Do I need a license to trade

Many entrepreneurs wishing to start a business in trade, often faced with the fact that the products they plan to implement it, may be under the control of the state. This means that, for trading activities, the organization must obtain a license from the state.

Until recently, there was a law No. 128-FZ, published in 2001, "On licensing certain types of activities". It is regularly made changes and additions, in particular recent changes came into force on 1 January 2011. However, our legislators were not satisfied and in may 2011 issued a new law No. 99-FZ of the same name, which entered into force on 3 November this year. With 19 October and then on 21 November it has managed to make a change. Fortunately, this had little effect on activities of trade associations, because the list of licensed types of detail for them remained the same.

Thus, license to trade need:

- if you are going to sell technical means aimed at obtaining secret information;

- if you are planning to sell printed products protected against counterfeit (including the forms of securities);

- if the number of your products are ammunition and other weapons;

- if you want to sell scrap ferrous and nonferrous metals;

- if your company will deal with the implementation of medical and pharmaceutical products (including psychotropic and narcotic drugs).

A separate law (No. 171-FZ "About state regulation of production and turnover of ethyl alcohol, alcoholic and alcohol-containing products") is subject to the implementation of retail of alcoholic production, which involves the annual payment of the registration fee in the amount of 40 thousand rubles for the license for a period of from 1 to 5 years. Licensing, for example, in Moscow the Department of trade and services, in Saint-Petersburg - Committee for economic development, industrial policy and trade, in regions similar state agencies with appropriate authority.
You should note that until recently, the licence for trade in alcohol applied only to products with ethanol content of more than 15%.

However, in July 2011, the President signed amendments to the law, which States that now license you must obtain to trade alcohol strength of more than 5%, while beer and other alcoholic beverages were equated with alcohol.

Thus, for the retail sale of beer and beer drinks from 1 July 2012 will require obtaining a license.