Natural England digital licencing processes

A message to members from Natural England:

Natural England is working hard to develop a user friendly and quicker digital application and management system for wildlife licences. Our goal is to make it easier for you to submit your application and receive a decision whilst reducing your application time and costs.

As a first phase we are testing a digital system to allow licence applications to interfere with badger setts for development purposes. As we move closer to the end of the year, please consider requesting a User ID and using the new online licence application service by emailing sdds.support@naturalengland.org.uk.

This is the most efficient way to apply. Any applications received beyond mid-October may not be processed in time.

Natural England is working towards digitising all of our licensing processes, and we want to ensure that we get it right for as many of our customers as possible. We’ve already spoken to ecologists who have helped us improve the design of badger and bat licence application and management forms. We want to hear from more of you to ensure that the changes we make work well for everyone. Whether you have applied for a badger or bat licence before, or might need to do so in the future, we invite you to participate in our digital research and development shaping and testing. Please register your interest by filling out this form. Our User Researchers will contact you when an opportunity that interests you arises.