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
You will be able to apply for a licence from 6 April 2025.
To apply for a licence you will need to complete an application form and pay a fee. Once you’ve applied for a licence, a vet or other suitably qualified person will inspect your facilities to make sure you meet the licensing requirements.
We will be able to grant a licence if the inspection shows the licence conditions are likely to be fulfilled. If we are not satisfied, then the application must be refused.
An application form and details of the relevant fee will be made available on this webpage once these have been finalised.
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 Secretary of State will shortly be publishing further statutory guidance on primate keeper licences.
A link to the guidance will be made available once it has been published. Please check back soon for any changes or additional information.
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 emailing 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.