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Allow animals breeding, keeping and trade

Service Description

You need a permit for the commercial handling of animals if you wish to carry out the following activities on a commercial basis:

  • Breeding, keeping or trading of vertebrate animals other than farm animals.
  • Maintenance of a riding and driving operation
  • Exhibition of animals
  • Control of vertebrate animals as pests
  • bring vertebrate animals other than farm animals into Germany for sale (sale for a fee)
  • Train dogs for third parties or instruct the training of dogs by animal owners.

This permit is also required if you

  • keep animals in an animal shelter or similar institution
  • keep and exhibit animals in a zoological garden or other institution
  • train dogs for third parties, maintain facilities for this purpose or instruct the training of dogs by the animal owner
  • bring or import vertebrate animals into the country for the purpose of giving them away for a fee or for a consideration, or arrange for such animals to be given away for a fee or for a consideration
  • Conduct animal exchanges for the purpose of exchange or sale of animals by third parties.

Notice: You do not need the permit to keep farm animals.

Process flow

  • After you have submitted the application and all required documents to the competent authority in writing or electronically, these will first be checked for completeness and your personal requirements.
  • They will also inform you whether you still need to undergo an interview with the competent authority to prove the professional knowledge and skills required for the job.
  • Following this, an on-site appointment will be arranged with you, and the existence of the animal protection requirements necessary for the performance of the intended activity will be checked. If you meet all the conditions, you will then be sent the permit for the commercial handling of animals.

Who should I contact?

Contact the competent veterinary and food control office of the county or independent city in which the activity is to take place.

Requirements

General requirements are that

  • you have a professional qualification or
  • expertise in the field you wish to operate commercially, and
  • have the necessary reliability and
  • the rooms and facilities used for the activity allow the animals to be fed, cared for and housed in accordance with the legal requirements.

The permit can be granted, as far as it is necessary for the protection of the animals, under time limits, conditions and requirements.

Which documents are required?

  • Application for a permit
  • Extract from the central commercial register
  • Certificate of good conduct for submission to an authority
  • Proof of identity
  • Information with signature of the applicant about:
    • Name and address of the person responsible for the activity,
    • Type of animals involved with an expected maximum number of animals that are intended to be taken in,
    • address, type and description of the premises and facilities intended for the activity, sketch or construction plan of the premises, if applicable
  • Evidence of the required expertise (certified copy of the certificate of expertise).

Tip: You can apply for the certificate of good conduct at the local registration office; it can be sent directly from there to the responsible food monitoring and veterinary office.

What are the fees?

A fee range of EUR 27 to 230 (procedural costs, service fee, other expenses if applicable) is currently set for the issuance of the permit.

Notice: The underlying administrative cost regulations are currently being revised.

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

No time limits are provided, but the activity may only be started if a valid permit has been obtained.

Processing duration

The competent authority shall decide on the application in writing within a period of four months from receipt of the application. The time limit may be extended by up to two months if this is justified by the extent and difficulty of the examination of the fulfillment of the requirements for the permit. When calculating the time limit, periods during which the applicant has not complied with the requirements regarding the form and content of the application in accordance with the legal ordinance despite a written request from the competent authority shall not be taken into account.

Legal basis

Applications / forms

You can appeal against the decision on your application or against a decision not made in due time in accordance with the Administrative Court Code (objection, if necessary action before the Administrative Court).

Appeal

In principle, the application for permission can be made informally.

What else should I know?

Please enquire about the exact requirements with the responsible authority in good time before you intend to start work.

It is an administrative offense to operate without the required permit.

If you keep livestock for commercial purposes, you must ensure that the legal requirements are met by carrying out your own inspections. For this purpose, suitable animal-related characteristics (animal welfare indicators) must be collected and evaluated.

Author

The text was automatically translated based on the German content per DeepL.

Source: Zuständigkeitsfinder Thüringen (Linie6PLus)

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