GOV.UK
Form
Bats: licence to disturb or take bats for science or conservation
Apply for a volunteer bat roost visitor licence, personal licence or to register a survey licence.
Documents
Detail
You should use this form to apply for the following licences:
- level 1 volunteer bat roost visitor (VBRV) licence (allows you to do visits for Natural England’s bat advice service)
- level 2 VBRV licence (allows you to train new volunteers towards their level 1 licence)
- bat survey licence for science or education
- personal research licence for scientific projects
- personal licence for photography or other special projects
You will need a different licence to capture, disturb or transport bats, or damage their roosts.
VBRV licences
When applying for your first level 1 VBRV licence you must:
- have your application form endorsed by a registered and licensed trainer
- be registered as a Natural England volunteer (email batvolunteers@naturalengland.org.uk to do this)
When applying for your first level 2 VBRV licence you must:
- already have a level 1 licence
- already be registered as a Natural England volunteer
- have completed Natural England’s ‘train the trainer’ course
Personal licences
To apply for a personal licence you need to include a project plan showing the objectives of the project and why the work is necessary.
References
You may need to complete a reference form when you apply for this licence if:
- you haven’t held a licence for the species or a similar species for the last 3 years
- you have a licence but want to add new methods
Report action taken
You are required to report any actions you took under this licence to Natural England using the form on this page. You need to complete the report no later than 2 weeks after your licence expires, even if you’ve taken no action.
If you fail to do this, you’re in breach of your licence and could have future applications refused.