Protected plants: apply for a licence to take them (A31 and LR31)
Apply for a licence to take protected plants for science, education or conservation purposes and find out how to report your actions.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
You must apply for a licence for science, education or conservation purposes to take:
- European protected plants - listed on schedule 5 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010
- plants listed on schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
You should sample rare aquatic plants using methods that minimise the impact on them. If you cannot avoid harm, you must apply for a licence.
To apply you must:
- complete application form A31
- include 2 references from people familiar with your work
Natural England will decide whether to issue a licence within 30 working days of receiving your application.
When you need to pay
You may need to pay for an A31 licence. Natural England will assess your A31 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.
You will need to pay for a licence if the main aim of the project is:
- construction or development
- filming or photography
You will not need to pay for a licence if the main aim of the project is:
- science, research or education relating to a protected species or habitat
- conservation of a protected species or habitat
- for use by a volunteer
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 payment method details.
VAT does not apply to charges for wildlife licences.
You need to include your invoice number with your payment.
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 A31 form.
Report your actions
You must report any actions you took using this licence on the report form LR31.
You must report within 2 weeks of your licence expiring, 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 use the report form to renew your licence.
Updates to this page
Last updated 30 March 2023 + show all updates
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Removed the separate charge form. You should enter charge screening information into section 14 of the A31 form.
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We've replaced the licence application form (A31).
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We've replaced the licence application form (A31) and the report form (LR31).
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From 7 December 2020 you may need to pay for an A31 licence. Added A31 charge screening form and updated A31 licence application form.
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Replaced application and report forms with revised, interactive PDF versions.
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edited detail text after consulting Natural England's subject matter expert: You should sample rare aquatic plants in a non-destructive way. You'll need a licence if you can't, but you should be using methods that minimise the impact.
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First published.