The Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2023 will come into force from 6 April 2026. The legislation brings in a licensing scheme, setting strict rules to ensure that only private keepers who can provide zoo-level welfare standards will be able to keep the following primates, including:
You will need to apply to us for a licence, if you keep the primate in the Havant Borough. You can now apply for a licence, to make sure that you are ready before the April 2026 deadline.
Private primate keepers will be subject to a strict inspection regime to ensure welfare and licencing standards are upheld. From 6 April 2026, it will be an offence for anyone to keep a primate without a relevant 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.
Existing primate keepers will have 2 years until 6 April 2026 to reach compliance with the welfare and licensing standards. From 6 April 2026 all private primate keepers will be required to hold a licence, valid for a maximum of three years, and undergo reassessment to renew their permission to keep these animals.
Government guidance accompanying the standards has been published.
Apply via post or email:
You can email your application and supplementary documents to EHealth@havant.gov.uk, or post them to Animal Welfare, Havant Borough Council, Public Service Plaza, Civic Centre Road, Havant, PO9 2AX. Once the team has confirmed receipt of your application, you will be contacted directly for payment of the application fee.
Government guidance sets out the licence conditions that must be attached to a primate licence granted under the Regulations.
The Council must arrange to inspect an applicant’s premises before making a decision to grant a licence. The function of the inspection is to assess whether the licence conditions are likely to be met by the applicant. However, it will not be possible to assess the applicant’s likely compliance with all of the licence conditions just by visually assessing the premises where the primates are, or are to be, kept. The Council will therefore ask additional questions of applicants to assess their understanding of the licence conditions, and the welfare needs of the animals being kept.
The fees due for animal licences are reviewed every financial year, and vary depending on the type of licence. Please click here for a schedule of fees.
You may also be subject to variable vet fees.