Mary Allen
Ayayayayay, did something slip through your fingers? You haven’t registered your dog for tax purposes?
That costs trouble and money. But you don’t have to stick your head in the sand! We are here to help you.
In these lines we tell you what you should do if you forgot to register your dog. You will also find out where you can catch up on the registration and how it works with dog taxes and dog tags.
Hey, this happens to everyone! Just see it as an opportunity to learn from it and do it better next time – before there is trouble!
I haven’t registered my dog - what should I do?
What happens if I register my dog too late or completely forget to register it?
Let’s put it this way: as long as no one has caught you committing your offense, you can register your dog at any time!
However, if you’re at the point where someone called you out or there’s been an accident involving your dog, things start to get a little more stressful!
In this case, you still have the option of self-disclosure. You might get away with a warning and a fine.
By the way, one thing is not to register the dog and therefore not to have it registered, the other thing is tax evasion. We’ll get to that in a moment.
Where do you register the dog?
Typically, you register your dog at the local church office. You will also be asked to enter your dog in the Central Dog Register. Dogs that are on a breed list must also be registered with the public order office.
Each federal state handles the rattle lists for itself. Please find out if your dog’s breed is one of the “potentially dangerous dog breeds” where you live.
What happens if the dog doesn’t have a tax stamp?
If you register your dog, you will automatically receive a tax stamp. At best, your dog should wear this on the collar or you can take it with you somewhere else on the walk!
If your dog does not have a tax stamp or is not registered for tax purposes, this can cost you high fines.
Tax evasion is punishable by a prison sentence of 5 to 10 years! It’s definitely not worth it, so (in this case) please obey the law!
As trite as it may sound: ignorance does not protect against punishment! So it is absolutely your responsibility.
What is the penalty for an unregistered dog?
The penalty for an unregistered dog varies. Depending on the federal state and depending on whether you intentionally or accidentally did not register your dog?
In the best case, you only have to pay the taxes for the period in which your dog is already living with you. However, there can also be a fine on top of that, since it is an administrative offence.
The penalty for this offense can actually be up to 10,000 euros!
What happens if I haven’t paid the dog tax for years?
If you haven’t paid a dog tax for years, be sure to register your dog as soon as possible!
Why? Because it doesn’t get any better!
You risk being forced to register and make additional payments at some point and commit an administrative offence.
Tax evasion is a serious offense in Germany and can cost you up to 10 years of freedom and a fine of 10,000 euros!
Please don’t do it!
Can you avoid the dog tax?
Not really. You might want to relocate if your area has a particularly high dog tax rate.
Some municipalities have a significantly lower tax rate than others. However, you are not really avoiding the dog tax by doing so.
Guide dogs for the blind, police service dogs and other assistance dogs such as trained therapy and visiting dogs are exceptions. In short: dogs with benefits.
You can be exempt from tax if you have a severely disabled person’s pass or if all other requirements for exemption are met.
Private individuals have no chance of being exempt from the dog tax. Also not for Hartz IV recipients.
Conclusion: Dog not registered, what now?
Take a deep breath.
If you forgot to register your dog, you can easily make up for it!
Insight and initiative can save you from worse.
Our tip: Stand up for your actions and accept the consequences. It may be that you have to pay the dog tax for the last few years and possibly also have to pay a fine. But please make yourself aware that you should have informed yourself beforehand and that all dog owners feel the same way.
Do not put off the official procedure any longer, but get it done promptly!
Do you have any questions about dog tax? Then leave us a comment and we’ll see how we can help you!