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Bats: licence to disturb or take bats for science or conservation (A34, Class-A34 and LR34)
Apply for a licence for science or conservation purposes, or register for a class licence to visit roosts as a volunteer or do surveys; find out if you need to pay and how to report your actions.
Documents
Details
Apply for a personal licence
Use form A34 to apply for a personal:
- research licence for scientific projects
- licence for photography or other special projects
To apply for a personal licence you need to include:
- the application form (A34)
- the charge screening form to find out if you need to pay
- a project plan showing the objectives of the project and why the work is necessary.
When you may need to pay
You may need to pay for this licence for certain development work and filming. Natural England will assess your charge screening form and tell you:
- if you need to pay
- how much you’ll pay
Read the terms and conditions for paying for a wildlife licence.
When you do not need to pay
You will not pay for a licence if it’s for:
- use by a volunteer
- science or education
- ringing or marking bats
- conserving bats
- protecting any zoological collection
How to pay
Natural England will send you an invoice when it approves your application.
You can pay by:
- electronic bank transfer
- debit or credit card by telephone - except American Express
- cheque
Your invoice will give details for these payment methods.
You need to include the invoice number with your payment so Natural England can match it to your application.
VAT does not apply to charges for wildlife licences.
Natural England accepts purchase orders. If you want Natural England to add a purchase number to your invoice, you must include it in the invoice details in your charge form.
Register for a class licence to visit sites as a volunteer bat roost visitor (VBRV) or carry out surveys
Use form Class A-34 to register for a:
- level 1 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
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
This class licence is free.
You need a different licence to capture, disturb or transport bats, or damage their roosts.
References
You may need to complete a reference form when you apply for these licences if you:
- have not held a licence for the species or a similar species for the last 3 years
- have a licence but want to add new methods
How to report your actions
You must report any actions you took under licence A34 or Class-A34 using report form LR34 on this page. Email or post your report to Natural England using the details on the form.
You must report no later than 2 weeks after your licence expires, even if you’ve taken no action.
Published 6 October 2014
Last updated 23 April 2019 + show all updates
Last updated 23 April 2019 + show all updates
- Added sections on 'When you need to pay' and 'How to pay', charge screening form and updated application form.
- Separate class licence registration form Class-A34 added for volunteer bat roost visitor and survey use.
- Replaced application and form report with revised, interactive PDF versions.
- First published.