We found no national law in China that licenses dog breeders or sets breeding limits. The national animal epidemic law requires every dog to be vaccinated against rabies and registered, and most of the detail — who may keep a dog, how many, where, and at what fee — is set by each city. If you breed or sell dogs in China, the rules of the city where your dogs live matter more than any national standard.
The most important first
- Under the national Animal Epidemic Prevention Law, in force since May 1, 2021, anyone keeping dogs must have them vaccinated against rabies regularly and register them with the local dog registration authority, using the vaccination certificate from an animal clinic.
- Cities set their own dog management rules. In Beijing, dogs must be registered with the district public security bureau within 30 days and inspected every year; in Shanghai, dogs are licensed through the police, and each household in urban areas may keep only one dog.
- We found no national law that licenses dog breeders or limits breeding age or litters; check with your city whether a breeding or sales business needs its own permit.
- Bringing a dog into China is limited to one dog or one cat per person per entry, with a microchip, health and vaccination certificates and, from many countries, a rabies antibody test — otherwise 30 days of quarantine.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
Rules last checked: November 8, 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:
- Your city: dog management rules differ from city to city, and some cities restrict breeds, numbers or areas; check the current rules where your dogs live.
- Business permits: ask the local market regulation and agriculture authorities whether breeding or selling dogs needs a business license or other permit.
- Imports: China Customs updates its pet entry rules and the designated country list; check before every import.
- Exports: sending a puppy abroad needs the destination’s own requirements — see export and international sales.
- Business obligations: a breeding business has 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.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
National law: rabies vaccination and registration
The national Animal Epidemic Prevention Law, revised with effect from May 1, 2021, puts the basic duty on everyone who keeps dogs, whether an individual or an organization: dogs must be vaccinated against rabies regularly as required, and the owner must apply for registration with the local dog registration authority, using the immunization certificate issued by an animal clinic. The law leaves the detailed rules on dog keeping to local governments. The general structure of breeding law is in laws, regulations and kennel clubs.
City rules: Beijing
Beijing’s Measures on Dog Registration and Annual Inspection, in force since 2003, require an owner to register a dog with the district or county public security bureau within 30 days, after getting a certificate from the neighborhood or village committee confirming that they meet the conditions for keeping a dog. Organizations register in a similar way. Each registration must be inspected every year between May 1 and June 30, with the registration certificate and the immunization certificate. The fee in the key management areas is 1,000 yuan in the first year and 500 yuan after that. Failing to register or to attend the annual inspection can lead to the dog being confiscated or to a fine of 5,000 yuan for an organization or 2,000 yuan for an individual. The measures refer to areas where keeping dogs is prohibited, which are set separately.
City rules: Shanghai
In Shanghai, dogs are licensed at the local police station or online. The owner must be over 18 with a fixed residence in Shanghai and must show the dog’s immunization certificate. The annual fee is 500 yuan inside the Inner Ring Road and 300 yuan elsewhere, with no charge in rural areas, and the license must be renewed every year. In urban areas each household, defined by residential property, may keep only one dog; according to the city government, an extra dog must be transferred to someone who meets the conditions for keeping a dog or to an approved shelter. A breeder in Shanghai who keeps several breeding dogs in an urban area should ask the police and the district authorities which rules apply before acquiring them.
Selling a puppy
We could not confirm a national minimum age for selling puppies, a national requirement to microchip puppies before sale, or national rules on advertising dogs for sale. In practice, the buyer needs the puppy’s immunization certificate to license it, so give each buyer the vaccination record from the animal clinic and any registration documents. Keep the details in your kennel records.
Imports and exports
Under the General Administration of Customs’ Announcement No. 5 of 2019, in force since May 1, 2019, each person may bring one dog or one cat into China per entry. The dog must have a microchip and valid quarantine and rabies vaccination certificates from the official authority of the exporting country. Dogs from countries on China’s designated list can avoid quarantine with a valid chip and an on-site inspection; dogs from other countries also need a rabies antibody test of at least 0.5 IU/ml from a laboratory recognized by China Customs. Dogs that do not meet the requirements are quarantined for 30 days at a designated site, and must enter through a port with quarantine facilities. Shanghai’s government lists Japan, Singapore, the UK, Australia, Hong Kong and Macao among the designated countries and regions. The announcement covers pets traveling with their owners; importing dogs for sale is a separate matter to check with customs. See exporting puppies and international sales.
What the kennel clubs say
The China Kennel Union (CKU) is the club listed for China in FCI statistics. In FCI countries, national kennel clubs set their breeding rules on top of the FCI’s International Breeding Rules, which themselves set no age or litter limits. Check the CKU’s own registration rules before you register a litter.
Source: FCI, International Breeding Rules. National kennel clubs may set stricter rules.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
Rules change, so always check with your own kennel club.
Not confirmed, but worth noting
- Rules for breeding and sales businesses. Some cities may have their own rules for dog breeding or pet sales businesses; we could not open and confirm them.
- The CKU’s breeding rules and current FCI status. We could not open the CKU’s rule documents or confirm its current status with the FCI.
- A minimum selling age. We found no national minimum age for selling puppies.
We could not confirm these points in the official text on the date checked, so treat them as questions to put to your authority, not as rules.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
In practice
A breeder moving from Hong Kong to Shanghai with two breeding dogs checks the rules before the move. She learns that she may bring one dog per person per entry, so her partner travels with the second dog, and that her new urban apartment allows only one licensed dog. She rents a house outside the urban districts instead, asks the local police station how it applies the one-dog rule there, and books rabies vaccinations so both dogs can be licensed within the deadline.
(Illustrative, composite scenario.)
Work on it
A few minutes here will teach you more than re-reading the article.
Ask yourself
- Which city’s dog rules apply where my dogs live, and do they limit how many dogs I may keep?
- Is every dog I keep vaccinated and registered, with the annual inspection or renewal done?
- Does my city require a separate permit for a breeding or sales business?
Find out & check
- Ask your local police station and the city’s agriculture or market regulation authority whether breeding and selling dogs needs its own permit where you live.
Do one thing
- Make a list of each dog’s vaccination date, registration number and renewal date, and put the renewals in your calendar.
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Sources & further reading
- Shenzhen Administration for Market Regulation — explanatory note to the Technical specification for rabies immunization of dogs and cats, citing Article 30 of the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law (in force May 1, 2021). amr.sz.gov.cn
- Beijing Municipal People’s Government — Beijing Measures on Dog Registration and Annual Inspection (Order No. 136). beijing.gov.cn
- Shanghai Municipal People’s Government — How to get a dog license (updated July 21, 2026). english.shanghai.gov.cn
- Shanghai Municipal People’s Government — What to do if I want to keep two dogs? (November 4, 2025). english.shanghai.gov.cn
- Beijing Municipal People’s Government — Announcement [2019] No. 5 of GACC on further regulations regarding the quarantine and supervision of pets entering China. english.beijing.gov.cn
- Shanghai Municipal People’s Government — How to bring pets to China (December 12, 2023). english.shanghai.gov.cn
- Fédération Cynologique Internationale — International Breeding Rules of the FCI. fci.be
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 Hong Kong.
- Related: Breeding and selling puppies in Japan · Pre-breeding regulatory checklist: what to confirm before you breed.
- Return to the area hub: Becoming a responsible breeder.