Bats: licence to disturb or take bats for science or conservation (A34, Class-A34 and LR34)
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-31)

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.

Apply for an A34 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)
- species and licensable activities spreadsheet (A34)
- project plan template (A34)
The species and licensable activities spreadsheet should include all the bat species likely to be impacted by the project, and the licensable activities requested.

The project plan template should detail objectives of the project and why the work is necessary. All sections of the project plan template should be completed on submission of the licence application.

If you’re using Chrome or Edge browsers, you may get an error message with application form A34. You should still be able to download and save it to your computer to fill it in.

When you may need to pay

You may need to pay for an A34 licence for certain development work and filming when you apply, renew or amend it. Natural England will assess your A34 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 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-paying-for-a-wildlife-licence).

When you do not need to pay

You will not pay to apply, renew or amend an A34 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 A34 form.

How to request a change to your existing A34 licence

Use report form LR34 on this page to request an amendment to your A34 licence. You need to include an updated project plan and plan or map.

You must quote the licence reference number.

Apply for a Class-A34 licence to visit sites as a volunteer bat roost visitor (VBRV) or carry out surveys

Use form Class A-34 to apply 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 xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx) 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 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bats-apply-for-a-mitigation-licence) to capture, disturb or transport bats, or damage their roosts.

References

You may need to complete a reference form (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reference-to-support-a-protected-species-licence) 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 an A34 licence using report form LR34 on this page. This report form should only be used for A34, there is a separate Defra form to report action taken under a volunteer bat roost visitor licence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/report-action-taken-under-a-volunteer-bat-roost-visitor-licence).

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.

If you’re using the report form to request a renewal of personal licence A34, you need to include an updated project plan and plan or map.