State file
New Mexico alcohol server card
Officially the Alcohol Server Permit. Your manager probably called it server permit.
August 1, 2026
New Mexico has the broadest mandate of the states we have checked: all servers need an Alcohol Server Permit, and the rule names bartenders, waiters, bouncers, convenience store cashiers and owners. You have 30 days from being hired, the permit lasts three years, and courses run $25 to $75.
The broadest mandate of the eleven states checked: bartenders, waiters, bouncers, convenience store cashiers and owners are all covered.
The rule, field by field
Does it cover you?
- Server / waiterYesYes. The rule says all servers
- BartenderYesYes. Bartending is service under the rule
- Door / ID checkYesYes. Bouncers are named explicitly
- Manager or supervisorYesYes. Owners are named too
- Cashier (store, off-premise)YesYes. Convenience store cashiers are named explicitly
- Busser / hostNot statedThe state does not name this job either way, so we will not guess.
- DeliveryNot statedThe state does not name this job either way, so we will not guess.
What the other sites get wrong
- Online is allowed, including the exam.
The courses New Mexico approved
This is the state’s own list, not ours. We do not rank it and we do not have a favourite: the ordering rule is published in how we check.
We have not transcribed this state's approved list yet.
We publish the state’s own list, in full, with the price each provider charges. Until we have read it off the state page ourselves, we would rather show you nothing than show you a list we copied. Courses run $25 to $75
The state publishes the list here: NMAC 15.11.31 and New Mexico RLD
Common questions
I only work the door. Do I need it?
Yes. New Mexico names bouncers explicitly, along with bartenders, waiters, convenience store cashiers and owners. If you are unsure whether your job counts here, the answer is almost always yes.
Can I do the whole thing online?
Yes, including the exam. New Mexico allows it in the rule itself, which is not true everywhere: some states require a proctored or in-person exam.
Written by Luciano Canziani. Updated August 1, 2026. Every requirement above was read in NMAC 15.11.31 and New Mexico RLD on August 1, 2026. Check it yourself before you pay for anything: that is the point of publishing it.