Are Roof Rats Legal in France? Keeping, Breeding & Selling

Keeping / owning   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-13

The roof rat is non-domestic (the Arrêté du 11 août 2006 lists only ‘les races domestiques du rat (Rattus norvegicus)’ among the Muridae), so it is governed by the Code de l’environnement (Art. L413-1 et seq.) and the Arrêté du 8 octobre 2018. Annexe 2 of that order places R. rattus in the catch-all row ‘Toutes les autres espèces de Rodentia, hors espèces figurant en annexe A du règlement (CE) n° 338/97 susvisé et hors espèces protégées en application de l’article L. 411-1 du code de l’environnement’, for which column (a) ‘Pas de formalité’ covers ‘De 1 à 40′ adults and only ’41 et plus’ triggers a certificat de capacité. So keeping 1 to 40 adult roof rats requires no declaration and no permit. Marking and I-FAP registration apply only to protected or CITES species (Article 3 of the order), not to R. rattus. The species is not on the EU Union list or the metropolitan invasive list, so there is no keeping ban. Overseas territories (DROM-COM) manage it as invasive and may prohibit it locally.

Sources: Ministère de l’Écologie, Ministère de la Transition écologique, Ministère de la Transition écologique

Breeding   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-13

Non-commercial hobby breeding (élevage d’agrément) follows the same Annexe 2 thresholds as keeping: below 41 adult animals R. rattus sits in column (a) ‘Pas de formalité’, so no declaration and no breeding permit are required; offspring count toward the threshold only once adult. Reaching 41 or more adults moves the keeper into column (c), requiring a certificat de capacité (Art. L413-2) and an autorisation d’ouverture d’établissement (Art. L413-3). Breeding for profit or systematically producing litters for the public is a separate matter: it requires opening a declared establishment (autorisation préalable under Art. R413-8) and, as a pet-trade activity, falls under Code rural Art. L214-6. The L413-1A ‘élevage de conservation’ carve-out awaits its implementing decree.

Sources: Ministère de la Transition écologique, Légifrance, Légifrance

Selling or giving away   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-13

A private person may give away or sell a small number of captive-bred roof rats without a permit. The attestation de cession and identification-document formalities of Art. R413-23-4 apply only ‘pour les animaux des espèces mentionnées à l’article L. 413-6’ (marked, i.e. protected or CITES species), which R. rattus is not, so they do not bind a roof-rat transfer. A sale (vente) of a live non-domestic animal must be accompanied by a written document d’information on the animal’s characteristics, needs, and upkeep (Art. L413-8); a gratuitous transfer between private persons does not require it. Selling commercially or systematically to the public requires operating a declared pet-trade establishment (autorisation préalable, Art. R413-8; Code rural Art. L214-6). R. rattus is not on the EU Union list, so there is no sale ban.

Sources: Légifrance, Légifrance, Légifrance, EU / EUR-Lex

Transport & import   Legal

Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-13

Moving a captive-bred roof rat within metropolitan France is legal for private individuals, subject to humane, escape-proof transport. There is no EU pet-passport or harmonised health-certificate scheme for rodents (Reg. (EU) 576/2013 does not cover them), so intra-EU non-commercial movement follows the destination country’s national rules. Importing from outside the EU triggers veterinary controls: the Arrêté du 19 juillet 2002 (Annexe 18 model certificate for rodents) requires a health certificate from an official veterinarian of the exporting country and presentation at an approved Border Control Post. R. rattus is not on the EU Union list or the metropolitan invasive Arrêté du 14 février 2018, so there is no import ban for métropole. The French OVERSEAS territories (Réunion, Mayotte, Martinique, Guadeloupe and others) manage R. rattus as a damaging invasive species and local decrees prohibit its introduction, detention, transport, and sale, so transport into or within those territories is unlawful.

Sources: Ministère de l’Agriculture, EU / EUR-Lex, EU / EUR-Lex, Ministère de la Transition écologique

• Stay at or below 40 adult animals to remain in the ‘Pas de formalité’ tier
• To exceed 40 adults, obtain a certificat de capacité and an autorisation d’ouverture d’établissement

Where: Préfecture de département (DDETSPP / DREAL) for the certificat de capacité and establishment authorization

Source: Ministère de la Transition écologique

• On a sale, give the buyer a written document d’information (Art. L413-8)
• Do not sell commercially or systematically without a declared establishment

Source: Légifrance, Légifrance

• For non-EU import, obtain the Annexe 18 veterinary health certificate and clear an approved Border Control Post
• For intra-EU movement, check the destination country’s national rules for rodents

Where: Border Control Post (Poste de contrôle frontalier)

Source: Ministère de l’Agriculture

Where: Préfecture / DEAL of the territory concerned

Source: Ministère de la Transition écologique