noted that there is another way to expire a license - liquidation of a legal entity. That is, at the moment when the company ceases to exist, the document authorizing the activity automatically loses its power. Moreover, if a reorganization occurs and the company retains its activity, but under a slightly changed name (or other features), then the license is still valid. It is enough to just amend the form in connection with new circumstances and information.
One-time license
This type of authorization documents differs significantly from all other analogues. A one-time license works in the field of trade. It is issued in cases where it is necessary to carry out an export or import operation.
The main feature is that the license is issued for each individual transaction. That is, it is impossible to draw up this document for a certain period within which it will be possible to carry out trafficking with people in other countries. It will be necessary for each individual cargo to require a special permit, which becomes invalid once the transaction is completed.
True, it is pleasing for how long a one-time license is issued - a whole year. It turns out that if, for one reason or another, the contract is temporarily broken, it will be possible to try to sell products within all 365 days. In many cases, this feature can help maintain profit, business reputation, customer and so on.
Summary
Licensing is a very important, necessary and useful element of government, able to solve a huge number of problems by simply anticipating their onset. Among other things, it forces various firms and companies to conduct their activities in such a way that this at least does not contradict the law. This all benefits the common population.
And it’s worth mentioning separately that all these positive aspects have only one minor drawback - an obstacle to the start of work of a new legal entity. It arises only if there is not a whole list of documents necessary for engaging in the chosen activity.
Renewing a license is also not a serious problem, provided that all the requirements of the law are implemented correctly and on time. Yes, and in many cases it is enough to get an authorization document only once, and it will work almost indefinitely (or until it is required to liquidate the legal entity).