Guidance

Bats: earned recognition class licence for mitigation work on bat roosts

Find out how and when you can apply to be an accredited consultant for bat roost mitigation work, how to register sites, and if you need to pay.

From:: Natural England
Published: 8 May 2024
Last updated: 19 September 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

Documents

Guide to earning bat recognition class licence for mitigation work on bat roosts

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Details

The bat ‘earned recognition’ class licence allows bat ecologists to carry out bat roost mitigation work.

~~You~~The ~~can~~next ~~only~~round ~~apply~~of ~~for~~bat ~~the~~‘earned ~~licence~~recognition’ ~~during~~accreditation anassessments ~~application~~will ~~round.~~open ~~The~~later ~~next~~this year. The application ~~round~~dates will ~~open~~be ~~later~~announced inon ~~2024.~~ this page.

You can also sign up to the Wildlife Licensing Newsletter for regular announcements.

Use the guide to find out:

how the bat ‘earned recognition’ class licence works
the criteria you must meet to apply
what records and evidence you should keep to support your application
when and how you can apply
how to register a site
if you’ll need to pay to register a site

Published 8 May 2024
Last updated 19 September 2024 + show all updates

19 September 2024
Added that the next round of bat ‘earned recognition’ accreditation assessments will open later this year. The application dates will be announced on this page. Added a link for signing up to the Wildlife Licensing Newsletter for regular announcements.

8 May 2024
First published.

Update history

2026-09-30 12:14
Added more information about the pre-application information pack.Applicants who complete the expression of interest process and meet the initial eligibility checks will be sent a pre-application information pack. The current version of the pack is ‘Bat ER Pre Application Information v8 (September 2026)’.

2025-12-01 09:30
Bat earned recognition Accreditation Level 1 is now open.

2025-04-11 13:54
Updated the information about licence costs.

2024-12-10 12:15
Applications for the December 2024 round of bat ‘earned recognition’ (Bat ER) accreditation assessments have now closed.

2024-11-28 16:29
Added that the next round of bat ‘earned recognition’ (Bat ER) accreditation assessments will open for applications at 9am on Monday 2 December 2024 and will close at 5:30pm on Friday 6 December 2024 and how to get an application form and guidance documents. Added sifting criteria for applications.

2024-09-19 16:26
Added that the next round of bat ‘earned recognition’ accreditation assessments will open later this year. The application dates will be announced on this page.Added a link for signing up to the Wildlife Licensing Newsletter for regular announcements.

2024-05-08 08:45
First published.