Animal registration

You can easily register your pet online. All dogs and cats three months of age and over must be registered with Council.

Are your contact details up to date?

Updating your contact details assists us to reunite you with your lost pet and ensures you don’t miss out on any important communications.

A change of details may include:

A change of address within the municipality
Your contact details have changed (mobile phone number, preferred email address)
Your pet has been recently de-sexed – this will reduce your registration fee (must provide proof of de-sexing)
You have become eligible for State concession (must provide proof of State Concession card)
Lost or damaged Council registration tag (a replacement will be posted to you free of charge)

Please send us your updated details by logging a general enquiry on Online Services.

Pet registration is a legal requirement under the Domestic Animals Act 1994. All dogs and cats three months of age and over must be registered with Council.

Failing to register your dog or cat may result in either a penalty or make you liable to prosecution or both.

Your existing animal registration is available to renew now

All pet registrations are due annually by 10 April.

Registrations renewals for the 2024/2025 year have been processed and posted out to you.

To renew your registration (once you have received this in March 2024), refer to your renewal notice and the steps below.

Enter your 9-digit reference number – this is the same as the Bpay reference listed on the bottom of your renewal notice
A secondary reference number will appear – this is an internal reference and won’t be the same as the reference number entered.

If you have not received a renewal notice for your pet by late March, or if you are not sure if your pet is registered, please let us know.

And remember – your pet needs to wear their blue City of Port Phillip registration tag at all times. If your tag is missing, contact us for a replacement.

If you are unable to lodge using the online form, email our team with your pet's animal reference number at helpdesk-animalmgt@portphillip.vic.gov.au

Renew my pet registration

Which pets must be registered?

All dogs and cats three months of age and over must be registered with Council.

Most puppies and kittens are purchased or obtained between the age of eight to twelve weeks. Registering pets at a younger age ensures that more lost puppies and kittens can be returned to their owners.

Lowering the pet registration age encourages early-age desexing of dogs and cats. This prevents the breeding of unwanted dogs and cats.

Please note: An Animal Registration year runs from 10 April to 9 April the following year or part thereof. It is not 12 months from the date your pet is registered.

Register a new animal for the first time

All new registrations received from Wednesday 1 February 2024, will be valid until 9 April 2025. If you have an existing pet registration that you would like to renew, please do not select "Register a new pet". Please await your renewal notice for further details.

Please note:

You will need to provide any supporting documentation such as desexing certificates, proof of purchase, Guide or Customs dog certificates or a copy of your concession card.
Registration tags are not transferable between animals.
Check if you're eligible for a discount in our fee structure before paying.

You can also download our new animal registration form and return the completed form with the fee to one of the Town Halls cashiers. A tag will be issued on the spot.

If you are paying online or by mail, the tag will be posted to you.

Note you don't need to be a registered user of My Port Phillip to register a new pet.

Registration process

To qualify for a reduced fee your pet must have undergone obedience training at one of the following approved training organisations:
- Australian Association of Professional Dog Trainers Inc
- The Kintala Dog Club Association Inc
- DOGS Victoria
- Four Paws K9 Training.
Please note that there is no further reduction in fees of an already reduced fee registration (for example a dog that has been desexed).
Dogs and cats that are currently registered in another Victorian municipality, can be transferred to City of Port Phillip.
The current registration year is 10 April 2024 to 9 April 2025.
Proof of your paid registration for the 2024/25 registration year must be provided with your registration application. A copy of your registration renewal form from your previous council will not be accepted as proof.
Please note this does not apply to Restricted Breed dogs and dogs declared dangerous or menacing.
The tag issued to your cat or dog will remain current provided that the registration fee is paid annually and the tag should be worn by the animal at all times. This means your pet will keep the same registration tag each year with no need to go through the rigmarole of changing tags annually.
It is also a good idea for your pet to wear a separate ID tag with its name, phone number and address, so neighbours and passers-by can easily return your pet if it escapes from your property.
If your pet loses its registration tag or it is damaged, a new one can be obtained by lodging a request via Online Services or by contacting ASSIST. Alternatively, you can pick one up in person at any of our Town Halls.

Registration fees for 2024/25 Year

2024/25 fees are effective from 1 February 2024.

Dogs

Registration type	Fee
First registration? Microchipped and registered within 4 weeks of you taking ownership	Free
Desexed	$76.90
Desexed (with concession)	$38.50
Not desexed	$230.60
Not desexed (with concession)	$115.30
Service dogs (proof required)	Free
Restricted breed (applications must be submitted in person)	$315.90

Cats

Registration type	Fee
First registration? Microchipped and registered within 4 weeks of you taking ownership	Free
Desexed	$43.20
Desexed (with concession)	$21.60
Not desexed	$129.50*
Not desexed (with concession)	$64.80*

*All newly registered cats must be desexed.

- Must be microchipped
- Must also include one of the criteria listed below:
  - Desexed
  - A service dog
  - Part of a Domestic Animal Business or Applicable Organisation.
Approved organisations include:
- Dogs Victoria
- Cats Victoria Inc
- Australian National Cats Inc
- Feline Control Council (Victoria) Inc
- Grey Hound Racing Victoria
- The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy Australia and Victoria Inc.
Please note that there is no further reduction in fees of an already reduced fee registration (for example a dog or cat that has been desexed).
If you wish to claim a State Concession (under the meaning of the State Concession Act 1986), you must supply one of the following cards:
- a Health Care Card
- a Pensioner Concession Card issued by the Department of Social Security or the Department of Veteran Affairs
- a Gold Card specifying War Widow issued by the Department of Veteran Affairs
- a Gold Card specifying TPI issued by the Department of Veteran Affairs
- Carers Card.
Please note: Seniors Cards and Student Concession Cards are not eligible for the pensioner rate.
Newly acquired pets are eligible for an initial free registration valid for the current registration year if they meet the following criteria:
1. Your pet must be microchipped and registered within four (4) weeks of you taking ownership.
2. Supporting documentation must be provided with your registration application. For example, invoice, adoption certificate or agreement, microchip change of ownership form.
Animal registrations fund only part of the animal management service including:
- stray animal collections
- pound services
- investigation and prosecution of dog attacks and removal of dangerous dogs off our streets
- patrols of beaches and parks for compliance
- discount microchipping
- subsidised Desexing Voucher Scheme
- inspection of Domestic Animal Businesses
- inspections of dangerous/restricted breed dogs
- investigation of nuisance animal complaints
- education for animal owners
- pet identification registration tags and free replacement tags
- registration incentive programs.

Lost pets

If you have lost your animal or if you have found one, visit Lost and Found Animals.

Membership organisations

For membership organisations, vets, breed clubs, kennels and catteries, pet shops and animal welfare organisations, visit pet owner groups and vets.

Our Customer Charter

We promise to:

Make it easy
Listen and understand
Be responsive and follow through
Be open and honest
Always look to improve.

Find out more and tell us how we’re going

Animal registration

Are your contact details up to date?

Your existing animal registration is available to renew now

Which pets must be registered?

Register a new animal for the first time

Registration process

Reduced Registration Fees - Approved training organisations

Transfer of registration

Council pet registration tags

Registration fees for 2024/25 Year

Registration fees for 2024/25 Year

Dogs

Cats

How to get a reduced fee

State concession

Free initial registration scheme

Refund of registration

What do registration fees pay for

Lost pets

Membership organisations

Our Customer Charter

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