DEFRA have asked us to publicise the fact that the requirements of the CITES Regulations for pet tortoises seems to be causing a lot of confusion.
The Department's Wildlife Licensing and Registration Service team based in Bristol, have been getting a lot of queries from tortoise keepers wanting to ‘register’ their pets with them.
They are keen to, stress that the EC Regulations that implement CITES within the EU are not designed as a registration system, and there is currently no legal requirement to register listed species if you are only keeping them as pets.
The Regulations are designed to control the commercial use of specimens listed on Annex A, and you only need to mark tortoises with a microchip and have an Article 10 Certificate for the specimen, prior to any commercial activity. Annex A species include Hermann's and Spur-thighed Tortoises.
However, if you are ever challenged you should still be able to show that you acquired your pet lawfully. If it is CITES listed, this means either a letter confirming that the specimen was a gift, which should state the name and address of the person giving you the specimen, or an Article 10 Certificate from either the previous keeper or the original breeder.
If you are in any doubt, contact the Wildlife Licensing and Registration team, and they will be able to advise you. The can be reached at:
Wildlife Licensing and Registration Service
Zone l/17
Temple Quay House Temple Quay
Bristol B S 1 6EB
Phone: 0117 372 8691 or 0117 372 8168
E-mail: wildlife.licensing@defra.gsi.gov.uk | 
