TV Licensing
Why we visit
A TV Licence Officer visits you when we have no record of a licence at your address, and we haven’t received a reply to our previous letters. We need to check if you’ve been watching, recording or downloading TV without a licence.
If you’re not sure whether or not you need a TV Licence, check what a licence covers you for.
Need this translated?
Call us on 0300 790 6044* if you want to speak to someone about this in another language.
What happens during a visit
Our Officer will tell you why they’re visiting. They’ll be polite, considerate and fair. And they’ll follow our code of conduct.
If you allow them into your home, the visit is normally very quick. The Officer will:
- Check to see if any TV equipment is set up. Or being used.
- Caution and interview you if they suspect TV equipment being used or set up. They’ll take notes of what’s been said and ask for your signature to confirm their notes are accurate. Find out more about the interview.
- Make sure you understand what may happen if you watch or record live TV, or watch BBC iPlayer, without a TV Licence.
Officers wear a body camera to help keep them safe. And to deter any abuse towards them. Find out more about our use of body warn cameras.
Following your visit, if you haven’t told the Officer about any personal circumstances or issues you might be going through at the time, don’t worry. Call us on 0300 373 5453 and we’ll explain what you need to do.
How to tell if an Officer is employed by us:
When they visit, they’ll show you two ID cards:
One shows our logo, the Officer’s first name, an expiry date and their card number.
One includes the Officer’s first name and photograph. This shows that they can investigate on our behalf.
When we can enter your address without your permission
If we receive a search warrant from a magistrate (or sheriff in Scotland), Officers are able to enter your address without your permission.
We can ask for a search warrant when we have reason to believe the law is being broken. The Officer will be joined by the police when they visit.
What you need to do after the visit
You need to buy a TV Licence, if you haven’t already since the Officer visited you. If you buy a licence and keep up with your payments, you may be able to avoid prosecution or fines. We’ll write to you if this is the case.
Have an existing TV Licence?
*Calls to our 0300 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number, whether from a mobile or landline. If you get inclusive minutes, calls to an 0300 number will be included free of charge.