Renew a business licence or permit before it lapses

When to use

The renewal watch has fired for a licence or permit the company already holds. Not for a licence the company does not hold yet — that is a project, not a renewal; start it via management.decision-record and track it as a goal. Not for watching deadlines generally — company.registry-watch is the playbook that makes this one fire.

Before you start

• The licence record exists in the documents module with its number, authority, expiry date and the file
• The owner has confirmed the licensed activity continues (a licence for a stopped activity should be
• Access to the authority's e-service or portal is working, with the company's e-address (e-paraksts) usable.

What a run requires3

The trail7 steps

1. S1

   Read the licence record and the authority's rulesagent

   Open the record; read the licence type's law or regulation in the legal corpus for: renewal window, who must file, required documents, fee, and how the decision is delivered.

   Done when the record shows expiry date, window, document list and fee — each with a source and the date read.

   ⛔ Renewal windows differ per licence type and can be "no later than X days before expiry" — do not assume one month. ⚠ verify the exact window on the issuing authority's site.

2. S2

   Check what changed since the last renewalagent

   Compare the current legal act and the authority's current form against the last renewal's file. Note any new requirement (new form, new annex, higher fee, new condition on the licence).

   Done when a change note is written into the record: "changed / nothing changed — checked <source> on <date>".

3. S3

   Assemble the fileagent

   Fill the current form, attach the required documents, and confirm company data on the form matches the Enterprise Register (name, registration number, legal address, board).

   Done when the complete file sits in the documents module, every attachment named, and any mismatch with the register is fixed or flagged to the owner.

4. S4

   Decide and approveownerneeds approval · owner

   Approval · S4 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

   Present: what is being renewed, the fee, what changed since last time, and whether the activity continues.

   Done when the owner has approved renewal (or decided to surrender the licence instead — then stop here and record the surrender).

5. S5

   Submit and payagentneeds approval · ownerirreversible

   Approval · S5 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

   Irreversible · S5 — an agent never closes it alone

   File through the authority's e-service (or in person if it has none) and pay the fee from the company account.

   Done when a submission confirmation or receipt number exists and the payment appears in the bank feed.

   ⛔ Never pay a fee amount taken from memory or from last year's receipt — the amount comes from S2.

6. S6

   Track the decision and answer the authorityagent

   Watch the e-service and the company's mail for questions or extra document requests; answer within the authority's stated response time. ⚠ verify the response time in the licence's legal act.

   Done when the decision (renewal, refusal, or a written request still open) is recorded, and any refusal is escalated to the owner the same day.

7. S7

   Record the new stateagent

   Save the renewed licence in the documents module; update the record with the new expiry date and any new conditions; re-arm the renewal watch for the next cycle; link the record to the goal or task the activity serves.

   Done when the record shows the new expiry and the watch shows the next deadline.

Checks — how we know it worked

• New expiry date on the licence document itself (read it back from the PDF or certificate, not from the
• The licence record's expiry matches the document, and the renewal watch shows the next deadline.
• The fee receipt is filed and matches the amount in the bank statement.
• Every condition on the renewed licence (limits, premises, responsible person) is either unchanged or

If it goes wrong

What each step leaves behind

1. S1the record shows expiry date, window, document list and fee — each with a source and the date read.
2. S2a change note is written into the record: "changed / nothing changed — checked <source> on <date>".
3. S3the complete file sits in the documents module, every attachment named, and any mismatch with the register is fixed or flagged to the owner.
4. S4the owner has approved renewal (or decided to surrender the licence instead — then stop here and record the surrender).
5. S5a submission confirmation or receipt number exists and the payment appears in the bank feed.
6. S6the decision (renewal, refusal, or a written request still open) is recorded, and any refusal is escalated to the owner the same day.
7. S7the record shows the new expiry and the watch shows the next deadline.

Evidence to keep

Submission confirmation or receipt number · fee receipt and bank match · the authority's decision · the renewed licence document · S2's change note with source and date · the owner's approval in S4 (who, when) · any correspondence with the authority.

How this playbook improves

After every 5 runs ask: how many days before expiry was the file submitted, and did any run rely on the last week? Did any S2 check miss a change the authority then caught? Was any window, fee or form wrong in this playbook's ⚠ verify notes — if so, replace the note with the confirmed figure and its source in the next version. A new version changes the step that caused the wait or the miss, and says so in its change note.