IMFL Licence in Haryana: Wholesale, Retail & Brands
Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) moves through a chain of excise licences in Haryana: the distillery or bottler, the brand registration, the L-1 wholesaler and the L-2 retail vend. Each link has its own fees and conditions under the Haryana Excise Policy 2025-27. We prepare the applications, documents and filings, and keep the licence compliant afterwards.
What it is
An IMFL licence is permission from the Haryana Excise and Taxation Department to make, bottle, market, store or sell Indian Made Foreign Liquor. In the policy, IMFL includes IMFS, IFL (BIO), beer, wine, cider and ready-to-drink beverages. Country liquor runs on a separate track, with L-13 wholesale and L-14A retail licences.
The legal base is the Punjab Excise Act, 1914 as it applies in Haryana, the Haryana Liquor Licence Rules, 1970 and the Haryana Excise Policy 2025-27. The current policy runs from 12 June 2025 to 31 March 2027. After that, policy years follow the April–March financial year. Applications and tenders go through the department’s website, haryanatax.gov.in.
Who it applies to
You distil or bottle liquor
A distillery holding a D-2 licence, a bottling plant with its own brands, or a unit bottling another company’s brand on franchise. The plant also needs pollution board consent.
You own a brand entering Haryana
A distiller of repute that wants to sell its brands in Haryana needs an L-1B licence, and every brand label must be registered with the department.
You hold, or want, retail vends
L-2 retail licensees who bid for zones in the e-tender, and those among them who apply for the district’s L-1 wholesale licence.
Why it matters
Protect crore-level commitments
L-1 wholesale fees run from ₹3.45 crore to ₹6.65 crore for the policy period. A missed instalment or a weak document can cost the security deposit.
Register every label
No label can be sold without registration, and a whisky label alone costs ₹9 lakh. Protect the name too, with a Class 33 trademark.
Meet quota and stock rules
Wholesalers must keep minimum and maximum stock, and retailers must lift their basic quota every quarter or pay a penalty for the shortfall.
Documents required
For a retail zone bid
- Aadhaar or Parivar Pehchan Patra, and PAN
- Income tax returns for three years
- CA-certified net worth certificate, minimum ₹60 lakh
- Solvency certificate or bank guarantee
- Affidavit of no criminal or excise conviction
For an L-1 wholesale licence
- Proof of your L-2 retail licence in the district
- Refundable security or bank guarantee of 20% of the licence fee
- Surety bond for 80% of the licence fee
- Godown details for storage
For brands and bottling
- Company documents and the distillery or bottling licence
- Label artwork for each brand and pack size
- Franchise agreement, where bottling for another brand owner
- Proof of fee payment for each label
L-1 wholesale licence fees
The L-1 fee for 2025-27 depends on the IMFL quota of the district:
| District IMFL quota | L-1 licence fee (2025-27) |
|---|---|
| Up to 18 lakh proof litres | ₹3.45 crore |
| Above 18 lakh up to 45 lakh PL | ₹4.15 crore |
| Above 45 lakh up to 90 lakh PL | ₹5.00 crore |
| Above 90 lakh PL | ₹6.65 crore |
Half the fee is due on allotment and half before 1 April 2026. The licensee keeps at least 10 days and at most 42 days of basic quota in stock at all times. Only L-2 retail licensees of that district can apply, based on their IMFL quota contribution, and one licensee gets at most one L-1 in a district.
Here is the catch. Say a Faridabad trader wins retail zones in the e-tender and wants to move into wholesale next year. The L-1 is granted on IMFL quota contribution among the district’s L-2 licensees, so the retail footprint in that same district is what counts.
How it works
Map the licence you need
Where do you sit in the chain? Making, bottling, marketing a brand, wholesale or retail each needs a different licence and different papers.
Prepare the eligibility papers
We put together the net worth certificate, solvency proof, tax returns and affidavits, and check them against the policy before anything is filed.
Bid or apply on the portal
For retail zones we handle the e-tender with the ₹2.25 lakh participation fee and the earnest money. For L-1, L-1B or brand labels we file the application with the department.
Deposit the security and instalments
We diarise the security deposit, surety bonds and every fee instalment.
Run monthly and quarterly compliance
We track quota lifting, stock limits, label renewals and minimum retail prices, and help you answer department notices.
Timelines
Policy period ends 31 March 2027
Licences under the 2025-27 policy end on 31 March 2027. The next policy follows the April–March financial year.
Retail fee in 20 monthly instalments
L-2 and L-14A zone licence fees are paid in 20 monthly instalments, starting July 2025. Security of 15% of the bid amount is paid in three parts after allotment.
Quota lifted every quarter
Basic quota is lifted quarterly. Any short-lifting penalty is payable within 30 days of the end of the quarter.
What happens if you miss a condition
Short-lifting penalty
A retailer who lifts less than the basic quota pays ₹200 per proof litre of shortfall for IMFL and ₹150 per proof litre for country liquor, each quarter.
Advertising penalties
Liquor advertising is banned, including on social media. Fines are ₹1 lakh per advertisement for the first offence, ₹2 lakh for the second and ₹3 lakh for the third.
Sealing and recovery
The Collector (Excise) can seal premises for a major violation, with no compensation. Unpaid fees trigger recovery action under the policy.
Frequently asked questions
What is an L-1 licence in Haryana?
An L-1 is the wholesale licence for IMFL in a Haryana excise district. It receives stock from distilleries, bottling plants and breweries and supplies L-2 retail vends. Under the 2025-27 policy, only L-2 retail licensees of that district can apply, and the fee runs from ₹3.45 crore to ₹6.65 crore depending on the district’s quota. We help eligible retail licensees prepare the application and security documents.
Can a new company get an L-1 wholesale licence directly?
Not directly under the current policy. The 2025-27 policy invites L-1 applications only from L-2 retail licensees in the district, and grants them based on each applicant’s IMFL quota contribution. So the route into wholesale runs through winning retail zones in the e-tender first. We can help you prepare for the zone bidding and then for the L-1 application in the same district.
How are liquor retail vends allotted in Haryana?
Retail vends are allotted by e-tender in zones, with two vends per zone and a statewide cap of 2,400 L-2 and L-14A vends. Each bid carries a non-refundable participation fee of ₹2.25 lakh and earnest money from ₹12.5 lakh to ₹150 lakh, depending on the zone’s reserve price. Successful bidders pay security of 15% of the bid. We prepare the bid documents and track every payment date.
What is an L-1B licence?
An L-1B is the licence a distiller of repute takes to market its brands in Haryana. A committee of officers examines requests from new entrants, and brands of distillers with a doubtful reputation or known malpractices are not allowed. Once the L-1B is in place, each brand label still has to be registered. We prepare the company and brand documents for the committee’s review.
How much is the brand label registration fee?
Under the 2025-27 policy, the brand label fee is ₹9 lakh for whisky or scotch, ₹5.5 lakh for beer, ₹4 lakh for rum, ₹2.25 lakh for gin, vodka or liqueur, ₹2.7 lakh for ready-to-drink beverages and ₹45,000 for wine, brandy or cider. A new brand expected to sell up to 1,000 cases pays 50% of the applicable fee. So a distiller launching three whisky labels pays three label fees, halved only for a genuinely small launch.
What bottling fees apply to distilleries and bottlers?
The bottling fee for sale within Haryana is ₹15 per proof litre for a D-2 distillery bottling its own brands, ₹20 per proof litre for a bottling plant’s own brands and ₹24 per proof litre for franchise bottling. Brewers pay ₹13 per bulk litre. Bottling for export outside India attracts no bottling fee. Franchise bottling also needs brand registration at ₹12.6 lakh per brand.
What excise duty applies to IMFL in Haryana?
Excise duty on IMFL under the 2025-27 policy ranges from ₹158 to ₹230 per proof litre, depending on the brand’s ex-distillery price band. Beer is charged per bulk litre by strength: ₹30 for super mild, ₹52 for mild and ₹62 for strong in bottles. Additional quota beyond the basic quota attracts additional duty of ₹110 per proof litre for IMFL. We build these numbers into your cost sheet.
Do liquor labels and bottles need FSSAI compliance?
Yes. The excise policy requires licensees to comply with FSSAI provisions, and it ties the quality and thickness of PET, glass and steel bottles to FSSAI norms. The Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018 govern standards and labelling. In July 2026 FSSAI issued notices to alcohol makers over flavour and age claims. We check labels against both sets of rules before filing.
Should we register our liquor brand as a trademark?
Yes, before launch. Spirits, wine and other alcoholic drinks fall in Class 33 of the Nice Classification, while beer falls in Class 32. The government fee is ₹4,500 per class for individuals, startups and small enterprises filing online, and ₹9,000 for others. An excise label registration does not give you trademark rights, so the two filings work best side by side.
What it costs
Our fee plus the government fee that applies to your case, quoted before you commit. Tell us the situation and we will price it exactly.
Government fees under the 2025-27 policy include the L-1 fee (table above), the ₹2.25 lakh participation fee per retail bid, brand label fees from ₹45,000 to ₹9 lakh per label, and bottling fees of ₹13 to ₹24 per litre.
Ready to begin?
Tell us where you sit in the liquor chain and which district, and we will list the IMFL licences, fees and papers you need.