Permits for mobile food/coffee vans in parks

You must apply for a permit if you want to operate a mobile food or coffee van in a park or reserve in the Northern Territory (NT).

NT Parks and Wildlife does not issue permits for Kakadu National Park or Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. For information about these parks, go to the Australian Government's Parks Australia website.

Types of permits

There are 5 types of permits:

• single event permit – issued for a single occasion
• 3-month permit – issued for weekly operations for the duration of 3 months
• 6-month permit – issued for weekly operations for the duration of 6 months
• annual permit – issued for weekly operations over the course of 12 months
• multi-year permit up to a maximum of 3 years.

If you need a permit duration that is not covered by the options above, contact Parks and Wildlife permits office.

Who can apply

To apply for a permit, your business must:

• sell food or drinks only - no alcohol
• have a registered business name and Australian business number (ABN)
• be registered as a food business in the NT
• be self-sufficient with power, water supplies and waste
• have public liability insurance of at least $10 million.

How long it takes

Applications are processed in 3 to 7 business days.

What you need

You must include the following in your application:

• Australian business number (ABN)
• map or site plan of your proposed location
• your preferred operating days and times
• photo and description of your mobile food van
• copy of your menu
• copy of your food registration certificate
• details about how you will be self-sufficient with power and water including any proposed generator use
• details about how you will manage waste
• risk assessment demonstrating how you will ensure safety and not obstruct patrons, staff, traffic or other activities in the park
• if you are applying on behalf of a company - an ASIC company extract with director names issued within the last 6 months.

Evidence of insurance

You will also need evidence of insurance. This can be attached to your application or emailed to the permits office at a later date.

This includes evidence of:

• public liability insurance of at least $10 million
• workers compensation insurance if you are required to have it - find out more on the NT Worksafe website.

For more information on the requirements, read the mobile food/coffee vans on parks and reserves policy and guidelines PDF (902.7 KB)

Fees

The permits office will contact you to process a fee payment after you submit your application.

Your fee will depend on the area you operate in:

• urban is within a 30km radius of a city or town
• remote is outside a 30km radius of a city or town.

A security deposit of $1,000 applies to each permit, in addition to permit fees.

If you need a permit duration that is not covered by the options above, contact Parks and Wildlife directly.

How to apply

You can apply online or by email.

Online

Go to Territory Services

Email

To apply by email, follow these steps.

Step 1. Fill in application and attach supporting documents.

Mobile food/coffee van application PDF (211.0 KB)
Mobile food/coffee van application DOCX (67.5 KB)

Step 2. Submit application by email to pwpermits@nt.gov.au.

Get help

Call the Parks and Wildlife permits office on 08 8999 4795 (Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm) or email pwpermits@nt.gov.au.