Pets in Germany: the well-regulated animal kingdom

Bringing your pet to Germany

Moving with a cat or dog is very doable if you prepare the paperwork (Moving to Germany):

• Microchip: your pet needs an ISO-standard identification chip, implanted before (or at the same time as) the rabies shot.
• Rabies vaccination: valid and up to date - and for a first vaccination, it must be given at least 21 days before travel.
• From within the EU: an EU pet passport (EU-Heimtierausweis) documents the chip and vaccinations - the standard travel document for dogs, cats, and ferrets (the EU pet-travel rules set the baseline).
• From outside the EU: an EU animal health certificate, and from higher-rabies countries a rabies antibody titer test (with a waiting period) may be required - check your country's category via the Federal agriculture ministry (BMEL) well ahead, as the timeline can run months.
• Limits: non-commercial moves are capped (generally five pets), and some restricted breeds can't be imported.

Start early - the vaccination and (where needed) titer-test timings are the long pole in a pet relocation.

Parasite protection, worming and where to buy pet medicines

This is the part of German pet ownership nobody briefs you on, and the risks genuinely differ from where you came from. A pet that arrives healthy needs a local prevention routine within weeks, not eventually.

Ticks are the big one. The common German tick (Holzbock, *Ixodes ricinus*) is most active March to June and again September to November, per ESCCAP Deutschland, the veterinary parasitology body whose recommendations German vets follow. ESCCAP advises treating preventively from the start of the season to the end of it, rather than reacting once you find one.

What they carry matters more than the bite:

• Borreliose (Lyme), Anaplasmose and Babesiose are all transmitted by ticks here, and can be serious.
• Babesiose infection is possible throughout Germany, not just in the traditional southern hotspots.
• There is no vaccine you can fall back on. No Babesiose vaccine is licensed in Germany (only in France and Switzerland), and there is no Anaplasmose vaccine at all. Prevention is the whole strategy.
• Check your dog over after walks in long grass and woodland, and remove ticks promptly.

Worming runs on risk, not the calendar. ESCCAP's approach is to match frequency to how your animal actually lives: a dog that hunts, scavenges, eats raw meat or is around small children sits in a higher risk group, where the guidance is typically four treatments a year, or regular faecal examinations (Kotuntersuchung) with treatment only when something is found. An indoor cat needs far less. Your vet should set the schedule rather than you copying a number off a packet.

Where you are allowed to buy this stuff is the genuinely confusing part, because German veterinary medicines fall into three tiers:

The rules changed recently: an amended Tierarzneimittelgesetz (TAMG) came into force on 1 January 2026. Mail order of non-prescription veterinary medicines is permitted in Germany through authorised retailers. Mail order of prescription medicines is still not generally allowed, with a new partial exception letting vets send medicines directly to the owner of an animal they have already treated. So an online shop can legitimately sell you a flea collar or a wormer; anything prescription-only still runs through your Tierarzt.

How to check any seller before you order (worth two minutes, and almost no expat knows it exists):

• Since 28 January 2022 the shared VET logo is mandatory on sites that mail-order veterinary medicines. No logo is a red flag.
• The Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit (BVL) maintains a public Versandhandelsregister of retailers authorised to sell veterinary medicines at a distance. Look the shop up there.
• Both checks apply to any seller, including the one below.

Dog tax (Hundesteuer)

A uniquely German thing newcomers don't expect: you pay an annual tax to own a dog.

• It's a municipal tax - each city sets its own rate, so there's no national figure. Register your dog with the local tax office/city within a few weeks of arrival or acquisition (Your first 30 days in Germany).
• Typical rates: most cities charge €90-150/year for a first dog; Berlin is €120 for the first dog and €180 for each additional dog.
• Second and further dogs cost more, and "listed"/"dangerous" breeds (see below) are taxed punitively - up to several hundred euros a year (€800+ in some cities).
• Cats are not taxed, and generally need no registration (though some cities require outdoor cats to be neutered and chipped under a Katzenschutzverordnung).

The tax funds nothing dog-specific - it's a general municipal levy - but it's compulsory, and unregistered dogs can bring fines.

Dog liability insurance (Hundehaftpflicht)

If your dog bites someone or causes an accident, you're liable - potentially for large sums - so:

• It's legally mandatory in six states: Berlin, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thuringia. Elsewhere it's strongly recommended, not required.
• It's cheap - roughly €3-6/month - and covers damage or injury your dog causes, often into the millions.
• It's separate from your personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht), which usually does not cover dogs - and note your home-contents insurance is different again (Hausrat).

Even where it's not mandatory, get it - one incident dwarfs a lifetime of premiums.

Breed rules and the "Listenhunde"

Germany regulates certain breeds, and the rules vary by state (Bundesland):

• "Listed" breeds (Listenhunde / so-called Kampfhunde) - typically certain bull-type and mastiff breeds - face extra rules: some are banned, others need a permit, temperament test (Wesenstest), muzzle, and leash in public, plus much higher dog tax.
• The lists differ by state, so a breed allowed in one Bundesland may be restricted in another - check your specific state before importing or adopting one.
• Dog licence (Hundeführerschein): in Lower Saxony it's mandatory for all dog owners; elsewhere it may apply to certain breeds or be voluntary.

If you own or plan to adopt a bull-type or mastiff breed, research your state's rules first - this is where pet ownership gets genuinely complicated.

Animal-welfare rules (they're strict)

Germany takes animal welfare (Tierschutz) seriously, and it shapes daily ownership:

• Dogs must be properly exercised - national rules require dogs to be walked/let out of confinement multiple times a day and not left alone for excessive periods.
• Leash laws (Leinenpflicht) apply in many areas, and seasonally in parks/forests during wildlife breeding season - check local rules.
• You can't simply give up or abandon an animal - rehoming goes through a Tierheim (animal shelter), and abandonment is an offence.
• Adoption from a Tierheim is common, respected, and involves a screening and a fee.

Vets, costs, and pet insurance

• Veterinary care is good but not free - vet fees follow the national schedule (Gebührenordnung für Tierärzte, GOT), which was substantially raised in November 2022, so bills went up sharply for everyone. Insurers reimburse at a stated GOT multiple (the best pay the Höchstsatz), and a single operation - a cruciate ligament, a foreign body swallowed, a tumour removal - runs well into four figures.
• Two different products, and people confuse them. An OP-Versicherung covers surgery only and is the cheap floor; a full Tierkrankenversicherung also covers consultations, diagnostics, medication and treatment without an operation. If budget forces a choice, surgery cover is the one that protects against the ruinous bill.
• What it costs (2026 market ranges): OP-only cover starts around €15-25/month for a dog and about €8/month for a cat; full health cover typically runs €30-60/month for a dog (the whole market spans roughly €20-80, and premium tariffs for large or high-risk breeds go higher) and €15-40/month for a cat. Outdoor cats cost more than indoor cats because they get hurt more.
• The three things that decide whether you can insure at all: age at sign-up (many insurers set an upper limit, a few do not), breed (large and listed breeds are loaded or refused), and pre-existing conditions, which are excluded everywhere. Insure while the animal is young and healthy - this is the one insurance where waiting costs you the option, not just the price.
• Waiting periods (Wartezeit/Karenzzeit) apply after sign-up, and are longer for planned procedures than for accidents - so cover taken out the week before an operation will not pay. Check the Selbstbeteiligung (your share) and whether the tariff has an annual payout ceiling, which is where cheap tariffs quietly cap out.
• Routine care (vaccinations, worming, checkups) is straightforward, and English-speaking vets are common in big cities. The parasite schedule, the three legal tiers of veterinary medicine and where you may buy each are covered in the parasite section above.

Pets, housing, and transport

• Renting: landlords can restrict dogs and other larger pets (small caged animals and usually cats are harder to forbid) - check your contract, as a blanket "no pets" clause isn't always enforceable but dogs often need permission.
• Public transport: small pets in a carrier usually travel free; larger dogs typically need a child-fare ticket and may need a muzzle and leash - rules vary by transport association.
• Out and about: Germany is dog-friendly - many restaurants, shops, and offices welcome well-behaved dogs - but always leashed where required and never off-limits areas.

Frequently asked questions