Roof Rat Laws › Brazil
Summary. Brazil is one of the clearest LEGAL jurisdictions in the world for the roof rat, and unusually, it names the species in law as a domestic animal. IBAMA Portaria 93/1998 (Anexo I) lists BOTH ‘Rato’ (Rattus rattus) and ‘Ratazana’ (R. norvegicus) as fauna doméstica, and Art. 13 declares domestic fauna ‘isentos de quaisquer tramitações junto ao IBAMA’ (exempt from any procedure with IBAMA). So keeping and amateur-breeding a captive-bred roof rat needs no IBAMA registration, no SISFAUNA entry, no environmental licence, and no criadouro permit, the same legal channel through which fancy rats (‘rato twister’) are sold in Brazilian pet shops. The Environmental Crimes Law (Lei 9.605/1998) reaches only ‘fauna silvestre,’ not domestic-listed species, though its Art. 32 animal-cruelty ban applies to all animals. R. rattus is also recognized as a synanthropic pest (IBAMA IN 141/2006) and an invasive alien species (CONABIO Res. 7/2018), but those target free-living/feral management and eradication and do NOT revoke the domestic-fauna exemption for captive pets. Commercial selling needs ordinary state/municipal pet-trade licensing plus a veterinary Responsável Técnico registered with the CRMV (not IBAMA); interstate transport needs a GTA animal-movement certificate; international import needs MAPA/VIGIAGRO authorization and a bilateral International Veterinary Certificate. Releasing a roof rat into the wild is strictly prohibited.
legal note
This is a research aid, not legal advice; rules change and are interpreted by local officials. Verify with the official source before acting.Status by activity
Keeping / owning Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-10
IBAMA Portaria 93/1998 Anexo I lists ‘Rato’ (Rattus rattus) as fauna doméstica, and Art. 13 declares domestic fauna ‘isentos de quaisquer tramitações junto ao IBAMA’, so keeping a captive-bred roof rat needs no IBAMA registration, no SISFAUNA entry, no Autorização de Uso e Manejo, and no environmental licence. Lei 9.605/1998 (Crimes Ambientais) Art. 29 reaches only ‘fauna silvestre,’ so a domestic-listed roof rat is outside it. Federal possession is fully legal and effectively unregulated; the only residual friction is local municipal public-health (Código de Posturas / CCZ) nuisance rules aimed at free-roaming pest infestations, not securely caged captive pets.
Sources: IBAMA, Presidência da República (Planalto)
Breeding Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-10
Because R. rattus is fauna doméstica under Anexo I of Portaria 93/1998, the IBAMA criadouro (breeding-facility) licensing regime, which applies only to wild/exotic fauna (criador amadorista / criadouro comercial under Lei 9.605/1998 Art. 29), does not apply, and Art. 13 exempts the species from all IBAMA procedures. An individual may breed roof rats in a private residence with no federal environmental permit, no litter registration, and no government pedigree tracking; there is no numeric hobbyist/commercial threshold in environmental law. Breeding remains subject to the universal animal-cruelty prohibition (Lei 9.605/1998 Art. 32; Decreto 24.645/1934). The invasive/synanthropic designations target free-living animals, not captive breeding.
Sources: IBAMA, Presidência da República (Planalto), IBAMA
Selling or giving away Legal with a permit
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-10
Non-commercial transfer, donation, or gifting of a roof rat by a hobbyist is completely unregulated. Commercial sale (pet shop / for-profit rattery) is legal but requires ordinary business licensing, NOT IBAMA, which has no jurisdiction over domestic-fauna trade (no fauna-dealer licence, not CITES-listed): a CNPJ business registration with the Receita Federal, a municipal Alvará de Funcionamento, a Licença Sanitária from the municipal Vigilância Sanitária, and, most significantly, registration with the regional veterinary council (CRMV) plus a contracted veterinarian acting as Responsável Técnico (RT) under Lei 5.517/1968 Art. 27. The ‘permit’ layer is commercial/sanitary/professional, not environmental.
Sources: IBAMA, Presidência da República (Planalto), Conselho Federal de Medicina Veterinária (CFMV)
Transport & import Legal with a permit
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-10
Domestic fauna is exempt from IBAMA transport permits, so movement defaults to the agricultural-defence framework. Interstate movement requires a Guia de Trânsito Animal (GTA) issued by the state animal-health agency (OESA), preceded by an Atestado Sanitário from a vet within 3 days attesting the animal is healthy and free of ectoparasites. IN MAPA Nº 18/2006 exempted ONLY dogs and cats from the GTA, so domestic rodents (including R. rattus) still need one. International import requires prior MAPA authorization, an International Veterinary Certificate (CVI) endorsed by the origin country, and VIGIAGRO clearance; importing as a pet is hard in practice because no bilateral CVI protocol for ‘domestic rodents’ may exist yet, requiring a slow MAPA risk-analysis petition via SEI. Never release a roof rat (invasive-species containment + abandonment is maus-tratos).
Sources: Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA), IBAMA
Restrictions & responsibilities
- Register a business entity (CNPJ) with the Receita Federal to issue notas fiscais
- Obtain the municipal Alvará de Funcionamento (zoning for animal breeding/retail)
- Obtain the Licença Sanitária from the municipal Vigilância Sanitária
- Register the establishment with the regional CRMV and contract a veterinarian as Responsável Técnico (pay the annual ART fee)
Forms: CNPJ registration (Receita Federal), Alvará de Funcionamento (município), Licença Sanitária (Vigilância Sanitária municipal), Anotação de Responsabilidade Técnica (ART), CRMV · Where: Receita Federal (CNPJ); município (Alvará); Vigilância Sanitária municipal (Licença Sanitária); regional CRMV (RT/ART) · Fees: Varies by município and state; annual ART fee to the CRMV for the Responsável Técnico
Source: Presidência da República (Planalto), Conselho Federal de Medicina Veterinária (CFMV)
- Get an Atestado Sanitário from a registered veterinarian within 3 days before the trip
- Request a GTA from the state agricultural-defence agency (OESA) or a MAPA-habilitated vet; pay the state emission fee (DAE)
- For international import: obtain MAPA prior authorization + a bilateral CVI endorsed by the origin country, then clear VIGIAGRO at a designated port
Forms: Atestado Sanitário (vet health certificate), Guia de Trânsito Animal (GTA), Certificado Veterinário Internacional (CVI), international import · Where: State animal-health authority / OESA (GTA); MAPA/VIGIAGRO (international import) · Fees: State GTA emission fee via DAE (varies by state, typically per head/batch)
Source: Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA)
Source: Presidência da República (Planalto), Ministério do Meio Ambiente (CONABIO)
Official sources
- Portaria IBAMA Nº 93/1998, Anexo I lists ‘Rato’ (Rattus rattus) & ‘Ratazana’ (R. norvegicus) as FAUNA DOMÉSTICA; Art. 13 exempts domestic fauna from any IBAMA procedure, IBAMA
- Lei Federal Nº 9.605/1998 (Lei de Crimes Ambientais), Art. 29 (offenses apply only to fauna silvestre); Art. 32 (animal cruelty, all species), Presidência da República (Planalto)
- Lei Federal Nº 5.517/1968, veterinary profession; Art. 27 mandates a Responsável Técnico for commercial animal establishments, Presidência da República (Planalto)
- IN MAPA Nº 18/2006, Guia de Trânsito Animal (GTA); exempts only dogs & cats, so domestic rodents still require a GTA, Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA)
- MAPA, Importação de animais vivos (VIGIAGRO; CVI; no IBAMA permit for domestic fauna), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA)
- IN IBAMA Nº 141/2006, control/management of harmful synanthropic fauna (free-living management/eradication; NOT a captive-keeping ban), IBAMA
- Resolução CONABIO Nº 7/2018, National Strategy for Invasive Alien Species (recognizes feral R. rattus as invasive; targets free-living populations, not captive domestic specimens), Ministério do Meio Ambiente (CONABIO)
- CFMV, Responsável Técnico (RT) requirement for establishments that breed/sell/exhibit live animals (CRMV registration + ART), Conselho Federal de Medicina Veterinária (CFMV)
- Fanratics Rattery (São Paulo), captive breeding of R. rattus in Brazil (practice precedent). Internet Archive copy of 8 February 2026; the rattery has since removed this page from its live site, Brazilian rattery (secondary, practice evidence), via the Internet Archive
Search terms: Rattus rattus, rato-preto, ratazana-preta, rato-de-telhado.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10, which is when a person last read this page against its sources. Spotted an error, or know the law has changed? Email blonderoofrat@gmail.com. And if you write to the agency yourself and get an answer in writing, please forward it. Written agency replies are how 31 of these pages stopped being research and became confirmed.