Licensing forms
If you already know you need a licence from Scottish Natural Heritage and are familiar with our licensing requirements, you can download an application form from the list of links below. Links for return forms and notification forms are provided at the bottom of this page.
Mammals (non deer)
Bats
A Bat conservation, scientific 
is required for research and education projects and for monitoring surveys, including ringing and radio tagging bats.
A Bat roost visitor's licence is required if you would like to handle British bats or to enter or disturb bat roosts.
In some circumstances owners or occupiers might need a licence to carry out works, or, may wish to have the bats excluded from the house. Application form for Bats in dwelling houses .
Badgers
A licence is required to disturb badgers or interfere with a badger sett for any purpose.
When European protected species are present licences to permit development can only be granted subject to strict tests being met. Click here for a licence application form.
A Possession of specimen of European protected species (EPS) licence is required to possess any specimen (part of or whole remains)of any EPS.
Other Species
A Control of predators licence is required if you wish to kill or take birds or mammals in order to conserve other wild birds. Please read the associated guidance note 
for advice on this process before completing the application form.
An 'other species' licence will be required for any proposal which may affect any species, not already listed above, which is listed on either Schedules 5 or 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act or Schedules 2 or 3 of the Habitats Directive. This is for the purposes of conservation, science, research, monitoring and capturing.
An 'other species' licence will be required for any proposal which may affect any species, not already listed above, which is listed on Schedules 5 or 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. This is for the purposes of preserving public health and safety; preventing the spread of disease and preventing serious damage; and for social, economic and environmental purposes.
Deer
A deer authorisation licence licence is required if you wish to shoot deer at night or during the closed season, or if you wish to drive deer with vehicles.
If you wish to control deer under authorisation you must apply to be registered as Fit and Competent .
You can register if you have a Deer Stalking Level 2 certificate issued within the last 5 years or by getting 2 referees to complete a referees form , providing evidence that you meet the required standard.
For guidance on how to complete this process please read this introduction note . (A423176)
Please send completed deer licence forms to wildlifeops@snh.gov.uk
Birds - conservation, science and survey
A Bird conservation, scientific is required for conservation projects and for science & research programmes.
A Bird surveying licence is required for any surveys which may disturb any bird listed on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. If you wish to ring or tag birds, please contact the British Trust for Ornithology 
. For all surveys of Schedule 1 birds, we require licence holders and agents to complete a notification form, a link will soon follow, in the meantime contact the Scottish Natural Heritage licensing team. If there is any suspicious activity reported around nests, we may use the information on this form to help distinguish licenced activity from illegal activity.
A Photography licence is required to film or photograph any Schedule 1 bird at or near the nest, or of any other protected species while it is within its resting place or breeding.
Birds - Public health and safety issues and preventing serious damage.
Licences to shoot wild birds for the purposes of public health and safety or preventing serious damage are granted only when there is no other satisfactory solution.
Application form for a licence to take or kill wild birds, their nest or eggs including the use of prohibited methods of taking or killing.
Application for a licence to kill wild birds in course of falconry.
Application for a licence to shoot birds to prevent serious damage to fisheries in Scotland.
Application for a licence to kill greylag, pinkfooted and canada geese.
Application for a licence to kill whitefronted geese.
Application for a licence to kill resident greylag geese.
Application for a licence to kill ravens.
Birds - other
Application for a licence to take gannets for human consumption.
Application for a licence to take gull eggs for human consumption.
Plants
A Plant collection licence is required to collect specimens of any plant species listed on Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act or on Schedule 4 of the Habitats Regulations.
Renewals and amendments
Attention all current licence holders!
It is your responsibility to remember to renew your licence. They will not automatically be renewed each year. Therefore, if you currently hold a licence which you wish to renew or amend, you can use the forms below. Don't forget to sign and date your form before sending it it to us.
An Application to renew or amend an existing licence can be used to renew most protected species licence; just fill in the first section and sign it.
Licence returns and notification forms
It is a statutory requirement for all licence holders to submit a report or 'return' on all activities carried out under their licence.
For most survey, monitoring, photography and scientific licences we require a notification form to be completed and submitted to us before exercising the licence.
If your scenario is not covered above, contact the Scottish Natural Heritage licensing team.