The Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024 brings in a licensing scheme to keep primates, setting strict rules to ensure that only private keepers (for existing and prospective keepers) who can provide zoo-level welfare standards will be able to keep primates.
The measures come into force from 6 April 2026, all private primate keepers and people proposing to keep a primate will be required to hold a licence.
A person who requires a primate licence and keeps a primate in England without one will be committing an offence under section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and will be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term of up to 6 months, a fine or both.
Primate Standards for Privately Kept Primates in England (.pdf).
Find out more about:
- Exemptions
- Apply for a Primate Licence
- Disqualification
- Primate Licence fees
- Determination of applications
- Length of time to process an application
- Primate Licence conditions
- Tacit Consent
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.
Apply for a Primate Licence
The steps of the application process:
- An individual who keeps or is proposing to keep a primate at any premises in England may apply for a primate licence to the local authority in whose area the premises are situated.
- An application may not be made by an individual:
- who is under the age of 18; or
- who is disqualified from keeping primates
- The application must specify:
- the name and address of the applicant
- the species of primate, and the number of primates of each species to be kept under the licence
- the premises where the primates are to be kept
- the date from which the applicant proposes that the licence should have effect; and
- where the applicant requests the licence to be granted for a period of less 3 three years, the date on which the applicant requests the licence to expire
- The application must specify in relation to each primate proposed to be kept under the licence:
- its name and sex
- its species
- its date of birth or, if not known, its approximate date of birth; and
- the number of any microchip implanted in the primate
- The application must specify such other information, and be in such form, as the local authority may reasonably require.
Application forms
Find the required documents to be submitted with the application on the North Yorkshire website.
Length of time a Primate Licence lasts
The period of the licence specified must be:
- 3 years; or
- where the applicant has requested a licence for a period of less than 3 years, such shorter period expiring on the date that the applicant has requested
Disqualification
For the purposes of this regulation, an individual is disqualified from keeping primates if the individual is disqualified from keeping primates of any description under:
- section 34(2) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006
- section 1 of the Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1954
- section 40(1) of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006
- section 33(1) of the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011
Primate Licence fees
See details of the fees relating to a Primate Licence.
The licence will be issued subject to compliance with the licence conditions and payment of the fee.
There is an application fee payable upon application and subject to renewal. However, the expertise of an animal specialist may incur further costs at your expense before a licence is issued.
Determination of applications
- Before determining whether to grant an application for a primate licence, we must arrange for a suitable person to inspect the premises specified in the application to determine whether the licence conditions are likely to be met if the application were to be granted.
- Following an inspection under paragraph 1, we must:
- if it is satisfied that the licence conditions are likely to be met if the application is granted, grant the applicant a primate licence with effect from such date as it may determine.
- in any other case, refuse the application.
- For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1), we may take into account any previous failure by the applicant to meet the licence conditions and any other conduct of the applicant that is relevant.
We'll arrange for an authorised veterinary surgeon or practitioner to undertake an inspection of the premises and produce a report, which we are legally obliged to consider when determining the application. The fee for this service is additional to the standard licence fee.
Length of time to process an application
If we have not contacted you to make arrangements to authorise a veterinary surgeon to inspect your premises within 14 days of your application, contact us to check that your application was correctly made and received.
Applicants are advised the application process can be lengthy due to the necessity for a veterinary inspection. We'll try to issue a licence within a period of 10 weeks from receipt of application. If however, we have been unable to determine your application within this time, a licence will not be automatically granted due to animal welfare implications.
Primate Licence conditions
You can find the conditions that the applicant/licence holder need to meet in Schedule 1 of the Regulations.
Tacit Consent
Tacit consent will not apply. It's in the public interest that we must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable period, contact us.
Also see
- Animal Activities Licence Register
- Animal activity licences
- Exotic, dangerous and wild animal licences
- Zoo licences