Pets in Andorra

Andorra’s system for privately kept companion animals covers acquisition, daily care, veterinary treatment, legal duties, travel and surrender. Dogs, cats and ferrets need an ISO 11784/11785 microchip and pet passport, and the veterinarian records them in the Registre d’Animals de Companyia, or RAC. Dogs also require unique DNA genotyping. Identification must take place by four months after birth; a valid foreign identification document must be entered in the RAC within two months after the animal enters Andorra. Changes of owner, sale and death must also be reported within two months. The owner must be at least 18 and resident or staying in Andorra; a minor needs authorisation from a parent or legal guardian. The veterinarian normally enters the data within two business days, and the RAC fee is 8.49 euros per record under the consolidated Llei 14/2012 dated 12 August 2025. The fee is due when the passport is handed over, and the budget may update it. Dogs must receive rabies vaccination. For cats and ferrets, rabies vaccination is generally voluntary for domestic keeping but becomes mandatory for travel abroad. A primary rabies vaccination is given from 12 weeks of age and before 24 weeks, after identification. Veterinarians record preventive treatments, and official guidance recommends at least one veterinary check each year. The same guidance recommends at least two daily walks for dogs, with each walk lasting at least 30 minutes. Owners provide suitable food, care, housing and transport and remain liable for harm, property damage and nuisance caused by their animals. They must remove dog faeces immediately. In mountain areas, dogs require control or a lead, distance from livestock and respect for gates. Public access depends on the rules of the establishment, transport provider and Comú. Collars, leads or secure containment apply in public spaces. A reasonably foreseeable dangerous dog must wear a muzzle and cannot be handled by someone under 18, subject to assistance- and therapy-dog exceptions. Dangerous dogs include animals that have attacked or shown aggression. Potentially dangerous dogs also include specified breeds or crosses and dogs trained for attack, guarding or defence. Their owners must be adults, hold liability insurance, complete mandatory training and carry the card issued by the Departament d’Agricultura i Ramaderia. The dog needs identification, DNA registration, a passport, rabies vaccination and RAC registration. Secure, signposted premises are required, breeding is prohibited and sterilisation or castration must occur before the dog is one year old, as determined by a veterinarian. In public, the dog must use a non-extendable lead no longer than 1.5 metres and a muzzle, and one person may handle only one such dog. Sales and breeding establishments operate as nuclis zoològics. A seller must provide an animal that is dewormed, free of disease and identified, and selling to a non-emancipated minor requires parental or legal authorisation. Adoption is available through routes including the Centre de protecció caní Borda Vidal and GOS-SOS for dogs, and the Centre de protecció felí or LAIKA for cats. Adopted animals are generally identified, vaccinated and sterilised or castrated, and the new owner must update the RAC titular information. Travel between Andorra and the European Union with dogs, cats or ferrets generally requires a microchip, valid rabies vaccination, required preventive measures and a valid identification document or Andorran pet passport. Non-commercial movement is limited to five animals; more than five requires participation in a competition, exhibition or sporting event, proof of that purpose and animals older than six months, subject to the applicable rules. Young-animal exceptions exist. Under Regulation (EU) 2026/636, applicable from 22 April 2026, Andorra is listed in Annex I, so entry into the European Union does not require a rabies antibody titre test. Carrier and border requirements still need checking, and dogs travelling to destinations requiring Echinococcus treatment need treatment 24 to 120 hours before entry. Entry from a non-EU country requires Andorran authorisation. An EU or selected-territory passport may be accepted, while animals from other countries generally need a chip, rabies vaccination, antibody titre test and the required documents; exemptions depend on the origin country. The owner pays return, isolation and control costs if entry conditions are not met. Other companion species can require species-specific identification, entry in the Registre d’Animals de Companyia No Autòctons within four months after birth, and procedures with the Departament de Medi Ambient i Sostenibilitat. CITES permits may apply to listed species, and SEFANA accepts applications online or in person. If keeping the animal is no longer possible, voluntary surrender can be arranged through an association, the official gossera or the official gatera. Abandonment is prohibited. An unidentified or unaccompanied animal can be held for up to eight natural days so the owner can recover it, surrender it or another lawful disposition can be arranged. Transfer and death must be reported in the RAC. The national system is supplemented by the Comuns, which handle inspection, control and public hygiene. Local rules differ: Encamp provides pipicàn and dog areas and can impose a 150-euro fine, rising to 300 euros for a repeat offence. Sant Julià de Lòria’s ordinance published on 10 December 2025 lists a dog tax of 29.60 euros per year and capture and transport costs of 41.90 euros per service, with exemptions including assistance and therapy dogs, disability and the first dog of a person over 65. These parish-specific rules should be checked with the current Comú. Lifetime costs include food, veterinary care, vaccines, antiparasitic treatment, sterilisation and boarding, while official adoption prices can include sterilisation or castration, identification, passport and vaccines. An unregistered or unidentified pet is a minor offence punishable by 60 to 300 euros; a repeat offence becomes serious and can carry 300.01 to 3,000 euros. Animal-law fines can reach 9,000 euros. Abandonment is serious when it creates no such risk and very serious when it creates a risk of serious harm; criminal abandonment can carry up to one year of imprisonment and a fine of up to 6,000 euros. Civil and criminal liability may also remain. On 19 August 2026, the Government approved a Projecte de llei de protecció i benestar animal proposing a positive species list, an online-sale ban, stronger owner duties, custody rules and higher sanctions. That project remains a draft and does not itself create current duties until enacted and published.