Membership T&Cs - Colchester Zoological Society

Membership Usage

A valid Membership Pass must be physically shown in order to enter Colchester Zoological Society (CZS) or admission will be charged, which is non-refundable. Photocopies or photos of cards will not be accepted for entry.
Any Membership found to be used fraudulently, will be confiscated.
Any lost, defaced or spoiled Passes must be replaced at cost to the CZS Member.
Lost Membership Passes or replacement Membership Passes are charged a non-refundable fee per Pass to cover additional administration and costs of processing a replacement. Previous Membership Passes will become void.
Memberships cannot be cancelled or transferred and any outstanding validity cannot be refunded. Equally, any outstanding validity on the Membership cannot be transferred to another person.

Access

Access for CZS Members is determined by CZS and reserves the right to amend access terms without notice.
Annual Membership is valid for as many visits as required from date of processing for one year (except Christmas day) during normal opening hours and subject to the standard terms and conditions of entry.
Although CZS Members can gain entry to CZS with their valid Membership Pass, there may be the requirement to pre-book your visit for timed entry which CZS can introduce at any time.
Membership entry does not include pre-bookable events, secondary attractions, or out-of-hours special events which may be charged for.
Membership Passes are issued to an individual and are only valid when they contain a photograph of the holder.
Child Members must be accompanied by an adult at all times whilst on the premises. Children under the age of 16yrs will not be admitted entry without a responsible adult/guardian aged 16yrs or over.
CZS reserves the right to contact an adult or guardian to collect under 16s who are unsupervised.
CZS reserves the right to request proof of age to ensure the correct Membership type is purchased.
CZS reserves the right to refuse entry to a CZS Member, even if the Membership Pass is valid.
Family and friends cannot be fast tracked or allowed free admission with CZS Members and must queue to pay for admission or purchase E-tickets in advance of their visit.
CZS operates a zero-tolerance policy with physical or verbal threats towards its staff or physical damage to its facilities and property. Any CZS Members behaving inappropriately will be denied access to, or told to leave, the park immediately.
CZS reserves the right to close all or part of the Zoo as necessary without prior notice.
Encounters or rides can be temporarily withdrawn without notice due to animal sickness or other unforeseen circumstances.
We reserve the right to limit access to popular events within the Zoo to just one visit.

Membership for visitors with disability and their personal assistant

When purchasing your Membership please make our team aware that you will require an assistant to enter with you when visiting.
Visitors with disability who have purchased Annual Membership are permitted to bring one personal assistant to enter with them free of charge during a visit. If a guest with disability has a need for more assistance, this should be discussed at the time of purchasing a Membership Pass where verification of need can be confirmed.
Personal assistants are admitted to support the guest named on the Membership Pass with their visit. A personal assistant may not use a guest with disabilities Pass without the guest being present.
On arrival, CZS Members are able to access the Zoo via the Fast Track facilities, if operational.

Membership Exclusions

CZS will charge a supplement to CZS Members for entry to secondary attractions and special events such as, but not limited to, Halloween & Christmas. This supplement will be advertised on event information.
CZS Member benefits will not be valid on secondary attractions such as but not limited to ‘The Trail of Terror’ & ‘The Enchanted Trail of light’
CZS Members are subject to additional charges for special events as specified by CZS. Access to special events is not included within your Membership unless otherwise stated by CZS.
As CZS is closed on Christmas Day access will not be granted to CZS Members.

Access to other named zoos

Use of CZS Membership at other named zoos is restricted to free admission only, participating zoos are Chester Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, Highland Wildlife Park, Marwell Zoo, and Bristol Zoo Project. Other zoos may choose to join or withdraw from the scheme at any time as this is not controlled by CZS.
Other zoos may choose to join or withdraw from the scheme at any time as this is not controlled by CZS. This may be done without prior notice and is at the individual zoo’s discretion.
We ask that all those wishing to visit us as part of a Reciprocal Zoo visit to please head to our signed Ticket Office with proof of membership, to collect your complimentary tickets. If your membership card does not show an expiry date, please ensure that you have a letter confirming the validity of your membership.

Please see table below for further booking information.

Reciprocal Zoo	Visit Restrictions	Pre-Booking Required
Chester Zoo	One free annual visit any time*	No need to pre-book. On arrival please head to ticket sales windows with proof of membership to collect complimentary entry ticket.
Edinburgh Zoo (RZSS)	One free annual visit any time*	No need to pre-book. Proof of membership required on arrival.
Highland Wildlife Park (RZSS)	One free annual visit any time*	No need to pre-book. Proof of membership required on arrival.
Marwell Zoo	One free annual visit any time* excluding the Glow Event	No need to pre-book. On arrival please head to the entrance with proof of membership and membership expiry date.
Bristol Zoo Project	One free annual visit during normal opening hours*	No need to pre-book outside the school holidays. During the school holidays, please call 0117 428 5300 or email info@bzsociety.org.uk. A form of ID is required along with your membership card.

*CZS members can visit once (per year) within their Annual Zoo Pass validity period.

Offers

CZS offers a discount for purchasing 3 or more passes in the same transaction. This is not valid in conjunction with any other offer.
Annual Memberships cannot be used in conjunction with vouchers or any other offer or discount unless otherwise stated by CZS.
Visitors upgrading admission tickets to Annual Membership must have their own admission ticket. Another person’s entry ticket cannot be used. If upgrading your ticket to Annual Membership, this must be done within 7 days of your original visit.
Annual Membership cannot be purchased with Tesco Deals Vouchers.
Any offers on Annual Membership are valid on Annual Membership Passes only, not Membership Gift Vouchers unless otherwise stated in promotion terms and conditions.
To qualify for the CZS Member exclusive price on selected Animal Experiences, a valid Annual Membership is required for the participant.
The CZS Member discount in catering facilities and gift shops is not valid in conjunction with any other offer and selected items may be excluded from the offer. The discount is only given when a valid Membership Pass is shown to the cashier.
CZS reserves the right to discount the cost of Annual Membership without having to refund existing CZS Members.
We reserve the right to close shops and food outlets, where the CZS Member discount is valid, at any time.
A consecutive renewal discount is offered to CZS Members renewing their Annual Membership consecutively within 1 month of the Membership expiry date. The Membership Pass will be dated 1 year from the date of previous expiry. This is not valid in conjunction with any other offer and maybe withdrawn at any time.
Personal assistants can book experiences on behalf of the named Guest with Disability CZS Member with their permission. The CZS Member discount will then be applied to the booking. The assistant will be admitted as support for the CZS Member during the experience but the assistant will not be ‘participating’ in the experience unless full price is paid to participate.
CZS reserves the right to terminate any discounts or benefits to CZS Members at any time without notice.

Cancellation

Online purchases: You have 14 days to change your mind about your purchase. There would be a reasonable administration fee per card to cancel within these 14 days. As soon as your Membership Pass has been used, you are no longer entitled to a refund even if it is within 14 days of purchase. Please note 14 day cooling off period only applies to online purchases.
Payment for Annual Membership purchased online is taken when you enter your card details and your Membership is valid from the day that it is processed.
Any refunds issued will only be made to the purchaser.
Annual Membership purchased in person are non-refundable.

General

All standard entry conditions also apply to CZS Members. Please check www.colchesterzoologicalsociety.com for details.
Membership Passes remain the property of CZS.
We process and store the data you supply to fulfil our contract with you in relation to the product you have purchased. This will not be passed to third parties.
To see how we use and store your data please read our privacy policy by agreeing to the terms and conditions of this product you agree with CZS’ privacy policy.
CZS reserves the right to withdraw CZS Member benefits, discounts and unlimited access temporarily or permanently without notice.
Any CZS Members found to be misusing their benefits causing a detrimental effect to CZS will be penalised as necessary. This may result in a suspension of your Membership.
All visitors by obtaining entry to CZS through ticket purchase or Membership agree to the Visitor Conduct Policy.
Terms and conditions are subject to change without notification and apply to all CZS Members. Up-to-date terms and conditions can be found at www.colchesterzoologicalsociety.com
Please note that a £0.50 booking fee applies per online transaction.

Details correct at time of publishing. January 2026.