Cat and dog owners across Abu Dhabi now risk financial penalties if their animals remain off the emirate’s official register, following the expiry of a compliance deadline on February 3, 2026. The requirement first took effect in February 2025, when authorities gave individual owners twelve months to sign up their animals before enforcement kicked in.
Each unregistered animal now carries a penalty of AED 1,000. Additional fines exist for welfare-related offenses: owners who abandon an animal can be charged AED 2,000, and cases of neglect or cruelty may draw penalties reaching AED 5,000 under Article 471 of the UAE Penal Code.
Behind the mandate lies a data problem. The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) said officials previously lacked dependable figures on how many cats and dogs lived in the emirate, which hampered planning for veterinary care, vaccination drives and efforts to manage strays. A single registry now ties each animal to its owner, its medical history and its microchip.
Officials have framed the initiative around a concept they call a “Family Space,” in which a registered pet is folded into the emirate’s broader welfare and safety structure instead of sitting outside any formal record. The system is also meant to speed up the return of missing animals and gradually bring down stray numbers.
Compliance timelines differed by category of owner. Private individuals received the full year, whereas businesses handling animals, including pet shops, shelters and catteries, were held to a six-month window. Any change in ownership, whether one resident hands an animal to another or a business releases one to a private home, has to be logged on the platform, and the incoming owner then becomes responsible for renewals and continued compliance.
Registering an animal starts at a licensed veterinary clinic. Staff there check for a microchip and fit one if the animal doesn’t already have it, carry out a basic examination and confirm vaccinations are current. The vet then files the owner’s information through TAMM using an Emirates ID and an active UAE Pass, after which the owner receives an official animal ownership certificate. Owners need to bring their Emirates ID, an active UAE Pass account, the animal itself and any vaccination records they hold.
Younger animals are handled differently. A pet under twelve weeks old is given a personal file number rather than an immediate certificate, with the certificate issued later once the animal reaches the required age and finishes its vaccinations. For individual owners, the entire process carries no charge.
