Pets in Bhutan

Bhutan recognises dogs, cats and other companion animals as privately kept pets. Formal acquisition can take place through a registered pet shop, registered breeding kennel or cattery, or another registered pet-breeding facility. A technical clearance from the Department of Livestock is required before registration with a Dzongkhag or Thromde. Functional alternatives include rescue, treatment, fostering and adoption through organisations such as the RSPCA Bhutan Animal Welfare Treatment Center and the BARC Center for Animal Happiness, but access depends on available capacity and there is no universal public surrender portal. The owner or shelter registers the animal with the livestock office. Registration uses a registration number, digital identification or microchip, and a registration card. Published 2022 fees list Nu. 250 for a microchip, Nu. 100 for pet registration, Nu. 350 for deregistration, Nu. 1,000 for an animal shelter, and Nu. 2,000 for a pet shop or breeding kennel or cattery. A pet that remains unregistered, is deregistered or is abandoned can be treated as stray. A non-breeding pet must be sterilised by four months of age or within one month after the owner takes possession, whichever applies under the governing requirement. A breeding pet must be registered, and the owner remains responsible for all offspring. Owners must provide sufficient food, water and shelter, obtain prompt treatment for illness or injury, keep vaccinations and deworming current, and provide cages with adequate dimensions and room for movement. Surgical procedures must be performed by a certified or suitably skilled veterinary practitioner. Owners must keep pets within their premises or secure them properly before allowing public access. Cruelty, unreasonable short or heavy tethering, abandonment and uncontrolled roaming are prohibited. Feeding stray animals in public places, on highways or roadsides and moving stray dogs or other animals to another location are also prohibited. An unregistered pet can lead to notice requiring action within five working days, followed by Nu. 1,000 per pet and Nu. 50 for each day of delay. A loose pet or an unsecured pet in public can lead to Nu. 1,000 per pet. An unsecured pet posing a zoonotic risk can lead to Nu. 5,000 plus medical, lost-work and property costs. Abandonment, stray feeding and translocation can each lead to Nu. 5,000 penalties under the stated rules, with abandonment also allowing confiscation; repeat offences can result in doubled penalties. A Local Authority in a Gewog, Dungkhag, Thromde or Dzongkhag may impound an animal in its facility. The owner can generally reclaim it within one week by proving registration and paying management charges. An unregistered pet requires payment of the applicable fines and registration before release. After one week, the animal becomes Local Authority property and may be auctioned or placed under Ministry control measures. The Department of Livestock and the National Centre for Animal Health handle veterinary care, vaccination, deworming, sterilisation, disease surveillance and extension services. The Bhutan Food and Drug Authority handles biosecurity, import and export permits, quarantine and entry inspection. All pets fall under Bhutan’s rabies vaccination requirements: the owner must arrange vaccination at one month of age or within one month of taking possession. Anyone bitten or injured by a suspected or infected animal should report immediately to the nearest human health facility. Government services officially include treatment, vaccination, deworming, sterilisation, emergency response and advice, but local availability can vary. The Veterinary Information System records clinical care, vaccinations, deworming, sterilisation, pet information, dog-population management, mass dog vaccination and disease outbreaks. WHO validated Bhutan’s elimination of dog-transmitted human rabies as a public-health problem on 4 September 2026; vaccination, bite response and surveillance remain necessary. Importing a pet requires a prior BFDA import permit. The application should be submitted at least two weeks before entry with the owner’s CID copy, an official international veterinary or zoosanitary certificate, microchip information, current rabies vaccination and a rabies-antibody titre sample taken three to twelve months before shipment with at least 0.5 IU/ml. A veterinary examination must occur within 24 hours before shipment, and internal and external parasite treatment must occur within seven days. Dogs additionally need vaccination against distemper, parvovirus, infectious hepatitis, parainfluenza and leptospirosis; cats need vaccination against calicivirus, herpesvirus-1 and panleukopenia. The animal must not be more than 42 days pregnant, must be weaned for at least 60 days, or must travel with its dam from at least six weeks of age. Transport requires an IATA-compliant crate, no animal contact during transit and an arrival notice at least seven days before arrival. The published import-permit fee is Nu. 100 for personal imports and Nu. 300 for commercial imports, with a permit validity of one month. Personal imports require 15 days of home quarantine according to the BFDA FAQ. Commercial imports undergo at least 15 days of quarantine at a designated station at the importer’s cost; the period can extend to 21 days under the applicable procedure. The owner pays feeding, care and quarantine costs. Non-compliance can lead to re-export or humane destruction under the authority’s decision. Temporary visitors must meet the same import conditions, register the pet on entry and deregister it on exit. Bhutan has no located official pet-passport equivalent; the practical substitute is the registration card and number together with the microchip and health or export certificate. Exporting a pet requires a BFDA export or health certificate, normally costing Nu. 100 for personal travel or Nu. 300 for commercial travel under the published fees. The destination country’s import rules apply in addition. An in-country movement permit, where required, is valid for one week and costs Nu. 20. When ownership ends, the lawful options are deregistration, rehoming or surrender through a registered shelter, the RSPCA Bhutan Animal Welfare Treatment Center, the BARC Center for Animal Happiness or a Local Authority. Capacity is not guaranteed nationwide, so abandonment is not a lawful substitute for arranging care.