Marine licence application forms
Coronavirus update
Our staff are now home working wherever possible. This means we can't accept paper application forms at this time. You will be able to submit forms via email and if required you can make payments via BACS.
You will need Microsoft Word 2010 or equivalent to be able to use the electronic forms.
Whilst we hope to keep disruption to a minimum, please be aware there may be a longer processing time during this period of transition.
How to apply for a marine licence
Some marine activities require a licence under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. Find out if you need a marine licence.
To apply for a licence please complete the relevant form from the bottom of this page and send to us, together with any supporting information and the relevant fee.
Which application form should I use?
There are 4 types of marine licence application:
- Band 1 Application form – for specific activities considered low risk that are subject to a simpler licensing process. Please read the Band 1 guidance before submitting a Band 1 application
- Dredge and Disposal Application Form – for dredge and/or disposal operations
- Marine Minerals Application Form – for the extraction of marine minerals
- Marine Works Application form – Marine Works include, but are not limited to coast defences, beneficial uses of dredged materials, subsea cables, pontoons, jetties, ground investigations, land reclamation, and outfall pipes
What should be submitted as supporting information?
All applications for aquaculture, dredge and/or disposal and all Band 3 application must be accompanied by a biosecurity risk assessment. A template biosecurity risk assessment along with a guidance document is available at the bottom of this page.
All applications for dredge and/or disposal must be accompanied by sediment sampling and analysis results. A sediment sample analysis results form is available at the bottom of this page.
All applications (apart from Band 1 low risk activity applications) must be accompanied by a WFD assessment, and complete a Welsh National Marine Plan signposting document setting out how the project complies with its policies. A Welsh National Marine Plan sign posting form is available at the bottom of this page.
How do I submit a marine licence application?
Apply for a Band 1 low risk activities licence online.
Other applications can be sent electronically to permitreceiptcentre@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk
How many copies are required?
If the application form and all supporting documents can be sent electronically in an email that is 20MB or smaller, we will accept the application by email. We will, however, require one hard copy of all application documents for our own review and record.
If the application form and all supporting documents are too big to email, we would advise you to contact us in order to determine the most appropriate method for submitting the application. We may need additional copies of the marine licence application and supporting documents for consultation purposes. These can be either hard copies or CD copies. We would advise you to contact us prior to submitting a large number of hard copies in order to decide the most appropriate method.
Application fees
Applications must be accompanied by the relevant fee. Please see our fees and charges page.
We will not begin processing an application until the correct fee has been paid.