EU Services Directive

The EU Services Directive aims to open up the European internal market to cross-border trade in services by making it easier for service providers to set up business or offer their services in other EU countries.

The Services Directive will allow you to apply and pay online for a variety of licences, permits and registrations. We have joined forces with Business Link, the UK Government's online resource for business, to provide facilities for making online applications.

Where online applications are accepted, links starting with the text 'Apply online' will be displayed on our web pages. Links will also be displayed on the right hand side on of the page in the 'Forms and self service' section.

In order to apply online, you will need to use a Government Gateway account. If you do not already have one, you will be asked to register, free of charge, before beginning the application process. Please keep your User ID and password details in a safe place, as you will need to log in to your account to read any messages we send you about your application.

If you would prefer to print copies of the forms and fill them in by hand, we will continue to provide printable versions of the application forms for most types of applications.