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Guidance

Protected species licences: references for applications

Find out what experience and references you need to support your application or registration, and what form your referees need to complete.

Updates to this page

From:
Natural England
Published:
6 October 2014
Last updated:
3 June 2026
Show all updates

  1. You now need to use different reference forms and guidance for bat survey class licences and other survey class licences.

  2. The form for referees has been updated to be clearer and more accessible.

  3. The guidance has been amended to make clear that the employment criteria for referees applies to all licence applications.

  4. Minor corrections made to the eligible skills and experience, and the training course certificate requirements.

  5. Guidance has been updated to clarify what evidence and references are needed, and to improve accessibility of the form that referees must complete.

  6. We've removed the names of organisations given as examples of those that may issue training course completion certificates (section 1.2).

  7. Section 2 updated. You can submit a course certificate instead of one reference for survey licence applications. Note the restrictions on upgrading a bat survey class licence.

  8. In section 1.2 Eligible evidence of your skills and experience, clarified you can provide a completion certificate for a relevant course taken in last 3 years from other species- or taxon-specific organisations than those listed.

  9. Referees for a protected species licence can include approved volunteer trainers of volunteer bat roost visitors, where appropriate.

  10. Clarification on guidance to upgrade a survey class licence.

  11. Update to the 'References and experience needed to support your protected species application or registration' page. Survey class licences are now included in the list of licences you need references for. Notes added that you cannot ask a trainer of a course you need a reference from to be your referee. Referees now required to include method experience in references.

  12. Added reference requirements for class survey and research licence upgrades.

  13. Corrections to the discretion and exceptions that may apply to this guidance.

  14. Removed the requirement to 'hold a certificate of training that covers the activity you have applied for' from the guidance page.

  15. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

References and experience needed to support your protected species application or registration

HTML

Form for referees: template to support an application (Word format)

MS Word Document, 57.8 KB

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Form for referees: template to support an application (Open Document format)

ODT, 49.7 KB

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Details

You must give written references to support your licence application if you:

  • have not held a licence for the species, or a similar species, in the last 3 years
  • have a licence but want to add new activities

Use the guidance to find out who can be your referee and the experience you both need.

Referees must complete the form on this page to provide you with a reference.

You must use a different reference form and guidance for: 

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