Introduction
All cats and dogs in NSW must be registered by 12 weeks of age, or when they are first sold or given away, whichever happens first. Some exemptions apply. The registration fee is paid once and covers the cat or dog for its lifetime in NSW, even if ownership changes.
You can register your pet and pay the one-off registration fee:
- online through the NSW Pet Registry, or
- in person at your local council.
Discounted registration fees apply for eligible pensioners. Additional fees and annual permits may apply for dogs not desexed by 6 months of age and cats not desexed by 4 months of age. For registration fees, refer to 'Key information' on the Office of Local Government website.
If your pet is an assistance animal, you should apply for a no-fee registration through your local council.
Note: Before your dog or cat is registered, it needs to be microchipped. The microchip contains a unique 15-digit number that helps identify the animal if it is lost or stolen. Your vet/authorised implanter will provide this number to the NSW Pet Registry.
What you need
To register your dog or cat through the NSW Pet Registry, you need:
- a NSW Pet Registry account/owner profile
- your email address
- your personal details
- one proof of identity document:
- Australian driver licence
- Australian passport
- Medicare card
- the pet’s microchip number
- your payment.
How to register
- Select the ‘Register online’ button.
- Log in, or follow the prompts to create your user account and complete your registration.
- Once the registration process is complete, you need to ‘link’ your pet's record to your owner profile. To do this, enter your cat or dog’s microchip number and the phone number you used to create your Registry account, then select ‘Search’ to display your pet’s details.
- Select ‘Link Pet’.
- Make your payment.
- Your receipt and Certificate of Registration will be emailed to you.
Note: If you're unable to register online, you can complete paper forms at your local council.
More information
- Your local vet can provide the cat or dog’s microchip number.
- There are penalties if you don’t microchip and register your dog or cat. Exemptions include a:
- cat born before 1 July 1999 whose ownership hasn't changed
- working dog used for tending stock on a rural property
- greyhound registered under the Greyhound Racing Act 2009.
- If you move interstate, you may need to re-register your pet according to local state or council requirements.
- You can update your contact details, report your pet missing and change the ownership of pets through the NSW Pet Registry.