In Mexico, the rules for breeding and selling dogs are set mainly by each state. We found no federal law that licenses breeders or limits breeding, so this page uses Mexico City as the main example, and adds the federal rules for bringing dogs into the country. If you breed in another state, check that state’s animal protection law.
The most important first
- In Mexico City, establishments that breed, raise or sell companion animals must obtain a registration key and an operating license, and boroughs (alcaldías) keep a register of breeders.
- Animals may be sold only in authorized establishments. Sales on public streets, from vehicles, in supermarkets and department stores, and in markets that do not meet the law’s requirements are banned.
- Each sale needs a purchase certificate with the animal’s identification, microchip number and the buyer’s details, plus vaccination and health certificates.
- The version of the Mexico City law we read bans selling animals before four months of age and selling to anyone under 18 unless an adult takes responsibility.
- Every companion animal in Mexico City must be registered, free of charge, in the Registro Único de Animales de Compañía (RUAC).
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:
- The current text of your state’s law: Mexico City’s animal protection law has been reformed several times, most recently after the version we read; use the current text from the city government.
- Your borough or municipality: registration of breeders and establishments is handled locally; ask how it applies to breeding from home.
- Other states: each state has its own animal protection law; this page does not cover them.
- Imports and exports: SENASICA updates its requirements; check before every import, and check the destination’s rules before an export — 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
Mexico City: who must register
The Mexico City Law on the Protection and Welfare of Animals (Ley de Protección y Bienestar de los Animales de la Ciudad de México), first published in 2002 and reformed many times since, defines a breeder as a person or company engaged in reproducing, selecting or breeding animals, and a breeding facility (criadero) as a place where animals are bred and raised for sale. Article 28 Bis requires establishments that breed, select, raise or sell companion animals to obtain a registration key (Clave de Registro), with a municipal operating license from the borough, contact details, a list of the species sold, photos and a site plan, and a contract with a veterinarian. Breeders must keep sanitary conditions, provide food, water, shelter, trained staff, veterinary care and isolation areas. The boroughs register and supervise breeders. The general structure of breeding law is in laws, regulations and kennel clubs.
We did not find a minimum breeding age, a litter limit or a rest period between litters in the text we read.
Mexico City: selling a puppy
Animals may be sold only in authorized commercial establishments. The law bans sales on public streets and from vehicles, in department stores, supermarkets and other businesses that do not mainly sell animals, and in public markets that do not meet its requirements. Catalog sales are allowed if they comply with federal and local rules. The seller must give the buyer a purchase certificate showing the animal’s identification number, breed, age, the microchip, and the buyer’s name, phone number and address, together with a vaccination certificate and a health certificate. Sales come with a 15-day guarantee for hidden injuries or illnesses that were incubating at the time of sale.
The version of the law we read, last reformed in March 2024, bans selling animals before they are four months old, in Article 28 Bis. Live animals may not be sold to anyone under 18 unless an adult takes responsibility for them. Later reforms have been published, so check the current text before you set a selling age.
Mexico City: the RUAC register
Every companion animal in Mexico City must be registered in the Registro Único de Animales de Compañía (RUAC), which is free and run online by the city’s Animal Care Agency. Owners must register their animals and fit a collar or harness showing the animal’s name, RUAC number and the owner’s contact details, and failing to register can lead to administrative sanctions. Record each puppy’s microchip number and RUAC details in your kennel records, and give the buyer what they need to register.
Bringing a dog into Mexico
According to the Mexican foreign ministry’s embassy guidance on SENASICA’s rules (updated March 2026), every traveler with a dog must apply for a zoosanitary import certificate at the point of entry, and the dog is inspected on arrival for good health, external parasites and fresh or healing wounds. Dogs from the United States and Canada do not need to show a health certificate or vaccination card. Dogs from other countries need a certificate of good health from a licensed veterinarian, issued no more than 15 days before travel, confirming internal and external deworming in the previous six months and a current rabies vaccination, except for puppies under three months. This guidance covers pets traveling with their owners; importing dogs for sale is a separate matter to check with SENASICA. See exporting puppies and international sales.
What the kennel clubs say
The Federación Canófila Mexicana (FCM) is the club listed for Mexico by the FCI. 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. The legal rules on this page apply whether or not a litter is registered with the FCM.
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
- Reforms since 2024. Mexico City has published later reforms of the law, and news reports in 2026 describe new rules on selling dogs and cats online and on displaying them in cages. We could not open the current consolidated text, so check the current selling age and online sales rules with the city.
- The FCM’s own breeding rules. We could not open the FCM’s rule documents, so we do not state its limits here.
- Other states. We did not check the laws of states other than Mexico City.
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 in Mexico City who has sold puppies directly from home reads the law and realizes that sales must go through an authorized establishment. She asks her borough how to register as a breeder, contracts a veterinarian, and prepares a purchase certificate template with each puppy’s identification, microchip number and the buyer’s details. She checks the current text of the law for the minimum selling age before she sets the date for her next litter to go home.
(Illustrative, composite scenario.)
Work on it
A few minutes here will teach you more than re-reading the article.
Ask yourself
- Which state’s animal protection law applies where I breed, and does it require me to register?
- Does every sale come with a purchase certificate, a vaccination certificate and a health certificate?
- Do I know the current minimum selling age where I live?
Find out & check
- Ask your borough or municipality how breeders are registered and which version of the animal protection law is in force.
Do one thing
- Write a purchase certificate template with every detail the law asks for, and use it for your next litter.
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Sources & further reading
- Government of Mexico City — Ley de Protección y Bienestar de los Animales de la Ciudad de México (version with last reform March 27, 2024). sebien.cdmx.gob.mx
- Secretaría del Medio Ambiente de la Ciudad de México (SEDEMA) — Ley de Protección y Bienestar de los Animales de la Ciudad de México (version with last reform May 2, 2025). sedema.cdmx.gob.mx
- Government of Mexico City, Regulatory Improvement — Reglamento de la Ley de Protección a los Animales del Distrito Federal (2010). regulaciones.cdmx.gob.mx
- Embassy of Mexico in Austria (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores) — Frequently asked questions: entering Mexico with pets (March 2026, on SENASICA’s requirements). embamex.sre.gob.mx
- 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 the United States.
- Related: Breeding and selling puppies in Canada · Pre-breeding regulatory checklist: what to confirm before you breed.
- Return to the area hub: Becoming a responsible breeder.