Bundesportal | Animals: permit for commercial breeding, keeping, trade and other activities

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Publisher

Thuringia

Last update or date of publication

September 14, 2026

Contact

The government service telephone number 115 – your point of contact for questions related to the federal, state and local.

Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 18:00 (and beyond these times in some regions).

Call 115 now

Government service telephone number calls are charged at local rates.

You need a permit from the competent authority if you wish to engage in the following activities on a commercial basis:

Breeding and keeping vertebrates other than farm animals and game kept in enclosures
Trading in vertebrates
Operating a riding and driving facility
Exhibiting animals and making animals available for such purposes
Controlling vertebrates as pests
Training dogs for third parties or instructing dog owners in the training of their dogs

This permit is also required if you

Keep animals in an animal shelter or a similar facility
Keep animals in a zoo or other facility where animals are kept and exhibited
Train dogs for protection purposes on behalf of third parties or maintain facilities for this purpose
Bring vertebrates that are not livestock into the country or import them for the purpose of selling them for a fee or other consideration, or act as an intermediary in the sale of such animals—which are to be or have been brought into the country or imported—for a fee or other consideration
Organizing animal fairs for the purpose of the exchange or sale of animals by third parties
Keeping or breeding vertebrates or cephalopods intended for use in animal experiments, or whose organs or tissues are intended for scientific purposes
Keep or breed vertebrates for the removal of organs and tissues for purposes other than scientific ones

Application for a permit stating the place, date and handwritten signature
Extract from the central business register
If applicable, a certificate of good conduct for submission to an authority (if the applicant's reliability has not already been proven elsewhere or is known to the competent authority)
Proof of identity
Information with signature of the applicant about:
- Name and business address of the applicant,
- activity for which the permit is requested
- Type of animals involved with anticipated maximum number of animals intended to be housed,
- address, type and description of the premises and facilities intended for the activity, sketch or blueprint of the premises, if applicable
- name and business address of the person responsible for the activity
- professional qualification of the person responsible for the activity and proof thereof
Evidence of the required expertise (certified copy of the expertise certificate).

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

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

Anlage 1 zum Antrag auf Erlaubniserteilung nach § 11 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 8 Buchstabe d des Tierschutzgesetzes

Anlage 2 zum Antrag auf Erlaubniserteilung nach § 11 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 8 Buchstabe d des Tierschutzgesetzes

Antrag auf Erteilung einer Erlaubnis nach § 11 Abs. 1 Nr. 7 Tierschutzgesetzes

Antrag auf Erteilung einer Erlaubnis nach § 11 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 8 Buchstabe d des Tierschutzgesetzes für Zirkusbetriebe

Antrag auf Erteilung einer Erlaubnis nach § 11 Tierschutzgesetz

Preconditions

General requirements are that

you have a professional qualification or
professional knowledge and skills in the field you wish to operate commercially, or with regard to the keeping, care and accommodation of the animal species concerned, 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 may be granted subject to time limits, conditions and requirements, insofar as this is necessary for the protection of the animals.

Hints

Please enquire about the exact requirements with the responsible authority in good time before the intended commencement of the activity.

Acting without the required, valid permit is an administrative offense.

A fee range of 27 to 500 EUR (procedural costs, service fee, other expenses if applicable) is currently set for the granting of the permit.

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

Basis for legal action

General Administrative Regulation on the Implementation of the Animal Welfare Act (Section 12, Annexes 4 through 6)

Section 2, Paragraph 11 of the Thuringian Animal Welfare Jurisdiction Ordinance (ThürTierSchZVO)

Thuringian Administrative Cost Regulations for the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health, Women, and Family, Part C, No. 3.1

§ 11 Animal Welfare Act (TierSchG)

§ 18(1)(20) of the Animal Welfare Act (TierSchG)

§ 2 Animal Welfare Act (TierSchG)

§ 21 Animal Welfare Act (TierSchG)

Legal Remedies

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).

Procedure

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 activity or whether additional documents are required.
Subsequently, 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.

Deadlines

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

Processing time

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.