Halten von Tieren in einem Tierheim

Do you want to open an animal shelter? Do you want to keep and/or care for animals in an animal shelter, boarding kennel or similar facility? Then you will need a permit before you can start your business. You can apply for this permit from your local veterinary authority.

If you wish to keep animals in an animal shelter, boarding kennel or similar facility, you must apply for a permit from your competent veterinary authority before starting the activity.

The competent authority will decide whether to issue the permit within four months of receiving the application. This period may be extended by up to two months depending on the scope and difficulty of the examination of the conditions for granting the permit. You should therefore allow sufficient time for the permit to be issued before commencing your activity.

You may only commence your activity once you have received the permit.

• Please ask the competent veterinary authority for application forms for a permit and which documents must also be submitted
• Informal application for a permit with the following content:
  • Type, expected number and sex of the animals to be kept or description of the intended animal husbandry
  • Details of the person responsible for the activity
• Certificates of competence of the persons responsible for handling the animals
• Certificate of good conduct
• Sketch(es) of the husbandry facility(ies)

• They must ensure compliance with the requirements of animal welfare legislation, in particular Section 2 of the Animal Welfare Act.
• The application contains all the necessary information.
• All required documents are available.
• If you are the person responsible for the activity, you must
  • have the specialist knowledge and skills required for the activity, e.g. based on your training or your previous professional or other dealings with animals. Proof of this must be provided on request in a technical interview with the competent authority,
  • have the necessary reliability.
• Your premises and facilities used for the activity must enable the animals to be fed, cared for and housed in accordance with legal requirements.

After you have submitted the required documents to your competent veterinary authority, the documents will be checked for correctness and completeness. An on-site inspection may then be carried out by the official veterinary service at your premises and, if necessary, an expert interview. You will then receive the permit.

• Usually 4 months
• In exceptional cases, the processing time can be extended.

Please note that you may only start working after you have received your permit and that processing can take up to 4 months (in exceptional cases up to 6 months).

Within one month of notification, an action may be brought before the locally competent administrative court.

• If you want to keep and/or care for animals in an animal shelter, boarding kennel or similar facility, you need a permit beforehand
• You may only carry out the activity after obtaining the permit

Responsibility lies with the administrative districts, independent cities and the Jade-Weser Veterinary Office.

- Informal application for a permit
- Your competent veterinary authority may provide further documents for the application. Please therefore contact your competent veterinary authority.