Can an individual give or sell dogs and cats?

Verified 22 March 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Are you planning to give up a dog or a cat? As a individual, you can give away one kitten or adult cat or a puppy or adult dog. You cannot sell only occasionally a cat or a dog adult. You don't can't sell animals online. You cannot no selling puppies and kittens of which you own the mother. This is reserved for farmers. We present these regulations to you.

You can give away, i.e without any financial consideration, one kitten or adult cat or a puppy or adult dog.

FYI

One minor may acquire (free of charge or in return for payment) an animal only with the consent of his parents or persons exercising parental authority.

Your donation offer must include the following information:

Scientific and common names of the species, breed and variety to which the animal belongs
Sex of animal
Place of birth
Identification number of the animal in theICAD
Age of the animal
Entry or absence of entry of the animal in a herd book (LOOF or LOF), and possibly identification number of the female which gave birth to the proposed animal and number of animals in the litter

The offer must specify that it is a free donation without any financial consideration.

Please note

Your donation offer can be made on the Internet on a website with a pet-specific heading. However, as an individual, you cannot offer for sale on the internet a pet. Only the breeders and professional sellers have the right to offer pets for sale on the internet.

The donated animal must be at least 8 weeks old (2 months).

He is forbidden to give an animal that is not at least this age.

A younger animal is separated from its mother too soon. They may have health problems and/or behavioral problems due to early withdrawal.

FYI

It is also forbidden for an elevator to sell a animal less than 8 weeks old.

A dog or a cat does not can't be given without being identified.

The cat or dog must must be identified by electronic chip (or tattoo) with a unique number and registered in the national identification file for dogs, cats and ferrets (ICAD) before any transfer.

The record in this file shall include information on the animal and the name and contact details of the keeper.

Outside transfers, identification is mandatory for dogs over 4 months of age, for cats over 7 months of age.

The identification must be made by a veterinarian (or an authorized tattoo artist for puppies under 4 months of age), at your expense, prior to the transfer of the animal.

The identification makes it possible, in particular, to identify and contact the keeper when the animal is found after being lost or stolen. It is also a means of combating trafficking.

The veterinarian (or tattoo artist) may register your cat or dog and your contact information in ICAD directly online. In this case, your pet identification card is instantly generated and immediately available.

The veterinarian (or tattoo artist) can download and print it and give it to you.

At the same time, you will also receive a notification by email or text message informing you of your pet’s identification, and inviting you to find the identification card in your ICAD site-holding area.

You can freely view and download your pet’s identification card. You can also change your contact details yourself if they change.

Icad - Holder Space

If the veterinarian (or tattoo artist) registering your pet in ICAD on paper, he/she will provide you with a provisional identification certificate and send the identification document within 8 days to ICAD to take into account and issue the definitive identification card.

When your pet's identification card is established, you will receive a notification by email or text message inviting you to find it in your ICAD site holder space.

At the time of transfer, you must report the transfer and its reason and the change of ownership to ICAD, either online or by mail.

ICAD shall then make available to the new holder a new animal identification card in his name.

Before any donation, you need to make sure that the buyer has signed a certificate of commitment and knowledge of the specific needs of the species at least 7 days before transfer by an authorized person.

The certificate of commitment and knowledge of the specific needs of the species may be issued by a veterinarian, a veterinary assistant, a breeder, certain shelter or pension staff.

It is recommended to keep a copy of this certificate of commitment and knowledge of the specific needs of the species.

The certificate of commitment shall specify the physiological, behavioral and medical needs of the animal.

It recalls the obligations concerning the identification of the animal.

It shall specify the financial and logistical implications of meeting the physiological, behavioral and medical needs of the animal throughout its life.

The certificate of commitment and knowledge must contain a handwritten indication from the purchaser by which he expressly undertakes to respect the needs of the animal.

You must give the purchaser a veterinary certificate issued by a veterinarian in view of the information brought to his knowledge and an examination of the dog or cat.

The veterinary certificate must have been drawn up not more than 3 months before the transfer of the animal.

It shall contain the following information:

Your name and address
Document justifying the identification of the animal in the DCI file
If the animal has a European pet passport, the passport number
If the animal is sterilized, veterinary certificate of sterilization
If the animal is vaccinated, vaccinations carried out
In the case of a purebred dog or cat, a copy of the birth declaration entered in the herd-book (LOF - Book of Origins French or LOOF - Official Book of Feline Origins)
In the case of a dog, the date and result of the last behavioral assessment if it was performed
If it is a category dog, the category to which the dog belongs

In order to draw up this certificate, the veterinarian shall examine the apparent state of health of the dog or cat.

It shall verify the consistency between the morphology and the breed indicated in the animal identification document.

If you do not have a copy of the birth declaration entered in the herd book, the veterinarian states on the certificate that the dog or cat does not belong to a breed.

The mention appearance followed by a race name can be registered.

The veterinarian shall enter this information on the veterinary certificate.

It may specify the breed of the dog or cat on the basis of the copy of the birth declaration entered in the herd-book.

He shall state the date of the examination and shall stamp and sign it.

If the breed is not consistent with the breed specified on the identification document, the veterinarian shall indicate this on the certificate.

As an individual, you cannot sell only occasionally a dog or cat and only an adult animal.

If you sell a puppy or kitten whose mother you own, you are automatically considered to be breeder and therefore subject to a set of reporting, health and training obligations.

You are considered a breeder if you sell 1 puppy or 1 kitten whose mother you own.

FYI

One minor may purchase (for payment or free of charge) an animal only with the consent of his parents or persons exercising parental authority.

As an individual, it is forbidden to make an offer for sale online a pet.

Your sales offer must include the following information:

Scientific and common names of the species, breed and variety to which the animal belongs
Sex of animal
Place of birth
Animal identification number
Age of the animal
Entry or absence of entry of the animal in a herd book (LOOF or LOF), and possibly: identification number of the female which gave birth to the proposed animal and number of animals in the litter
Price of animal

A dog or a cat does not can't be sold without being identified.

The record in this file shall include information on the animal and the name and contact details of the keeper.

Reminder

Outside transfers, identification is mandatory for dogs over 4 months of age, for cats over 7 months of age.

Identification must be done by a veterinarian at your expense, prior to the transfer of the animal.

The identification makes it possible, in particular, to identify and contact the keeper when the animal is found after being lost or stolen. It is also a means of combating trafficking.

The veterinarian may register your cat or dog and your contact information in ICAD directly online. In this case, your pet identification card is instantly generated and immediately available.

The veterinarian can download it and print it and give it to you.

You can freely view and download your pet’s identification card.

Icad - Holder Space

If the veterinarian carries out registering your pet in ICAD on paper, he/she will provide you with a provisional identification certificate and send the identification document within 8 days to ICAD to take into account and issue the definitive identification card.

When your pet's identification card is established, you will receive a notification by email or text message inviting you to find it in your ICAD site holder space.

At the time of sale, you must report to ICAD, online or by mail, the assignment and its reason and the change of holder.

ICAD shall then make available to the new holder a new animal identification card in his name.

Before any sale, you must ensure that the buyer has signed a certificate of commitment and knowledge of the specific needs of the species at least 7 days before transfer by an authorized person.

The certificate of commitment and knowledge of the specific needs of the species may be issued by a veterinarian, a veterinary assistant, a breeder, certain shelter or pension staff.

It is recommended to keep a copy of this certificate of commitment and knowledge of the specific needs of the species.

The certificate of commitment shall specify the physiological, behavioral and medical needs of the animal.

It recalls the obligations relating to the identification of the animal.

It shall specify the financial and logistical implications of meeting the physiological, behavioral and medical needs of the animal throughout its life.

The certificate of commitment and knowledge must contain a handwritten indication of the purchaser by which he expressly undertakes to respect the needs of the animal.

You must provide the buyer with the following documents:

Certificate of Assignment
Veterinary certificate issued by a veterinarian in the light of the information brought to his attention and an examination of the dog or cat. The veterinary certificate must have been established not more than 3 months before the animal is transferred.

The veterinary certificate shall contain the following information:

Your name and address
Document justifying the identification of the animal in the DCI file
If the animal has a European pet passport, the passport number
If the animal is sterilized, veterinary certificate of sterilization
If the animal is vaccinated, vaccinations carried out
In the case of a purebred dog or cat, a copy of the birth declaration entered in the herd-book (LOF - Book of Origins French or LOOF - Official Book of Feline Origins)
In the case of a dog, the date and result of the last behavioral assessment if it was performed
If it is a category dog, the category to which the dog belongs