Primate Licence

From 6 April 2026, if you wish to privately keep a primate, you will need to obtain a licence.

New rules under the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024, which start on 6 April 2026, introduce a licensing system. These rules make sure that only people who can provide care similar to zoo-level standards can keep primates. Guidance is available to explain how the licensing process works.

Existing private primate keepers can apply for a primate licence from April 2025 and, from 6 April 2026, all private primate keepers and people proposing to keep a primate will be required to hold a licence, valid for a maximum of three years, and undergo reassessment to renew their permission to keep their animals. You must apply to renew your licence 10 weeks before your current licence ends.

Keeping a primate in England without a required licence is an offence under section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. If found guilty, you could receive up to six months in prison, a fine, or both.

How to apply

You should apply for a primate licence from April 2025. Doing so early will mean that you have a longer period to adapt to the changes that will become law in April 2026. 

An application form is available to download from the downloads panel below.

There will be an application fee (see table below), and the cost of the vet’s time will also be recharged to the applicant.

Paperwork required to accompany your application

The regulations require the following paperwork to be kept as part of the licence. Your policies and procedures should provide a snapshot of your business and detail how you meet all the licence conditions. To ensure we deal with your application as quickly as possible, you should submit this information as part of your application.

• A plan of the premises.
• A register of all animals kept on the premises, including:

• its name.
• its sex.
• its microchip number.
• its date of birth or, if not known, its approximate date of birth.
• its species.
• its colour and markings.
• the name and contact details of its previous keeper (where applicable).
• the date and the cause of its death (where applicable).
• where the primate is permanently transferred to other premises, the name and contact details of the new keeper (where applicable) and the address of the place to which it has been relocated.

• A written emergency plan, covering:
• the measures to be taken for the removal of the primates should the licensed premises become unsafe or uninhabitable.
• the arrangements for the care of the primates during and following an emergency.
• an up-to-date list of emergency contact details that includes the fire service and police.

• A written procedure for special circumstances, including contingencies in the event of:
• the temporary isolation of any primate including arrangements for ensuring that the welfare needs of any primate that is being temporarily isolated are met during the period of its isolation.
• the death or escape of a primate.
• the care of the primates following the revocation of the licence or the death of the licence holder.

• The individual diet plans for each primate.
• This must be created based on guidance from a vet or primate dietary expert.
• A written hygiene protocol, covering cleaning and disinfecting, and prevention and control of the spread of disease.
• A written transportation procedure covering the welfare of the primate while being transported.

Examples of general and individual primate records are available in packs to download in the downloads panel below.

Conditions

All applicants will need to meet the conditions. There are additional conditions in the guidance Annex A Callitrichids (such as Marmosets and Tamarins).

Exemptions

The regulations do not apply to any premises licensed under the Zoo Licensing Act or places specified in a licence under section 2C of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act.

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