Primate Licensing

Overview

Any person who keeps or is proposing to keep any primate in England on or after 6th April 2026 must obtain a primate licence under the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024. This requirement does not apply to primates kept within a licensed zoo or a place specified under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

“Primate” means an animal of any species other than human beings, that belongs to the primate order of mammals. The most commonly kept primates include marmosets, capuchins, squirrel monkeys, tamarins and lemurs.

The licence, valid for a maximum of three years, sets zoo-level welfare standards for keeping primates. It is a criminal offence to keep a primate privately without a licence or by failing to comply with a condition on a licence which may result in a fine or imprisonment.

Please note you must also hold a Dangerous Wild Animals licence if the species of primate you keep is listed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

The conditions for these licences are listed in The Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024. Further guidance is contained in the following documents:

• Licensing process for keeping primates – GOV.UK 
• Licence conditions for primate keepers (Schedule 1) – GOV.UK
• Callitrichids: licence conditions for keepers (Annex A)

Fees

For primate licensing fees, please visit our fees page. Please note that additional fees may be payable where a veterinarian are used.

Animal Welfare Licence Fees

Application, Renewal or Variation

Before applying for a licence, you must prepare procedural documentation to demonstrate how you care for the primate and how you meet the licence conditions. In summary, the following documentation is required:

• Operating procedures that provides details on:
  
  
• A register of all primates including their microchip details
• The persons responsible for the care of the primates including details of their training and experience
• Nutrition and feeding of primates including diet plans,
• Checks of the primate’s physical health including the details of their registered veterinarian and how the spread of disease is prevented or controlled
• The environment where the primate is kept including the enclosure sizes and the cleaning requirements
• Promoting natural behaviour, handing and restraint
• Transportation
• Breeding control and healthcare management

• Emergency plans including measures taken if the licensable premises is uninhabitable, in an emergency and details of emergency contacts including fire service and police
  
  
• Written procedures for the temporary isolation of any primate, the death of a primate and the care of the primate in the event the licence is revoked or the licence holder dies

All of this documentation must be submitted as part of your application. Full details are included in the licence conditions. Once this has been prepared, you must complete the application form in full.

Application Form

The form for varying an existing licence will be published here shortly.

Once your application has been processed, an Environmental Health Officer will contact you to arrange an inspection to assess compliance with the licence conditions.

Once the inspection has been completed, the inspecting officer (known as the suitable person) will prepare an inspection report that sets out the likely compliance with the conditions before the licence is granted or refused.