Pet Wiki / Countries / Germany Cats in Germany: rules and travel Dog rules are set mostly by the Länder and municipalities: dogs are registered locally for dog tax, and chip, insurance and leash duties differ by Land. Federal law bans tethering dogs and most cropping, and there is no national chip or registration duty for cats yet.
Dogs Cats Germany's 16 Länder and their municipalities set most dog rules (chip, insurance, leash, tax, competence tests, cat ordinances), so the exact duties depend on where you live.
Registration and microchip Microchip No nationwide microchip duty for cats. Municipalities with a cat protection ordinance (Katzenschutzverordnung) can require free-roaming cats to be chipped and neutered.[2]
Cat tax Keeping rules Under section 13b of the Animal Welfare Act, Länder can allow areas where free-roaming cats must be neutered, marked and registered, and many have passed this on to municipalities. Fines of up to 1,000 EUR are possible in some places such as Darmstadt.[2]
Cutting off body parts of a cat, for example declawing, is banned except on a vet's medical indication or for sterilisation.[4]
The same new EU Regulation will in time require privately kept cats to be microchipped and registered, with a longer phase-in than dogs. Farm cats are exempt.[5]
Travelling to Germany with a cat From an EU country Pets need an EU pet passport, a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination (given from 12 weeks of age). The pet must be at least 15 weeks old to travel, and a maximum of five pets per person applies.[6]
From outside the EU Pets must have a microchip, a rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks or older and valid 21 days after the primary course, and an animal health certificate (or a pet passport when coming from a listed country). Unlisted origins must enter through a designated travellers point of entry. Maximum five pets per trip.[7]
Rabies antibody test Needed only for pets arriving from non-EU countries that are not on the EU list. Blood is taken at least 30 days after the first rabies vaccination and at least 90 days before the certificate is issued, with a result of 0.5 IU/ml or more from a designated lab. Pets from listed countries do not need it.[7]
Quarantine No quarantine for pets that meet the rules. A pet that does not may be sent back at the owner's expense or placed in official quarantine.[6]
Rules by state 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Sachsen Bayern Rheinland-Pfalz Saarland Schleswig-Holstein Niedersachsen Nordrhein-Westfalen Baden-Württemberg Brandenburg Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Bremen Hamburg Hessen Thüringen Sachsen-Anhalt Berlin
Not confirmed yet: Registration. We only show what an official or named source states.
Laws change: this is general information, not legal advice. The authority linked on each line has the final word.