Registering your dog in Beijing

If you have a dog in Beijing, you are required to cooperate with the Public Security Bureau (PSB) to register the dog at the local police precinct (派出所 pai chu suo). Registrations are valid until April 30th every year. Registrations must be renewed annually during the registration period, which is usually May 1st – June 30th!

While getting everything in order to register your dog can be stressful, the registration process itself at the PSB is simple and straightforward, and may take only 10 minutes. For the inner 5 rings of Beijing, only dogs under 35cm at the shoulder may be registered. However, you do not typically need to bring your dog with you when you register – and should not unless you’re specifically asked.

A Beijing Dog License issued by the Public Security Bureau (PSB)

Common Questions

In Beijing, dogs are not registered to an individual but are instead registered to a household address. Each household is only allowed to register one dog. Therefore, if you have more than one dog, you should ask a friend to allow you to register your 2nd dog under their household address.

Within the 5th ring road, dogs must be less than 35cm tall from the paw to the shoulder. Typically, you do not need to bring your dog to the PSB during your registration visit, so it is up to each individual police officer to determine if your dog looks like it meets the size restriction from the photo. If your dog is slightly taller than 35cm, there is a good chance that your dog will be approved without any issue.

However, if your dog is an obviously large breed (such as a Golden Retriever, Husky, German Shepherd, etc) it is recommended that you register your dog to a household address outside of the 5th ring road. Please contact us if you need any special assistance registering your large dog.

If your dog is neutered/spayed, you may be eligible for a 50% discount on the initial registration fee and up to 40% discount on the annual renewal fee.

In order to receive the discount, you must get a certificate from your vet to show that the dog has been neutered/spayed. Please note that the vet must be legally registered and licensed in order to provide a valid certificate.

Every dog in China must rabies vaccinated annually. In order to register your dog, you must have a rabies vaccination from the past 12 months.

Typically, you will receive your registration license within a month, but this depends on your local PSB precinct. Until you receive the license, you must keep the official 发票 (tax bureau receipt fapiao) as proof that your dog has been registered.

Preparing for your visit to the PSB

Before heading to the PSB, you will need the following items:

1. Your passport/ID card

2. Your lease

3. A notice from your community proving you live there (talk to your community office)

4. Your residence permit (obtained from PSB)

5. Your dog’s rabies vaccination certificate OR vaccination booklet (must be rabies vaccinated)

6. 2x 1-inch passport photos of your dog, clearly showing their head

7. Cash (the amount will depend on your district but is typically RMB 500-1000 within the 5th ring road)

8. OPTIONAL: Certificate of spay/neuter from your veterinarian (usually gives 50% of initial registration costs, and a discount on renewals if the dog has previously been registered)

Ask your local vet which PSB handles registrations in your area. The vet will also have a rough idea of how much registration will cost – anywhere from 100 RMB (Shunyi District for a neutered dog) to 1000 RMB for a first-time registration.

The registration process should be relatively pain free: present yourself at the PSB with all your documents and cash in hand. Ask a guard for directions if the PSB is large (”gǒu gǒu de kǎ” was enough for the guard to understand what I wanted and he pointed me in the right direction). The person behind the wicket will verify your documents, ask for your phone number, and either make your card on the spot or provide you with a receipt (fa piao) and mail out the card later.

Once you’ve got your card, your dog is registered!

NOTE: This is the process that worked at the Houshayu Police Station in Shunyi on May 8th 2019 – we will update this article if we find the process differs for other districts (especially those inside the 5th ring road).