Identification and registration of dogs
All dogs in Sweden shall be identified with a unique ID number and registered in the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s central dog register. The name of the person in charge of the dog should also be notified to the dog register. There is also a register where persons keeping dogs for commercial purposes must register the establishment where the dogs are kept.
How to identify your dog
As a dogowner, you are required to have your dog ID marked with either a microchip or a tattoo, so that it can be identified and registered. Dogs must be ID marked before the age of four months. If you purchase an unmarked dog which is older than three months of age, it must be marked within four weeks.
You may even need to update an existing ID marking if a tattoo has become blurred or a microchip unreadable. The dog can then be correctly identified if it runs away. Please note that the dog may only be marked again if the existing tattoo has become blurred or the microchip has become unreadable.
A veterinarian can mark your dog with a microchip or a tattoo. The tattoo is places in one of the dog's ears. Please advise your veterinarian if you are uncertain about which method is most appropriate for your dog.
Marking dogs with a microchip may also be carried out by an ID marker. An ID marker is a person whom has successfully completed training in dog identification with a microchip before doing it professionally.
Travelling to an EU Member State or entering Sweden with your dog
If the dog is going to travel to another EU Member State or travel into Sweden, it must be marked with a microchip that complies with certain requirements. This ID marking must have been done before, or in connection with the animal’s vaccination against rabies. Otherwise, the rabies vaccination will not be valid. Read more on our pages about taking dogs out of or bringing them into Sweden.
How to register your dog in the dog register
In our e-service dog register, you can
- Register a dog for the first time
- Register change of ownership
- Change data about the owner or the dog
- Notify that the dog has deceased
- See all dogs registered under your name.
You must register your dog before it is 4 months old. If you buy a dog which is older than 3 months, you must register it within 4 weeks.
If you buy a dog which has already been marked and registered, you must notify that it has a new owner within 4 weeks. You will need to know the previous owner’s personal ID number and the dog’s ID number to be able to register the change.
If you are unable to use the e-service, you can submit a form.
Please note!
Even if you have registered your dog with the Swedish Kennel Club, Svenska kennelklubben, you must still register it in our dog register.
Notify changes
If you change telephone number, change the name of your dog, if you dog dies or if other circumstances change, you must change these data in the dog register as soon as possible.
How much does it cost?
It costs SEK 40 to register your dog using the e-service if you pay by card or Swish.
If you register the dog by sending in a form, it costs SEK 100.
The same fee applies for registering a new owner for the dog.
You can search for a dog in the dog register
As a private person, you can search for a dog in the dog register. If the owner has not approved showing the data on the net, you can only see data about the dog. If you need contact information for a dogowner who is not shown, you can contact our customer service department.
The police, the county administrative boards and the Swedish Customs can search for data about dogs and owners in the dog register.
Why there is a dog register
The dog register is a national register of all dogs and who owns and is responsible for the dogs. By law, all dogs must be marked and there shall be a register of both dogs and dogowners. This came into being due to problems with aggressive and dangerous dogs. It shall be easy to see where a dog running loose or a dog behaving aggressively comes from.
This is how you register an establishment where you keep dogs for commercial purposes
If you keep dogs for commercial purposes, you must register the establishment where you keep the animals. Registration is intended to enable us to trace the animals if there is an outbreak of disease.
If the pet is moved between countries to change owner or travel more than 5 days before or after the owner, the starting point and the destination of the journey shall be registered as the establishment in the respective country. If the purchaser collects the dog at your establishment in Sweden, you do not, however, need to register the location as an establishment.
If the purpose of keeping the animals is to earn money from them, this is regarded as a commercial purpose.
It is also considered to be a commercial purpose if you:
- Raise 3 or more litters of puppies per year
- Rent/lend 3 or more dogs per year
- Sell dogs from 3 or more litters per year that you have raised yourself
- Sell 3 or more dogs per year raised by another person
- Receive in return for payment (for example, boarding and day care for dogs) 4 or more dogs.
Questions and answers
Do you make available information about me and my dog to other companies, for example, Ratsit?
Yes, when someone requests to receive the data. The dog register is a public register and, according to the principle of public access to information, the Swedish Board of Agriculture must disclose information unless it is confidential. If the persons requesting the data have a certificate of publication, they have the right to publish the data on their website and the Swedish Board of Agriculture cannot prevent this.
The Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection, Integritetsskyddsmyndigheten, has information about the rules that apply for certificates of publication.
Is it possible for a dog to have two ID markings when it travels?
Yes, it is possible. Sometimes, dogs can need to be marked and the dog will then receive a new microchip number. Then it is important that both numbers are recorded in the passport.
How can I register a change of ownership if I do not have all the data on the previous owner?
If you do not have the previous owner’s personal ID number, you can still record the change of ownership on a form.
You must then complete the form with the information you have and leave the rest blank. If you have not filled in the previous owner’s personal ID no., which is really mandatory, you will have to either enclose a copy of a receipt or another purchase document or write a few lines on where and how you have taken possession of the dog. If you do this in the latter way, two people must sign the document and certify what you have written.
If we lack any information, when we are processing the change of ownership, we will send a request for supplementary information to you as new owner.
Contact
If you have any questions you are welcome to contact Customer service by phone or e-mail.
Revision date: 2023-03-27