Permission to breed, keep and trade animals Issue for dogs

After you have submitted the required documents to your competent veterinary authority, the documents will be checked for correctness and completeness. This is followed by a local inspection by the official veterinary service at your site and, if necessary, an expert discussion. You will then receive permission.

In Lower Saxony, responsibility lies with the veterinary offices of the districts, the Hanover region and the independent cities as well as with the Zweckverband Veterinäramt Jade-Weser.

This procedure can also be carried out through a "Point of Single Contact". The "Point of Single Contact" is a special service offered by municipalities and the state for service providers.

They must ensure the requirements of animal welfare law, in particular § 2 of the Animal Welfare Act.

• Application contains all necessary information
• All necessary documents are available
• If you are the person responsible for the activity, you must:
  • have the professional knowledge and skills required for the activity on the basis of their training or their previous professional or other handling of animals. Proof of this must be provided on request in an expert discussion with the competent authority.
  • have the required reliability.
• Their premises and facilities used for the activity must enable animals to be fed, cared for and housed in accordance with legal requirements.

• Please inquire with the competent veterinary authority about application forms for a permit and which additional documents must be submitted
• Informal application for permission with the following content:
  • Type, number and sex of the animals to be kept or description of the intended dog training
  • Details of the person responsible for the activity
  • Information on the size and design of the enclosure to be built
• Certificates of competence for the respective persons who have contact with the dogs
• Certificate of good conduct
• Sketch(s) of the housing facility(s)

Please note that you may only start your activity after obtaining permission and the processing time can take up to 4 months (in exceptional cases up to 6 months).

• Informal application for authorisation
• If necessary, your competent veterinary authority will provide further documents for the application. Therefore, please contact your competent veterinary authority

Within one month of notification, you can file a complaint with the locally competent administrative court.

Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection