Applying for a zoo licence
Do you want to keep wild animals and show them to the public in the Netherlands? You must ensure good care and housing for the animals. In some situations, the law will consider you to be a zoo and therefore you must have a licence to run a zoo.
You will also need a zoo licence for, for example:
- butterfly gardens
- bird parks
- petting zoos with protected species
- nature information/visitors centres
You apply for a zoo licence to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO, in Dutch).
When is a zoo licence mandatory?
A zoo licence is mandatory (in Dutch) if you:
- keep protected animal species
- keep more than 10 species of wild animals
- care for or shelter protected or wild animals for longer than 12 months
- show these animals to the public 7 days per year or more often
You must meet certain requirements (in Dutch) regarding housing, animal care, registration of animals, and, working methods to get a zoo licence. Specific conditions apply to supplying information to the public.
Online application procedure via Message Box
You can also apply for a zoo licence to RVO via Message Box. Message Box is a secure email system that enables you as an entrepreneur to exchange digital messages with Dutch government agencies.