The State Duma has proposed mandatory registration of dogs and cats.

A draft law on registering cats and dogs in Russia was submitted to the State Duma in late March 2021. It proposed an amendment to Article 13 of Federal Law No. 498-FZ "On the Responsible Treatment of Animals," requiring mandatory registration of all pets, including their inclusion in a unified state registry and the issuance of a registration certificate. Registration procedures will be determined by local authorities, and it is proposed to be introduced in stages. In 2022, the law does not stipulate penalties for failure to register cats and dogs—registration is voluntary and free.

Content

1 The purpose of the bill
2 How to register an animal

The purpose of the bill

Russia is among the countries with the largest number of pets: according to various statistics, there are currently approximately 20 million dogs and up to 30 million cats in Russia. A pet census will address several important issues:

Increases liability for pet ownership. Registration will serve as a deterrent to discarding pets. If an animal causes damage to property or the health of citizens, its owner will be obligated to compensate for the damage in accordance with legal provisions.
will reduce the number of stray animals, since one of the sources of their population is pets abandoned by their owners;
will make it easier to find an animal in case of its theft or loss;
will help find a new owner for a cat or dog if its current owners are forced to give it up due to circumstances.

In many countries where mandatory pet registration is enshrined in law, if an ownerless dog is found on the street, a local veterinary service representative or police officer is called. The animal is taken in, its owner is identified using its microchip, and if the owner has moved away, died, or refuses to take the pet back, the dog is sent to a shelter.

In Russia, dog and cat registration has already been practiced in Crimea since 2017. The cost of this procedure is approximately 50 rubles. It includes an examination of the animal, entering the necessary data into an electronic database, and issuing a registration document to the owner.

How to register an animal

Pets over two months of age are subject to registration. This process is completed by owners applying to state veterinary institutions. Cats and dogs belonging to both individuals and businesses where they are used as service animals are subject to registration. Deregistration is completed within one month if the animal dies, or after six months if it is lost.

The Unified Register is maintained electronically. It contains the following information:

registration certificate number;
gender of the animal;
nickname;
age (exact or approximate);
breed (if there are no documents confirming the breed, the term “not determined” is used);
color, special features;
veterinary passport with vaccination marks and sterilization data;
digital photo of the animal (at the owner’s request);
last name and first name of the owner or name of the owner organization;
address of residence of an individual or location of an organization;
phone number.

The registration number assigned to an animal includes a digital code indicating the location of registration, the animal's species, and its serial number in the unified registry. According to Russian law, the registry database is closed and protected from access, as it contains the owner's personal information.

In Moscow, you can register a dog or cat at any state veterinary clinic. During the registration process, the animal will undergo a physical examination and, if necessary, vaccinations and other medical procedures. Once all the information has been entered into the registry database, the owner will receive a certificate confirming that their pet cat or dog has been registered.

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