Microchipping cats and dogs will be mandatory with new EU law

All dogs and cats in the Netherlands will need to be microchipped under new EU rules. Also included in the law are bans on breeding pets with extreme characteristics and inbreeding.

New EU rules introduce microchipping requirement for pets

The EU parliament has approved a bill that provides standards for the breeding, housing, traceability, import and handling of cats and dogs throughout the bloc. This is the first-ever law of its kind proposed for the EU, with the aim of putting an end to “abusive practices, curb[ing] cruel business methods and protect[ing] the health of cats and dogs”.

Under the new rules, microchipping dogs and cats will be mandatory, whether you’re a pet owner, breeder or shelter. Microchipping requirements will apply to sellers, breeders and shelters in all member states four years after the regulation is implemented. 

Pet owners will need to follow the new rules within 10 years after enforcement for dogs and 15 years for cats. The animals will also need to be registered in national databases, which other countries will be able to access. 

Since 2013, it has been compulsory to microchip and register a dog in the Netherlands. This has to be done no later than seven weeks after the dog’s birth or within two weeks of arriving in the Netherlands. 

EU introduces law to improve welfare of cats and dogs

As part of the new rules, the EU also plans to ban breeding of dogs and cats with exaggerated characteristics that cause health issues, like the short-nose of a pug or folded ears of a Scottish Fold. Inbreeding of animals to retain “pedigree” will also be forbidden. 

The Netherlands has had regulations in place since 2014 prohibiting the breeding of short-muzzled dogs and in 2026 introduced a ban on owning folded-ear and hairless cats. 

Additionally, the EU measures will put a stop to “mutilation of dogs and cats for shows, exhibitions and competitions”. This refers to tail docking, ear cropping, debarking and declawing, for example. 

The rules aim to improve the welfare of dogs and cats in the home too, with regulations prohibiting tying an animal to an object, except when necessary for a medical treatment, and prong or choke collars. 

“Our message is clear: a pet is a family member, not an object or a toy,” Rapporteur and Agriculture and Rural Development Committee chair Veronika Vrecionová said in a press release. “We finally have stronger rules on breeding and traceability that will help us push back against those who see animals as a means of making a quick profit. At the same time, we are levelling the playing field for honest breeders in the EU.”

The regulation still needs to be adopted by the EU Council, which is expected to support the proposal. The European Commission expects the new rules to be implemented in 2028.