Registration and Microchipping

Companion animals have come to play an important part in the lives of many people. Most homes in Australia have at least one companion animal. Pets are a wonderful source of companionship and pleasure for many people. Under the NSW Companion Animals Act 1998, all cat and dog owners must complete a 2-step process to registering their pet.

STEP 1 | Microchipping

A companion animal must be identified by a microchip as required by the regulations from the time the animal is 12 weeks old and must not be sold unless it is microchipped, even if it is younger than 12 weeks. Microchipping ensures that all companion animals have a means of permanent identification that cannot be lost or tampered with. Microchipping means that owned and unowned animals are readily identifiable so that they can be promptly returned to their owners or re-homed.

Microchips are tiny - about the size of a grain of rice - and can be inserted under the skin between the shoulders of a cat or dog. The process is similar to receiving immunisation injections and is generally less distressing for the animal than a vaccination.

Once you have microchipped your animal, the details will be sent to your local council for data entry into the NSW Companion Animals Register. You will also be posted a Certificate of Identification.

Councils, pounds, vets and animal welfare organisations will be able to read the microchip by passing a scanner over the animal. Thanks to the microchip, if your animal is found, lost or roaming a Council Ranger can contact you to arrange for your animal’s return and if it is taken to a pound, the pound will scan the animal and promptly contact you.

It is therefore extremely important that your contact details are kept up to date.

STEP 2 | Lifetime Registration

Once your animal is microchipped, the next step is lifetime registration. All pet cats and dogs in NSW must be registered on the NSW Pet Registry either by 12 weeks of age or immediately upon transfer (whichever happens first). The registration fee is a once-only payment covering the pet cat or dog for its lifetime in NSW, regardless of changes in ownership.

Lifetime registration incurs a once only fee that can be paid online through the NSW Pet Registry or at any local council. The animal owner must be 18 years old or over.

Once owners have paid lifetime registration, a Certificate of Registration will be emailed to registered to the pet owner. In the event there is no email address, the Certificate will be posted.

For registration forms and information about the NSW Companion Animals Act 1998, breeders, pet shops, vets and microchip identifiers, visit the NSW Office of Local Government website.

An additional fee payment is necessary in cases where an owner does not desex their dog by 6 months of age or an annual permit is required for a cat not desexed by the relevant 4 month. All cats born, bought or sold after 1 July 1999 must be microchipped and lifetime registered.

Pet owners can pay for lifetime registration using the NSW Pet Registry website or through their local Council.

How to register your Animal

You are able to apply for lifetime registration in any of the following ways:

Online through the NSW Pet Registry
- Logon to the NSW Pet Registry website, find your pet using the microchip number and pay by credit card.
- If you have difficulty with completing registration through the website please contact telephone: 1300 134 460 between 9.00am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday or email: pets@olg.nsw.gov.au for assistance. For more information or view the NSW Pet Registry User Guide for Pet Owners and Breeders.
By Email: Send the Lifetime Registration form or annual permit form along with payment by completing the credit card authorisation form to cityofryde@ryde.nsw.gov.au. You can download a copy of these forms or call Council on 9952 8222 to post you out a copy.
In Person: At City of Ryde Customer Service Centre located at 1 Pope Street, Ryde. See opening hours.
By Post: Send the Lifetime Registration form with payment in by cheque, money order or completed credit card authorisation form to:

General Manager Business and Operations
City of Ryde
Locked Bag 2069
NORTH RYDE NSW 1670

For information on registration exemption see the Companion Animals Regulation 2018.

Registration Costs as at 1 July 2024

From 1 July 2024, new registration fees are in accordance with sections 18 and 27 of the Companion Animals Regulation 2018.

Registration fees for dogs and cats

Registration Type	Registration Description	Registration Fee
Dog– Standard lifetime registration	Basic lifetime registration fee for a dog Note: An extra fee applies if a dog is not desexed by 6 months of age. If a vet decides that a dog should not be desexed before 6 months of age or ever in its life, a temporary or permanent exemption from the additional fee may be granted.	$78.00
Dog– Standard lifetime registration – Eligible Pensioner	Basic lifetime registration fee for a dog owned by an eligible pensioner Note: An extra fee applies if a dog is not desexed by 6 months of age. If a vet decides that a dog should not be desexed before 6 months of age or ever in its life, a temporary or permanent exemption from the additional fee may be granted.	$34.00
Dog– Additional fee payable for non-desexed	Owner must pay an extra registration fee for dogs that are not desexed by 6 months of age.	$184.00
Cat– Standard lifetime registration	Basic lifetime registration fee for a cat Note: Anannual permit feeapplies if a cat is not desexed by 4 months of age. If a vet determines that a cat should not be desexed before 4 months of age or ever in its life, a temporary or permanent exemption from the annual permit fee may be granted.	$68.00
Cat– Standard lifetime registration – eligible pensioner	Basic lifetime registration fee for a cat owned by an eligible pensioner Note: Anannual permit feeapplies if a cat is not desexed by 4 months of age. If a vet determines that a cat should not be desexed before 4 months of age or ever in its life, a temporary or permanent exemption from the annual permit fee may be granted.	$34.00
Registration late fee	The owner must also pay a late fee if they have not paid the registration fee on the due date or within 28 days of when it was due.	$22.00

Registration fees for recognised breeding animals

Registration Type	Registration Description	Registration Fee
Dog – Recognised breeding dog	Dog not desexed by 6 months of age and kept by a recognised breeder for breeding purposes. Note: Breeder must give council the necessary documentation so council can validate that the dog qualifies for this registration fee type.	$78.00
Cat – Recognised breeding cat	Cat not desexed by 4 months of age and kept by a recognised breeder for breeding purposes. Note: Breeder must give council the necessary documentation so council can validate the cat qualifies for this registration fee type.	$68.00

No pet registration fee payable

Registration Type	Registration Description	Registration Fee
Dog– Desexed dog sold by council pound, shelter, or rehoming organisation	Desexed dog sold by a council pound, shelter or an approved rehoming organisation. Note: Owners who adopt from a council pound, shelter or an approved rehoming organisation do not have to pay an annual permit fee if the dog is desexed after 6 months of age.	$0
Dog– Service of the state	Dog in the service of the NSW Government, for example, a police dog	$0
Dog– Working	Working dog	$0
Dog– Assistance animal	Assistance animal	$0
Cat– Desexed cat sold by council pound, shelter, or rehoming organisation	Desexed cat sold by an eligible council pound, shelter or rehoming organisation Note: Owners who adopt from a council pound, shelter or an approved rehoming organisation do not have to pay an annual permit fee if the cat is desexed after 4 months of age.	$0
Cat– Assistance animal	Assistance animal	$0

Annual Permit Fees

Permit Type	Permit Description	Annual Permit Fee
Non-desexed cat	Cat not desexed by 4 months of age	$96.00
Dangerous dog	Dog declared to be dangerous	$230.00
Restricted dog	Dog declared to be a restricted breed or restricted by birth	$230.00
Annual permit late fee	Owner must also pay the late fee if they have not paid the annual permit fee within 28 days from the due date.	$22.00

*An eligible pensioner includes a person in receipt of the aged pension, carer payment, disability support pension, jobseeker, youth allowance and parenting payment and including Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) payment. If you are unsure whether you are an eligible pensioner, please contact your local council.

Above fees as published by the NSW Government at time of publication.

A list of registration categories, current fees for 2024/2025 are provided on the Office of Local Government’s (OLG) website. To view, visit Registration and permit fees.