House-to-house collection permit

For a house-to-house permit you will need the following:

• a letter on headed paper from your charity. This will give you permission to collect and manage collections on their behalf
• to be collecting for a charity that's registered with the Charity Commission or the Office of the Regulator for Community Interest Companies (CIC)
• an overview of the charity’s background and objectives, and plans for what you'll do with the funds
• photo ID of the person responsible for the collection. You must use an accepted form of photo ID from this list

We also recommend that you register with the Fundraising Regulator and follow the Fundraising Regulator's code of practice, including those covering how to handle Direct Debits.

Letters and details to support your application can take some time to gather. We recommend preparing as soon as possible.

Please only apply using our online charity collection permit service.

We won't accept any written applications or documents sent by post. However, you can email the charity collection team if you have any questions.

You must submit your application by the first day of the month before your collection month. For example, if you want to collect on 20 September, we need your application by 1 August.

We will check the details of the person responsible for the collection on the Police National Database. If they have a conviction, we may refuse the application.

We aim to process permits within four to six weeks of receiving them.

We can refuse or take away a collection permit. This is under the House to House Collections Act 1939.

We can do this for the following reasons:

• not enough of the money collected will go to charity
• the collection could lead to criminal offences taking place
• the applicant isn't considered suitable due to prior convictions
• the applicant hasn’t made sure their collectors are suitable, including complying with regulations. You can read these regulations on legislation.gov.uk

You will need to get an ID badge for each member taking part in the collection. The ID badges are supplied by The Stationery Office. You will need to get in contact with them after your permit has been issued. This is so they know to make your ID badges. Their contact details and location can be found on their website.

You cannot start a collection until we have issued you with a permit and you have your ID badge from The Stationery Office. You must wear this ID badge during the collection.

If we refuse your application or take away your permit, you can appeal. You must appeal within 14 days of the decision.

You can email the Secretary of State to appeal the decision. You need to include a copy of the refusal or revocation notice and an explanation of why you think the decision should change.

You need to submit the following information within one month of the collection ending:

• the total amount collected
• the names of all collectors and amounts collected by each
• any expenses or payments incurred
• certification by two of the people responsible for the collection
• certification by a qualified accountant

For money collections. you can submit this information using our Schedule 5 form.

For goods collections. you can submit this information using our Schedule 6 form. 

Please scan your completed Schedule 5 or Schedule 6 and email it to us.