Hong Kong regulates dog breeding more tightly than most places breeders sell into: anyone who breeds dogs and sells the puppies needs a license, every breeding female must be enrolled before she whelps, and every litter is checked by government officers before a single puppy can be sold.
The most important first
- Breeding and selling dogs requires a Dog Breeder Licence from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Trading and Breeding) Regulations, Cap. 139B. AFCD states that trading without the proper license or permit carries a fine of up to HK$100,000.
- There are two categories: Category A for up to four breeding females kept at the licensee’s normal residence, and Category B for more than four, kept at licensed premises.
- Breeding females must be enrolled with AFCD before they give birth. AFCD is explicit that litters born to dogs which are not enrolled may not be sold under the license.
- Before any puppy is sold, the breeder presents the puppy and its mother to AFCD officers, who check microchips and vaccination records and endorse a Dog Breeder’s Declaration that the buyer receives a copy of.
- AFCD’s guidance for licensed sellers states that dogs must be at least 10 weeks old when sold. A one-off permit for selling a pet dog cannot be used to sell litters.
Rules last checked: November 1, 2026
We checked this page against the official sources listed below on the date above. Rules can change after that date, and no single page can cover every situation, so something that matters to you may have been amended since, or may not be covered here at all. Before you rely on it, check these as well:
- The current AFCD conditions: license conditions, fees and the code of practice are revised from time to time. Use the latest versions on the AFCD website, not a saved copy.
- Your adult dogs: dog licensing, microchipping and vaccination requirements apply to every dog you keep, not only to puppies for sale.
- Where you live: your tenancy agreement or your building’s rules may restrict keeping or breeding dogs, whatever your license allows.
- Imports and exports: bringing in a breeding dog or sending a puppy abroad needs AFCD permits and the destination’s own requirements.
- Business obligations: selling puppies as a business can bring registration and tax obligations of its own.
Check the current rules at the source before each breeding year and before any sale that is new to you, such as a first litter or a first buyer in another state or country. Ask the authority in writing when the answer matters, and keep a dated note of what you checked and what you were told.
Which license you need
AFCD issues two kinds of Dog Breeder Licence. Category A covers keeping up to four female dogs for breeding and selling those dogs or their offspring, normally from the licensee’s home; one person may hold one. Category B covers more than four breeding females kept at licensed premises, and also allows the sale of dogs from certain other approved sources. Both are open only to individuals aged 18 or over, and both are valid for 12 months, with AFCD sending a renewal notice about two months before expiry. AFCD lists breaching a license condition as carrying a fine of up to HK$50,000.
The one-off permit is something different. It is for a person selling a single dog they have kept as a pet, requires them to have been the dog’s licensed keeper for at least four consecutive months, and is limited to two permits in any four-year period. It cannot be used to sell puppies from breeding.
Enrolling breeding females
Every bitch you intend to breed from must be enrolled with AFCD before she gives birth. She must belong to the licensee and must have been licensed in the licensee’s name for at least four consecutive months before enrollment. Sires do not need to be enrolled, but their details must be recorded. AFCD also limits how often enrolled females can be removed from the program other than at retirement, and its licensing page describes retirement at five years old or after four litters, after which the dog cannot be bred again. Where the licensing page and the code of practice below set different limits, confirm with AFCD which applies to you.
The practical consequence is that breeding decisions have to be made months in advance. A bitch you have just bought or imported cannot simply be mated this season: she must first be licensed in your name for four months and then enrolled, and the litter must be born after enrollment.
Breeding limits and standards of care
Category A licensees work to AFCD’s Code of Practice for Dog Breeders (Category A). Among its mandatory requirements, a female dog must not give birth when she is under 18 months or over 74 months of age, must not have more than six litters in total, and must not have more than three litters within any two-year period; sires under nine months or over 72 months may not be mated. The code adds best practice of no more than one litter a year, at least 12 months between litters and five litters in total, and states that retired breeding dogs should be desexed. The license conditions are stricter for enrolled females, which retire at five years or after four litters, whichever comes first. Plan your program around the stricter rule.
The code also sets housing standards, including minimum floor areas per dog by size, requires an annual health check by a registered veterinary surgeon for every enrolled female, and requires a veterinary examination no more than 30 days before a dog is offered for sale, with sale only at least two weeks after the second vaccination. Socialization is written into it: the code requires it to begin before sale, and recommends gentle daily handling (about five minutes a day) from one to four weeks and at least 30 minutes of handling or play a day from four to ten weeks — the work described in socialization. Records must be kept neatly and be available to authorized officers at all times; see record-keeping and documentation.
The breeder’s declaration before sale
Before you sell any puppy, you must book an appointment and present the puppy and its mother to AFCD officers. They check the microchips and vaccination records, you make the Dog Breeder’s Declaration in their presence, and AFCD endorses it; officers may take cheek swabs for DNA verification. The declaration can be made once the puppy has been microchipped and has had its first vaccination. Walk-in visits are not accepted, so build the appointment into your handover planning.
What the buyer must receive
AFCD’s guidance on the responsibilities of licensed sellers sets out what buyers are entitled to:
- A displayed license on the premises, which buyers can verify with AFCD.
- A dog of at least 10 weeks of age.
- A microchip implanted by a registered veterinarian in the format AFCD specifies, with the number shown on the documents, vaccination records and proof of origin.
- Original vaccination, deworming and treatment records from a registered veterinarian, showing the dog’s breed and age.
- For a puppy from a local licensed breeder, a copy of the AFCD-endorsed Dog Breeder’s Declaration.
- Where applicable, the chance to visit the breeding premises and see the parents and their living conditions.
- For dogs over five months old, the original dog license, with AFCD notified of the change of owner within five days of sale.
You may not sell a dog to anyone under 16. Puppies must carry a 9-digit microchip in the AVID format, and you must have a scanner available. They need at least two vaccinations from a registered veterinarian, normally at least two weeks apart, covering distemper, parvovirus, infectious hepatitis and parainfluenza, and they cannot be sold until two weeks after the second one.
Imported dogs need a health certificate from the place of export and a special permit from AFCD; the wider picture is in export and international sales.
In practice
A breeder buys a promising young bitch from overseas and plans a litter at her second heat. When she calls AFCD to enroll her, she learns that the bitch must first have been licensed in her name for four consecutive months. The heat arrives three weeks too early. She waits a season, enrolls the bitch on time, and now keeps a simple calendar for every dog showing the license date, the earliest enrollment date and the AFCD declaration appointment for each planned litter.
(Illustrative, composite scenario.)
Consumer rights when buying a puppy
Hong Kong has no pet-specific purchase law. The Trade Descriptions Ordinance (Cap. 362) bans false or misleading trade descriptions and unfair practices for goods sold in trade, and buyers can complain to the Consumer Council, which warned in 2025 that pets bought online were more often in poor health than those bought from physical shops.
What the kennel clubs say
The pedigree registry in Hong Kong is the Hong Kong Kennel Club (HKKC), which appears on the FCI’s list of members and partners, so the FCI’s International Breeding Rules form the baseline.
Not confirmed, but worth noting: HKKC’s own breeding and registration rules could not be read online; ask the club before planning a litter. It is also not confirmed whether a live animal counts as “goods” under Cap. 362.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
Rules change, so always check with your own kennel club.
Work on it
A few minutes here will teach you more than re-reading the article.
Ask yourself
- Is every bitch I plan to breed from this year already enrolled with AFCD, and was she licensed in my name for four months before that?
- Does my breeding plan stay within the code’s limits on age, number of litters and litters per two years?
- Have I booked, or planned, the AFCD declaration appointment for my next litter?
Find out & check
- Read the current license conditions and code of practice on the AFCD website and confirm with AFCD which category applies to your plans.
Do one thing
- Make a one-page calendar per breeding dog with license date, enrollment date, planned litters and declaration appointments.
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Sources & further reading
- Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), Hong Kong — Animal Management (Animal Trading and Breeding). pets.gov.hk
- AFCD, Hong Kong — Code of Practice for Dog Breeders (Category A). pets.gov.hk
- AFCD, Hong Kong — Code of Practice for Dog Breeders (Category B). pets.gov.hk
- AFCD, Hong Kong — Understand the responsibilities of licensed sellers. pets.gov.hk
- AFCD, Hong Kong — Import of dogs and cats: information. afcd.gov.hk
- Hong Kong Government (Legislative Council reply, 12 July 2017) — LCQ7: Animal trading (amended Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Trading and Breeding) Regulations, Cap. 139B; Category A and B dog breeder licences). info.gov.hk
- FCI — Members and contract partners. fci.be
- Hong Kong Government (LegCo reply) — LCQ1: Pet food – Trade Descriptions Ordinance (Cap. 362). info.gov.hk
- South China Morning Post — Hong Kong vets report higher rates of poor health for online-bought cats, dogs (Consumer Council, 2025). scmp.com
Where evidence is limited, recommendations rest on established practice and expert judgment, and may be updated as knowledge develops. This is general information, not legal or financial advice: requirements differ between jurisdictions and change over time — confirm the current rules with the authority named here and have your own situation reviewed by a qualified professional where you breed.
Next steps
- Read next: Breeding and selling puppies in Canada.
- Related: Laws, regulations and kennel clubs · Breeding and selling puppies in Australia: state rules, breeder numbers and limits.
- Return to the area hub: Becoming a responsible breeder.