The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development (MAPDR), through the Direcção da Pecuária, is the main national authority for animal matters. Regional and district delegations, local câmara authorities, police, border posts, the port and the airport may also become involved. On Príncipe, the Delegação da Agricultura e Pecuária is the relevant local agricultural and livestock authority. A pet owner should be able to connect the animal with a clear title of ownership and identifying information. São Tomé and Príncipe has no reliably documented general microchip requirement for animals kept inside the country. Owners and keepers can be civilly liable for damage caused to third parties, including when the animal was not under their immediate control. Uncontrolled circulation of domesticated animals is prohibited. An unmarked free-roaming animal may be treated as an animal divagante, meaning an animal wandering without adequate control or identification. Police, veterinary authorities or the câmara may capture such animals. Authorities may take specific measures when an animal is aggressive, dangerous or suspected of carrying disease. The Código da Pecuária prohibits causing suffering and requires slaughter with the least possible suffering. Unauthorised animal experiments are treated as cruelty or mistreatment, and Decreto-Lei 07/2019 establishes animal-welfare principles. Buying, exchanging or giving away sick animals is not permitted. Hidden defects may also create remedies under civil and commercial law. Veterinary diagnosis, treatment, surgery, prescriptions and health certificates belong to a Médico veterinário, meaning an authorised veterinary professional. Public veterinary work requires qualified staff and written ministerial approval; private veterinary practice requires written authorisation after consultation with the Direcção da Pecuária. Until a separate professional body exists, veterinarians register with the Direcção da Pecuária. Veterinary medicines require a prescription. Public services use user charges under a ministerial tariff, while private fees, emergency availability and specific pet prices are not consistently published. Local care is partly supported by Associação Amigos dos Animais de São Tomé e Príncipe (AMA), a nonprofit organisation operating since October 2018. AMA and VSF Portugal have documented campaigns involving vaccination, deworming, sterilisation or castration, other animal-health work and public awareness. Access depends on local capacity, partnerships and funding rather than a uniform national service. Importing or travelling with a pet requires planning with the Direcção da Pecuária and the carrier. Animals must enter through an authorised border point. The country of origin must arrange an examination by an official veterinarian and an international zoosanitary certificate, and the responsible authority should receive advance notice at least 10 days before arrival. The veterinary authority may impose quarantine, clinical observation or tests. If an animal is ill or the certificate is invalid, authorities may order return, slaughter or destruction, with costs charged to the owner or importer. Transport must be suitable, secure, clean, disinfected, ventilated, separated by species where necessary and large enough for adequate space and feeding. The 2015 import rules provide for quarantine when no prior written application was made to the Direcção da Pecuária. In a disease situation, authorities may order immediate rejection or return, slaughter, burning or burial. A Portugal-specific DGAV form requires a microchip, rabies vaccination from three months of age, validity of the first vaccination after 21 days, a rabies antibody result of at least 0.5 IU/ml with blood taken at least 30 days after vaccination, a clinical examination and a certificate valid for 10 days. These Portugal-specific conditions should not be applied automatically to animals from other countries; the current requirements should be confirmed with the Direcção da Pecuária, the relevant embassy and the carrier. The 2019 tariff lists STN 200 per unit for importing other live mammals and STN 20 per unit for exporting them, but it does not classify dogs and cats separately. Veterinary fees, quarantine, testing, transport, return and destruction costs can therefore differ. There is no reliably documented national surrender procedure, municipal shelter system or uniform rehoming process. For an abandoned, found or roaming animal, the practical contacts are AMA or another rescue group, a veterinarian, the police or the local câmara.
Pets in São Tomé and Príncipe
Keeping pets, locally referred to as animais de companhia, in São Tomé and Príncipe involves responsible ownership, humane treatment, veterinary care and controls on movement and import. The national framework exists, but everyday services are fragmented: there is no reliable evidence of a national pet register, a public shelter network or a single adoption portal. Dogs and cats are the most relevant cases, with care provided through public veterinary services, private veterinarians and nonprofit rescue work.
Tip
Treat pet ownership in São Tomé and Príncipe as a personal responsibility with limited backup services. Secure identification, proof of ownership and a realistic veterinary plan before taking an animal, and arrange travel or rehoming well before the animal needs it.