Having a new pet (Nac): What are the rules?

Verified 09 December 2021 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Combating animal abuse

Published on 19 December 2022

The law no. 2021-1539 provides that among animals of non-domestic species, only animals of species included in a list established by order may be kept as pets or in the context of pleasure farms.

This provision must be the subject of an implementing decree.

This page will be updated when this text is published.

The rules for keeping a new pet (Nac) vary depending on whether the animal is a domestic or wild animal.

Domestic animals are exhaustively listed by ministerial order.

Any animal that is not on this list is a wild animal.

The keeping of an animal belonging to a domestic species shall be free.

However, depending on the animal, you may be required to make certain declarations.

The keeping of a wild animal may be, depending on the species, free (i.e. no formalities required) or subject to declaration or prior authorization and holding a certificate of competence.

Certain domestic or wild animals must be identified.

Domestic

You can buy your pet from an individual or from a shelter or breeder.

When purchasing a pet (purchase or donation), the seller, donor or shelter must provide you with the following documents:

  • Certificate of Assignment
  • Information document on the characteristics and needs of the animal, including, where appropriate, educational advice
  • Animal identification card

Depending on the animal, other documents may be given to you or may be necessary (for example a movement document in case of purchase of a sheep or goat).

FYI  

the sale or free donation of a pet to a minor is possible only with the consent of the parents or persons exercising parental authority.

If you purchase a ferret or rabbit, you must sign and give the person who gives you the animal a certificate of commitment and knowledge of the specific needs of the species.

The pet owner has to wait at least 7 days after you have given him this commitment certificate to transfer it to you.

This obligation to sign a commitment certificate and the 7-day period apply whether you purchase it for payment or free of charge from a breeder, a seller (pet shop), an animal protection association or an individual.

The certificate of commitment and knowledge must contain a handwritten statement by which you expressly agree to respect the needs of the animal.

This certificate 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 keeping of certain domestic animals is subject to declaration.

Sheep, goat

If you have one or more sheep or goats, you must register with the livestock establishment (EDE) in your department.

The EDA gives you a national operating number.

To find out the contact details of your EDE and the procedure to follow, contact your regional chamber of agriculture.

Who shall I contact

You must declare once a year the staff held, by returning the document to the EDE Annual Census received early in the year.

You must inform the EDE, within 7 days, in case of acquisition or disposal of an animal.

You must also inform the EDE in case of death of an animal at the latest when the corpse is removed.

In addition, you must appoint a veterinary health officer, as from 1er animal held using the dedicated form.

Designation of the animal health veterinarian by the animal keeper

The list of veterinarians with the health authorization in your department is available on the website of your prefecture or on request from the Departmental Directorate of Population Protection (DDPP).

The form completed and signed by the veterinarian should be sent to the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP) of your prefecture.

Bird

If you want to have one or more birds living outside (chicken, pigeon, peacock, etc.), you must first do the following:

  • Ask your local council about the implementation rules. Respect for a certain distance from the dwellings may be required.
  • Consult your department's health regulations for rules to limit nuisances to the neighborhood. It is generally required that facilities containing live animals, including poultry houses and pigeon houses, be kept in a constant state of cleanliness and maintenance. They must be disinfected or disinsectised as often as necessary. Manure should be removed as needed to avoid inconveniencing the neighborhood.

The health regulations of your department are accessible on the website of your prefecture or ARS: titleContent.

Who shall I contact
Who shall I contact

You must also declare your animals to the mayor of the bird holding area.

Online

Online declaration of possession of birds in the context of an outbreak of avian influenza

By mail

Declaration of possession of birds in connection with an outbreak of avian influenza

Who shall I contact

If your birds are permanently kept inside your home, you are not required to make this declaration.

To prevent the spread of avian flu, you should take the following precautions:

  • Ensure that your birds do not come into direct contact with poultry or other farmed birds
  • Limiting shelter or aviary access to rodents, insects, and other pests
  • Make sure your birds' food and water are not accessible to wild birds
  • Store new litter away from moisture and contamination
  • In case of abnormal mortality, contact a veterinarian
  • Isolate and protect corpses before removal and possibly before presentation to the veterinarian

Certain animals must be identified.

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Ferret

Identification of a ferret is mandatory before any transfer free of charge.

It must be made by the keeper who transfers the animal.

Identification is compulsory, without any transfer, for ferrets over 7 months old born after 1er November 2021.

Identification shall be carried out by a veterinarian.

It includes, on the one hand, the marking of the animal by electronic chip, and, on the other hand, the entry in the national file for the identification of domestic carnivores (Icad).

Identification allows an animal to be assigned a unique number and the holder's name and address to be recorded in the Icad. Identification is used to identify the owner of a lost or stolen animal.

After the animal has been pucked, the veterinarian will immediately issue you a document attesting to the marking.

The veterinarian shall also send a document attesting to the marking to the Icad within 8 days.

In the light of this certificate, the Icad sends you the definitive identification card of the animal.

It consists of 2 parts:

  • An upper part allows to carry out a certain number of procedures with the Icad (report a change of address, a change of name of the animal, a change of owner)
  • A detachable bottom part containing information on the animal (chip number, breed, etc.)

The holder of an animal who changes address must inform the Icad.

If your pet is sold or donated, you must immediately issue the detachable bottom part of the animal identification card to the new owner.

You must also send the top part of the ID card to Icad within 8 days to report the change of ownership.

The icad sends the new owner a new ID card in their name.

The surrender of an unidentified animal may be punished by a fine of €750.

FYI  

the identification of your ferret can be checked by municipal police and country guards and its absence can be verbalized.

Sheep, goat

Every keeper of one or more sheep or goats must have each animal born in his home identified within six months of birth or before any change of ownership.

Identification is effected by placing an electronic loop bearing a number on one ear.

The individual who comes into possession of a sheep or goat must ensure that the animal is identified.

Ear loops for identification are provided by the departmental livestock establishment (EDE).

The animals shall be entered in the national identification database for ovine and caprine animals.

Any keeper of one or more sheep or goats must keep the animals permanently identified.

In the event of loss of an animal identification mark, the keeper shall replace it within 12 months with an identical replacement mark.

Every animal is a sensitive being and must be placed by its owner in conditions compatible with the biological requirements of its species.

A pet must be kept in good health and maintenance.

No avoidable suffering or adverse health effects may result from the keeping, keeping or keeping of an animal.

Ill-treatment of animals is prohibited. Attacks on animal welfare shall be punished by a fine and/or imprisonment.

The owner of a pet must ensure that it has enough balanced and abundant food to keep it in good health. A supply of fresh water, frequently renewed and protected from frost in winter, must be constantly available in a clean container.

It is forbidden to keep a pet in conditions incompatible with its physiological needs, in particular as regards ventilation, light or heating.

In all circumstances, the animal must have sufficient space and shelter from the elements.

It is forbidden to lock an animal in the trunk of a car without an effective ventilation system, both when stationary and when running. When an animal remains inside a vehicle in extended parking, the handler must ensure that the animal has enough air. In hot or sunny weather, the vehicle should be parked in a shaded area.

The owner of an animal is liable for damage caused by his animal, whether it has been in his custody or whether it has lost its way or escaped.

It is forbidden to let a pet wander.

Wild

You can purchase a wildlife (or non-domestic) Cap from an individual, a shelter or an animal house.

The conditions under which wild animals are kept vary from species to species.

Detention may be free (i.e. no formalities required) or subject to declaration or prior authorization and holding a certificate of competence.

Wild animals belonging to species for which holding is free or subject to declaration may not be sold by an individual.

When acquired from an individual, such an animal must be donated.

Before giving or selling an animal belonging to a species for which the holding is subject to prior authorization and holding a certificate of capacity, the transferor must ensure that the new holder has carried out these procedures.

Any publication of an offer to dispose of a non-domestic animal, regardless of the medium used, must mention the animal's identification number.

All sale a wild animal must be accompanied by the delivery, including by electronic means, of a backgrounder, in French, with the following information:

  • Scientific and vernacular names of the species
  • Protection status
  • Longevity
  • Adult height
  • Social lifestyle
  • Behavior (including possible dangerousness)
  • Mode of reproduction
  • Diet and daily ration
  • Accommodation conditions
  • Any additional information deemed useful to ensure the satisfaction of physiological and behavioral needs

This backgrounder also includes the following statement: In order to preserve wildlife, the animal you have just acquired must not be released into the natural environment.

The information document may be common to several species if they have the same maintenance needs and conditions.

In addition, any sale or donation of a wild animal shall give rise to the establishment of a certificate of assignment between the transferor and the new owner.

The content of this transfer certificate varies depending on whether the wild animal belongs to a protected species or not.

Protected species

The species concerned are indigenous protected species fixed by ministerial orders and the species protected by the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora, said Cites, or Washington Convention.

The certificate of assignment shall contain at least the following information:

  • Scientific and vernacular names of the species to which the donated animal belongs
  • Sex if known
  • Age or date of birth if known
  • Special Characters
  • Origin (birth in captivity, importation, withdrawal from the wild)
  • Legal status of the species to which the ceded animal belongs (indigenous protected species or species protected by the Washington Convention)
  • Method and identification number (electronic chip, tattoo, ...)
  • Name or business name and full details of the transferor
  • New owner's full name and contact information
  • References to the declaration or authorization to keep and the certificate of fitness required for the holding of the transferred animal held by the transferor
  • References of the declaration or authorization of holding and of the certificate of fitness required for holding the transferred animal held by the new owner
  • Date, place and, if applicable, price of the animal
Other species

The certificate of assignment shall contain at least the following information:

  • Scientific and vernacular names of the species to which the donated animal belongs
  • Name or business name and full details of the transferor
  • New owner's full name and contact information
  • Date, place and, if applicable, price of the animal

In the case of purchase in a pet store, the invoice may serve as a certificate of assignment.

If the donation is between individuals, it can be made using the cerfa form 16198.

Certificate of transfer of animals of non-domestic species

The certificate of assignment shall be made out in at least two copies co-signed by the transferor and the new owner. Each person shall keep a copy of it.

FYI  

a minor under the age of 17 may not purchase a pet without the consent of his or her parents or persons exercising parental authority.

When the animal (mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian) belongs to a protected species, he must be identified by a veterinarian within one month of birth.

In the case of biological impossibility, identification may be carried out later, but necessarily before any transfer.

Identification shall be carried out by the following means:

  • Tattoo or electronic chip for mammals
  • Ring or electronic chip for birds
  • An electronic chip or, where they are small, dated photographs accompanied by a graduated scale, taken at the juvenile stage and then at the adult stage, for reptiles and amphibians

Where the animal originates from the foreigner, identification must be carried out within 8 days of arrival at the place of detention, unless it is already identified.

The veterinarian who carries out the identification shall immediately provide his owner with a declaration of identification. This document is to be retained without limitation.

The veterinarian shall also enter the animal in the national register for the identification of animals of protected non-domestic species (I-fap) within 8 working days of identification.

When the identification of the animal is made by photographs, it is up to the owner to register it in the I-fap.

When the animal comes from the foreigner and is already identified, the owner must register it in the I-fap.

Identification of protected wildlife (I-fap) - User area

The owner shall update his registration in the I-fap within 15 days in case of change of address and in case of death or theft of the animal.

In the event of the transfer of the animal, the transferor shall provide the new owner with the original of the declaration of his identification and shall keep a copy thereof. The new owner will update the animal's registration to I-fap within 8 days of the transfer. When the animal is transferred to a person living abroad, the former owner will carry out the procedure.

Every animal is a sensitive being and must be placed by its owner in conditions compatible with the biological requirements of its species.

A pet must be kept in good health and maintenance.

No avoidable suffering or adverse health effects may result from the keeping, keeping or keeping of an animal.

Ill-treatment of animals is prohibited. Attacks on animal welfare shall be punished by a fine and/or imprisonment.

Any person who holds one or more non-domestic animals in captivity shall meet the following conditions:

  • Have a place of accommodation, facilities and equipment designed to guarantee the welfare of the animal, i.e. meet its physiological and behavioral needs
  • Have the skills required and adapted to the species and number of animals in order to maintain them in good health and maintenance
  • Prevent risks that could affect the safety of the animal and the safety and tranquility of third parties
  • Prevent the introduction of non-native animals into the natural environment and the transmission of human or animal diseases

The owner of a pet must ensure that it has enough balanced and abundant food to keep it in good health. A supply of fresh water, frequently renewed and protected from frost in winter, must be constantly available in a clean container.

It is forbidden to keep a pet in conditions incompatible with its physiological needs, in particular as regards ventilation, light or heating.

In all circumstances, the animal must have sufficient space and shelter from the elements.

It is forbidden to lock an animal in the trunk of a car without an effective ventilation system, both when stationary and when running. When an animal remains inside a vehicle in extended parking, the handler must ensure that the animal has enough air. In hot or sunny weather, the vehicle should be parked in a shaded area.

The owner of an animal is liable for damage caused by his animal, whether it has been in his custody or whether it has lost its way or escaped.

It is forbidden to allow a non-domestic animal tamed or held in captivity to roam.

A non-domestic animal tamed or held in captivity, found wandering, can be taken at the request of the mayor, to a place of deposit. The animal is kept there at the expense of the owner or keeper.

A landlord, tenant, farmer or sharecropper may seize or cause to be seized, by the police or gendarmerie, a non-domestic animal tamed or held in captivity, escaped or whose keeper lets them roam. The seized animal is taken to a place of deposit designated by the mayor. It is kept there at the expense of the owner or keeper.

At the end of a period frank of 8 working days On custody, the animal is considered abandoned if it has not been claimed by its owner from the mayor of the commune where it was seized. The mayor can then hand him over or, after the advice of a veterinarian, have him euthanized.