To improve dog identification and control, and to ensure that dog owners comply with certain safety measures, the law imposes certain requirements on dog owners, including: 

• electronic ID tagging of the dog, performed by an approved veterinarian;
• registration of the dog with the commune of residence, including identification of the breed and rabies vaccination;
• payment of an annual tax; etc.

Who is concerned

All dog owners.

Deadlines

The identification of the dog by means of a microchip must be done at the latest 4 months after the dog's birth.

Costs

Communal administrations collect an annual 'dog tax' (of at least EUR 10 per year, with the amount varying by commune). Dogs serving as service dogs for the blind or disabled are exempt from this annual tax, as are dogs belonging to the Luxembourg police, the army, customs agencies, and rescue dogs.

Dog owners who move to a new commune during the year will only have to pay the tax on 1 January of the following year, if they can prove that they have paid the tax in their previous commune.

If the dog dies or runs away, the tax is neither reduced nor refunded.

How to proceed

Mandatory identification of the dog (microchip)

Electronic ID tagging is compulsory for all dogs in Luxembourg.

The identification must take place at the latest 4 months after the dog's birth.

An authorised veterinarian will tag the dog by inserting an microchip containing an identification number under the animal's skin (on the left side of the neck). ID tagging makes it easier to identify lost or stray dogs.

Rabies vaccination

Following the tagging of the dog, the veterinarian vaccinates the dog against rabies from the age of 12 weeks.

The veterinarian issues a veterinary certificate which states a number of the dog's characteristics:

• its race or type;
• its sex;
• the colour of its coat;
• the number of the microchip;
• the date of the rabies vaccination.

Private civil liability

Dog owners must compensate the victims who have suffered damages caused by their dog.

As a result, the owner must take out mandatory insurance covering their civil liability.

The dog owner's private civil liability insurance policy, taken out in the name of the owner and the members of their family, covers any of the animal's actions that may cause material damages and/or bodily injury to a third party.

Registration with the communal administration

Usual case

Every dog owner must register their dog in their commune of residence by means of a veterinary certificate stating:

• the dog's race;
• whether the dog is potentially dangerous;
• the dog's current rabies vaccination status;
  
• the number of the dog's microchip.

When registering the dog with the communal administration, the dog owner must also provide a document attesting that an insurance contract has been concluded with a company approved or authorised to operate in Luxembourg.

Dog owners are advised to refer to their commune of residence in advance for details about this document: it could be a certificate issued by the insurance company or merely a copy of the insurance contract.

The applicant will then be issued with a receipt signed by the mayor of the commune as proof of registration.

Owner's change of residence

If a dog owner changes their place of residence, they must register the dog with the new commune's administration within 1 month. To do so, they will be required to produce the receipt issued by the previous commune.

The address on the receipt must be updated. To have their address updated, the owner will be required to hand in the old receipt. They will then be issued with a new one containing the new address.

If the owner moves to Luxembourg from abroad, the time limit for registering their dog with the administration of their commune of residence in Luxembourg is 1 month.

New owners

If ownership of a dog changes, the new owner is required to register the dog with their commune within 1 month (even if the new owner lives in the same commune as the previous owner). To register the dog, the new owner will be required to produce the previous owner's receipt.

At the time of registration, the (new) owner must provide proof of a civil liability insurance policy covering any damages that the animal may cause to third parties. This proof consists of a copy of the receipt for the insurance contract. Damages caused to third parties are covered by the owner's civil liability insurance.

The loss, death or sale of a dog must be reported to the communal administration so that they can keep abreast of the status of dogs living within its borders.

Obligations

The person who owns, has custody of, or cares for a dog must:

• provide the dog with appropriate food, water and care;
• provide shelter adapted to their physiological, ethological and ecological needs;
• avoid restricting the dog's natural need for exercise and movement in such a way that no pain, suffering, anxiety, damage or injury is caused to the dog;
• provide adequate care for the dog if it is injured or ill;
• not perform unjustified acts that cause pain, suffering, anxiety, damage or injury to the dog;
• not abuse or exercise passive or active cruelty to the dog;
• not kill the dog in a cruel way.

If these obligations are not complied with, the dog's custody may be withdrawn, and criminal and administrative sanctions may be imposed.

Good to know

In certain public spaces, dogs must be kept on a leash.

Forms / Online services

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