Form

European protected species: apply for a licence to possess them (A37 and LR37)

Apply for a licence to possess European protected species and Habitats Directive (annexes II(b) and IV) species for science and education and find out how to report your actions.

Applies to England

Documents

Application for a licence to possess European protected species (form A37)

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email [email protected]. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Report form for licence to possess EPS (form LR37)

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email [email protected]. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

You must have a licence to possess European protected species (EPS), or species listed under Habitats Directive, annexes II(b) and IV. You can only get this licence for scientific or educational purposes.

Licences are free. Natural England will decide whether to issue a licence within 30 working days of receiving your application.

Species listed under annex IV of the Habitats Directive

You must have a licence to possess annex IV specimens. The licence you need will depend on when the species was taken and what type of specimen it is.

Use the form A37 on this page to apply for a licence to possess:

  • animal specimens taken after 21 August 2007
  • plant specimens taken at any date

Use class licence CL06 for animal specimens taken before 21 August 2007.

How to report your actions

You must report any actions you took using this licence on the report form (LR37) on this page. You must report no later than 2 weeks after your licence expires, even if you’ve taken no action. Send your completed form by post or email to Natural England using the details on the form.

You can also use the report form to renew your licence.

Updates to this page

Published 28 February 2014
Last updated 8 March 2022 + show all updates
  1. We've updated forms A37 and LR37.

  2. Report form added to this licence application.

  3. Replaced application form with revised interactive PDF version.

  4. First published.

Sign up for emails or print this page