Animal licences

Primates licence

From 6 April 2026, you'll need a licence to keep a primate.

The Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024 requires all primate keepers to keep primates in zoo level standards of animal welfare. Primate keepers will be subject to regular inspections to make sure these standards are upheld.

After this date, it will be an offence for anyone to keep a primate without a valid licence. Failure to comply with licence conditions could result in an unlimited fine, removal of the primate or imprisonment for a term of up to 6 months.

This does not apply to primates kept in zoos and pet shops.

View the guidance for primate keepers.

Find out more about:

How to apply

You must contact us before getting the primate.

You’ll need to tell us: 

  • the number and species of each primate you intend to keep 
  • the purebred status of the primate (for example, is it a hybrid, crossbreed or purebred) 
  • enclosure arrangements for the primate.

You can contact us by emailing  animal.licensing@medway.gov.uk or phoning 01634 333 333.

We can offer advice and guidance, and if appropriate we’ll give you an application form. 

Pre-application advice service  

We offer a pre-application advice service if you need advice and guidance on applying for a licence. The fee for this service is £125. If pre-application advice leads to a licence application, the Part A application fee will be reduced by £30. 

To book a pre-application advice meeting please email animal.licensing@medway.gov.uk. 

Completing your application

You'll need the following information to apply for a licence:

  • name and sex of each primate
  • number and species of each primate
  • date of birth of the primate (or nearest date if not known)
  • the number of any microchip implanted in the primate
  • emergency response arrangements 
  • isolation facilities
  • standard operating procedures
  • details of owners
  • primate record
  • prevention and control of infectious disease
  • enclosure arrangements
  • transportation of any primates
  • breeding health and management plan provided by the veterinarian.

After you apply

We’ll review your application and if complete we’ll email you a link to make your Part A payment online. 

If we need more information to process your application, we’ll contact you by email to tell you what information we need.  

Part A - application and inspection fee

The Part A fee is £380.

We're required to appoint a vet for keeping primates inspections. You’ll need to pay any vet fees owed after the inspection.

Inspection

Once you have paid the Part A fee and we have received your supporting documentation and procedures, we'll contact you to arrange an inspection of your premises. This will be carried out by one of our licensing officers and an independent vet. 

After the inspection, we’ll write to you to let you know the outcome of your licence application. 

If you're granted a licence 

If your application was successful, you’ll be granted a licence for 3 years. We’ll also confirm any conditions attached to the licence.

We’ll give you a copy of the inspection report, as well as details of the appeals process. 

To complete your application and receive your licence, you'll need to pay the vet fees. Once we receive your payment, we’ll issue your licence.

You must display your licence at the premises where the primate is kept.  

We’ll also publish your licence details in Medway Council’s online Animal Licensing Register.

If you're refused a licence

If we have not granted you a licence following inspection, we’ll let you know why.  

We’ll give you a copy of the inspection report, as well as details of the appeals process. 

We’ll also contact you to pay the vet fees incurred during inspection.  

You will not be able to keep the animal without a licence. 

Changes to your licence

You must request a variation to your licence if there are:

  • minor administrative changes (for example, changing the number, use or type of animals being exhibited)
  • major structural or operational changes for the business.

You’ll need to send your request in writing along with any supporting evidence to animal.licensing@medway.gov.uk.

We’ll review your request and email you a link to pay online. 

Once we've received your payment, we’ll contact you within 10 working days about your request.

Death of a licence holder 

The personal representative of the licence holder must tell us us in writing of the death within 28 days. 

The personal representative will become the operator of the licensable activity for 3 months from the death of the former licence holder or until the licence expires, whichever is shorter. 

If you do not notify us within the timeframe, the licence will end 28 days following the death of the licence holder. 

Find out more about what to do if a licence holder dies. 

Announced and unannounced re-inspections during the licence term 

Re-inspection may happen during the licence term, either as part of the licence conditions or following complaint or animal welfare concerns. 

Renew your licence

If you intend to continue keeping the primate, you’ll need to renew your licence at least 10 weeks before it expires.

We’ll write to you 3 months before your licence is due to expire to advise you to renew. It's the licence holder's responsibility to renew in time.

To renew your licence, email animal.licensing@medway.gov.uk.