Child performance licence: Essex
Essex County Council licenses children who live in Essex.A correct application can take up to 21 days to process.
Last checked 28 October 2026
- How to apply
- The person responsible for the production applies to Essex for children who live in Essex.
- Notice for a licence
- A correct application can take up to 21 days to process.
- Using the 4-day rule
- Fill in Essex’s non-licensed performance exemption form.
- Body of Persons Approval
- Offered. See “Apply for Body of Persons Approval (BOPA)” on the Essex site.
From Essex County Council’s own website on 28 October 2026. Councils change their forms often, so follow their page if it differs.
Do your children need a licence at all?
Not if they’re unpaid, don’t miss school, and haven’t performed on more than 3 days in the 6 months before each show day (the 4-day rule), or if your show has a BOPA. Children who live outside Essex are licensed by their own council.
Sources
- Essex County Council: child performance licensing (checked 28 October 2026)
- The Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014 (checked 28 October 2026)
- Children and Young Persons Act 1963, section 37 (England, Wales and Scotland) (checked 28 October 2026)
Beginners Call is an information tool, not legal advice. It reads the law the way the Department for Education’s advice does, but your council makes the decision. If in doubt, ask them.
Want the full kit?
I’m deciding whether to build the rest: a cast list that tracks each child’s days across every show, a chaperone rota that won’t let you go over 12, and daily records on your phone. Leave your email and I’ll write once when it’s ready, or not at all if it isn’t built.