Primate Keeper Licences

There are now strict rules to ensure that only those able to provide zoo-level welfare standards will be able to keep primates.

From 6 April 2026 anyone other than licensed zoos and certain medical research facilities keeping primates must have a primate keeper licence. Primates include:

• Marmosets
• Tamarins
• Squirrel Monkeys
• Spider Monkeys
• Capuchin Monkeys
• Lemurs
• Lorisids (also known as bush babies)

Existing private primate keepers can apply for a primate licence from April 2025. By April 2026, all private primate keepers and people proposing to keep a primate will be required to hold a licence. Licences will be valid for a maximum of three years, with further assessment to ensure continued compliance on renewal.

From April 2026 a person keeping a primate without a prmiate keeper licence will be committing a criminal offence. Conviction for unlicensed keeping of a primate carries a penalty of imprisonment for a term of up to six months, an unlimited fine, or both.

The regulations on keeping primates can be read here:

The Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024

Apply for a licence

To apply for a licence, you must complete an application form and pay the applicable application fee (see the Fees section below).

Application form (opens in a new window)

Completed application forms, together with all relevant supporting documents, should be emailed to enquiries@worcsregservices.gov.uk.

Once your application has been submitted, a veterinary surgeon or another suitably qualified person will inspect your facilities to assess whether the licensing requirements are met.
A licence may be granted where the inspection indicates that the licence conditions are likely to be complied with. Where the Council is not satisfied that this is the case, the application must be refused.

Fees

Please note the cost of the required vet inspection are NOT covered by the application fee and must be paid for by the applicant separately. Following the inspection, we will contact you to recover the vet inspection costs.

The application fee can be paid through the relevant district council’s website.

Am I licensed once I have applied?

No. The licensing authority must assess your ability to meet the requirements of the regulations before granting you a licence. Remember, it will be an offence to keep primates without a licence from April 2026.

Guidance

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have provided the following guidance on the licensing process –

Licensing process for keeping primates - GOV.UK

Intelligence

If you want to pass on any information or concerns about any primates that are currently being kept in Worcestershire, please contact us by email to enquiries@worcsregservices.gov.uk

Renewing and making changes to an existing licence

Information on how to apply to renew or make changes to a primate keeper licence will be provided here shortly. Please check back for more information at a later date.