How to apply for a Native Animal Licence
- Eligibility
- Apply for a licence
- Application processing time
- Online application - apply for, amend or renew a licence
Eligibility
Native animal licences allow you to keep legally obtained wildlife for up to five years, after which you will need to reapply for the licence.
To hold a native animal keeping licence, you must be at least 13 years of age. A licence may be issued to a child (aged between 13 and 17 years of age) if the child and the child's legal guardian live at the same address where the animal will be kept and the guardian agrees to supervise the child's activities under the licence. Both the child's and the legal guardian’s name will appear on the licence, but the child will still be the licence holder.
New native animal licences cannot be issued if you have a criminal conviction that relates to animal welfare issues or related conservation matters within the past three years.
Apply for a licence
If you are aged 18 or over, you can apply for a Standard, Specialised or Advanced licence online using Online Services, in the Wildlife Permissions Hub.
If you are aged between 13 to 17 you must use the paper-based form below, noting yourself as the proposed holder and your parent/guardian as the Parental Contact. In using these forms and requesting a paper-based application you will be required to submit additional paper-based records to allow your permitted activities to be included in the online services system. Please complete the Standard, specialised or advanced licence (for a child aged between 13 and 17 years of age) application form .
Application processing time
Your licence must be granted before you can keep wildlife. Assessment of your application can take up to 40 business days.
In most cases, this timeframe can be significantly reduced if you apply for a Standard, Specialised or Advanced licence using Online Services. Online Services will guide you in providing all required information and assess whether the licence can be granted without requiring further information. If so, your licence will be issued immediately online.
Specialised and Advanced licences which propose the keeping of venomous snakes, will not be issued immediately online as they will require manual assessment. Once your application has been assessed, you will be sent an email notifying you of the assessment outcome.
Always be careful to provide all information requested in the application process. When using Online Services an application will be considered as invalid if the required information has not been submitted. Similarly, paper-based applications with incomplete information will be returned to you for review and resubmission.
