Primate Licensing

From 6 April 2026, you must have a licence to keep a primate

The Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024 came into force on 6 April 2025. The legislation brings in a licensing scheme, setting strict rules to make sure only private keepers who can provide zoo-level welfare standards can keep primates.

What is a primate?

A primate is an animal of any species other than human beings that belong to the primate order of mammals.

The types of animals covered by the legislation include, but are not limited to:

• Tamarins
• Squirrel monkeys
• Spider monkeys
• Capuchin monkeys
• Lemurs
• Lorisids (“bush babies”)
• Marmosets

Primate licensing

From 6 April 2026, all private primate keepers and people proposing to keep a primate will be required to hold a licence, valid for a maximum of 3 years, and undergo reassessment to renew their permission to keep their animals.

A person who keeps a primate in England without the required licence will be committing an offence under Section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and will be liable on conviction to imprisonment for up to 6 months, a fine, or both.

For further details about the Licence Conditions for keeping primates, visit the Gov.uk website. We recommend that you familiarise yourself with these, and ensure that you can meet them before applying for a licence.

If you wish to apply for a licence, please contact the Council by email at fshadmin@tendringdc.gov.uk.

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The Council's stance is to discourage against the keeping or selling of primates.