Dogs, cats and ferrets ‒ identification and registration

Upcoming changes in EU legislation will introduce new requirements for identifiers and identification of dogs, cats and ferrets. The changes will enter into force gradually starting in 2028.

As of 1 January 2028, a country‑code microchip will be mandatory for:

  • all dogs born and microchipped in Finland
  • all cats and ferrets microchipped for travel abroad

The change is based on the amendment to the EU Delegated Regulation 2019/2035, issued under the Animal Health Law, which will enter into force on 22 April 2026.

In addition, the EU’s new Regulation on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats sets more detailed requirements for the identification of dogs and cats. The regulation is expected to enter into force in summer 2026. Four years after its entry into force, i.e. from 2030 onwards, a country‑code microchip will be required for all dogs and cats that are sold or otherwise transferred. Cats brought, for example, to animal shelters must also be identified with a country‑code microchip before they are transferred onward.

Ten years after the regulation enters into force, the requirement will apply to all dogs kept in the EU, and fifteen years after entry into force it will extend to all cats kept in the EU, including pets kept by private individuals.
National legislation may impose stricter deadlines.

What does this mean in practice?

  • After 1 January 2028, microchips without a country code may no longer be used for dogs that are to be identified.
  • Cats travelling abroad must be identified with a country‑code microchip after 1 January 2028, and cats that are sold or otherwise transferred from 2030 onwards.
  • Ferrets will need a country‑code microchip from 1 January 2028 if they are to be transported outside Finland.
  • Animals that have been identified with a microchip in accordance with the legislation in force prior to the entry into force of the new regulations do not need to be re‑microchipped with a country‑code chip.
  • The Finnish Food Authority administers the identification code system for country‑code microchips for dogs, cats and ferrets. Chip suppliers may apply to the Finnish Food Authority for country‑code identification codes, which they then forward to chip manufacturers for programming into the microchips. The Finnish Food Authority provides instructions to chip suppliers on the administration and distribution of country‑code microchips. The distribution of country‑code identification codes to chip suppliers may begin once provisions on the authorisation of identifiers have been enacted and the authorisation process has begun.
  • After the regulations have entered into force, microchips for these animal species may only be implanted by a veterinarian or by an identifier authorised by the Finnish Food Authority. Further guidance on the authorisation of identifiers will be provided separately.

Manufacturers and distributors of microchips are requested to contact the Finnish Food Authority at elainrekisterit@ruokavirasto.fi to express their interest in acting as suppliers of country‑code microchips in Finland. Microchips without a country code may not be used for identifying dogs, cats or ferrets covered by the scope of the regulations after the regulations have entered into force.

All dogs must have a microchip and must be reported to the Dog Registry. Cats and ferrets must have a microchip only when travelling abroad. If you keep dogs, cats or ferrets professionally or otherwise on a large scale, you are subject to more extensive obligations than those concerning ordinary pet owners.

Pet dogs must be registered and microchipped

Make sure that your pet dog has been microchipped by a veterinarian and register it in the Finnish Food Authority’s Dog Registry. Register the dog and its keeper in the Dog Registry.

Dogs must be microchipped and entered in the Dog Registry no later than three months after birth. If a dog is handed over to a new owner before the age of three months, the microchipping and registration must be made before this. If the dog changes owner, please notify the registry of the change within a month. When the dog dies, report it to the registry within a month.

Instructions for using the Dog Registry

Frequently asked questions about the Dog Registry

Go to the Dog Registry

Dog Registry customer service: 
Customer service is available on weekdays from 8.15 to 11.00 and from 12.00 to 16.00 
tel. +358 295205304, koirarekisteri@ruokavirasto.fi
Calls are subject to a local network fee or mobile network fee.

You can ask questions, report an error and provide feedback using the Dog Registry feedback form

If you cannot use the electronic service, submit your notification using the form: Forms

The identification and registration of dogs is supervised by municipal veterinarians, the Finnish Food Authority (the national veterinarian), the Economic Development Centres’ animal inspectors and Customs. If a dog has not been entered in the Dog Registry or microchipped, the supervisory authority will issue a request or order to correct the matter. Re-inspections are subject to a fee. A penalty payment of EUR 300 may also be imposed for serious deficiencies.

Pet cats or ferrets must be microchipped when travelling abroad

Pet cats or ferrets do not need to be registered. A cat registry is yet to be established. The current estimate is that a cat registry will be introduced in 2030. Ferrets do not need to be entered in animal registers.

Pet cats or ferrets do not need to be microchipped for identification unless they travel abroad. If you plan to travel outside Finland’s borders with a cat or ferret, it must be microchipped. You must also obtain the necessary identification documents from a veterinarian. 

Learn more about travelling with a pet 

Register your establishment if you bring animals to Finland repeatedly

If you buy a dog, cat or ferret from abroad as a private person and bring it to Finland, you do not need to register the establishment where the animal is kept. 

However, if you import dogs, cats or ferrets from abroad repeatedly and not as a one-time purchase, you will need an establishment identifier to bring animals from one country to another. You must submit a notification of keeping animals and register your establishment in the registry of animal keepers and establishments or with your municipality’s rural business authority using the appropriate forms. In your animal keeping notification, choose ‘Transfer between countries’ as the mode of operation. 

Learn more about the requirements for internal market transfers of animals

Professional animal keeping is subject to broader obligations 

If you keep dogs, cats or ferrets professionally or otherwise on a large scale, please report your animal keeping activities and establishment and keep a record of the animals on site. 

Submit an animal keeping notification and register your establishment

Submit a notification of your animal keeping activities and register your establishment in the registry of animal keepers and establishments: epr.ruokavirasto.fi

If you transport animals from one EU country to another for commercial purposes, you will need an establishment identifier. 

Keep a record of the animals in your establishment

Keep records of the animal species, animal categories, animal numbers and, where applicable, identification details. Record the following for each animal:

  • identification code (if the animal is marked with an identifier)
  • date of birth
  • date of death or disappearance
  • any documents (such as identification documents or animal health certificates) in accordance with the regulations concerning each animal species.

Also keep a record of the animals arriving to or leaving your establishment:

  • establishment identifiers of the place of departure and destination
  • date of transfer.

Record the information digitally or on paper within three days of the event. Keep the records for at least three years from the end of the year in which records were made of the animal.

Instructions for how to submit a notification of keeping animals: Animal keeping subject to a notification. 

Obtain a registration number if you transport animals abroad for commercial purposes 

If dogs, cats or ferrets are transported from Finland to another country for commercial purposes, the transporter must submit a notification to the Finnish Food Authority. The Finnish Food Authority will provide the transporter with a unique registration number. 

No registration is required if the transporter has an animal transport licence.

You will find more information on the Finnish Food Authority’s import and export websites.

Legislation

 

Page last updated 10/26/2026