New pet ID scheme due to come into force next year. | Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter

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At the beginning of this month, the Council of Ministers approved the second round of the so-called Animal Welfare Law, a regulatory framework that seeks to improve pet ownership conditions and reduce the non-euthanasic or sanitary slaughter and abandonment of pets.

This new law also regulates the breeding, transport and sale of animals and establishes a framework of penalties for those owners who do not respect the limits set, which also covers shows or activities with animals that could cause them any kind of harm.

But beyond sanctions and prohibitions, this law also seeks to improve the registration and control of pets living in Spain in order to improve animal welfare and animal rights.

Although after approving the draft bill, parliamentary approval is still needed, it is expected that this law will come into force in 2023.

One of the aspects that, according to article 10, will come after the approval of the Law for the Protection, Rights and Welfare of Animals is the creation of the Central System of Registers for Animal Protection, a system that brings together the different methods of identification of pets.
This is commonly known as the DNI for pets, which is expected to come into force next year.

What is the animal ID card?
It will be a digital document with access to a national register where the details of the animals can be found, regardless of the autonomous community from which the inquiry is made. Other information that would be available would include vaccinations, contact details of the owners and other essential details.

It is also expected that this DNI will be completely free of charge and that it will reach owners automatically, after registering their pet in the corresponding animal registry and implanting the mandatory microchip.

In Spain there are several: the Register of Animal Protection Organisations, the Register of Animal Behaviour Professionals, the Register of Companion Animals, the Register of Zoological Nuclei of Companion Animals and the Register of Breeders.