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dubai's pet municipality tags & registration
One of the GREAT BIG questions of our age is... what the hell is municipality pet vaccination and registration... what is a "tag"... and why do I need to do this?!! (Heads up! A "pet passport", or indeed a "dog passport" or "cat passport", is related to international pet relocations, while this information is solely about the vaccinations and tags you and your pet need in Dubai and the UAE. Got it?!)
Keep scratching your head because although this page is about providing all that guidance, we don't even attempt to resolve the larger philosophical issues.
If you're a Dubai resident, this one's for YOU!
Why do I need to register my pet with the Dubai Municipality?
- If your pet goes missing but then is found and is brought into the Municipality's Veterinary Section, they have a central database which will help them connect your pet's tag ID number and microchip number to your contact details. That's a pretty good thing, right?
- Pets who are not registered are either rehomed or, if deemed unsafe, are euthanized. (Not a pleasant subject to talk about at all, and how they assess "safe" or "unsafe" is waaaayyyyyy beyond our influence and, sometimes, beyond our understanding.)
What are the prerequisites of getting my pet registered for an ID tag? And how often do I need to get my pet vaccinated?
- Well, by law, your pet is required to have a microchip and the rabies vaccination, and these are required in order to get registered with the Dubai Municipality and to get an ID tag.
- Registration is required annually, along with the renewal of the annual vaccinations ~ Dhppi/L and Rabies for dogs, Flu/Enteritis and Rabies for cats.
- Not only does your pet have to have the rabies vaccination, but that vaccination needs to not be expired ~ it needs to be up-to-date. This means that the rabies vaccination must be no more than 1 year old since it was last administered and still be valid when the tag is purchased by you.
- As we've said, your pet must be microchipped. If your pet has not been microchipped, the rabies vaccine cannot be given, which means you cannot register your pet with the municipality. Which means that the universe will go dark and Darth Vader will appear in your living room around 2am on a Friday demanding all sorts of evil from you. Be VERY afraid.
When getting vaccinated and registered and "tagged", what are the requirements?
- You must present your Emirates ID or your passport containing a valid UAE visa. (Duh!)
- Your pet's vaccination card confirming up-to-date annual vaccinations and the microchip.
- You must live in the Emirate of Dubai. If you've had enough of Dubai, MOVE OUT!!
How is registration actually done?
- The clinic you use (DKCVET, right? RIGHT!!?) logs into a government website called Smart Government and registers your pet.
- The Smart Government website requires your full name, your phone number and the area you live in, and your email address. A copy of your Emirates ID (or passport/visa) is also uploaded and attached to your pet's registration record.
- The information required about your pet is her/his name, microchip number, date of birth (or approximate), the date of his/her up-to-date rabies vaccination, sex, species, breed, colour, updated Municipality Tag number... and a partridge in a pear tree (well... not really that last thing).
Your pet's NOT registered??! Oh no!
- Failure to register and vaccinate your pet, if discovered by the government, will result in a first warning with 3 days given for you to indeed then get him or her registered and vaccinated. Further noncompliance will (if discovered by the government) result in a fine... and if your pet is STILL not registered after that, your poochie-pooch or kitty-kat could be confiscated.
- Lost pets which are then found but are not wearing a tag will be seized by the municipality.
- Dog owners walking their dogs without a municipality tag can be fined. (...and we have NO IDEA how much! Sorry!)
Where does the tag go once I have it?
- Ideally, your pet should always wear their municipality tag, attached either to the collar or a leash.
- If your cat is one of THOSE cats who always loses their collar (and therefore their tag), you can probably get away with not attaching the tag to her/him (somewhere, somehow!) but this will make things more difficult if your cat is indeed caught by an inspector or someone else because they'll not immediately have that tag for quick identification and tracking back to you. However, with the microchip still present, it should... probably... work out happily in the end.