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

• National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) Wildlife Licensing Unit, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, written reply June 2026: NPWS ‘does not licence for such species’ (roof rats, Rattus rattus), i.e. it is not a species for which NPWS issues a keeping/wildlife licence, and indicated that animal-welfare questions fall to the Department of Agriculture (DAFM). This supports that keeping a pet roof rat on the Irish mainland is not gated by an NPWS wildlife permit; welfare, pet-sale registration, and import sit with DAFM. (The offshore-islands prohibition under S.I. 374/2024 is unaffected.)

Keeping / owning   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-09

On the Irish MAINLAND, keeping a pet roof rat is fully legal and unregulated by possession bans. S.I. 374/2024 lists Rattus rattus as an invasive alien species of ‘national concern’, but the First Schedule limits its geographical application to ‘Offshore islands only’ (Reg. 16), so the Reg. 17 keep/breed/transport prohibitions do NOT activate on the mainland. On offshore islands, keeping is prohibited. No domestication carve-out (the ban targets the species by binomial name, identical to R. norvegicus).

Sources: Irish Statute Book, Irish Statute Book, Invasive Species Ireland (NPWS / NBDC)

Breeding   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-09

Mainland: legal and unregulated by environmental law. Offshore islands: prohibited (S.I. 374/2024 Reg. 17(1)(c)). Commercial supply triggers DAFM registration (see Sell).

Sources: Irish Statute Book, National Parks & Wildlife Service

Selling or giving away   Legal with a permit

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-09

On the mainland, selling or even GIVING AWAY pet rats is legal but commercial law applies: supplying SIX or more pet animals in a calendar year (sale OR free supply) requires registration on the DAFM Register of Sellers and Suppliers of Pet Animals (S.I. 681/2019), which entails a private-vet premises inspection; rats may not be transferred under 4 weeks of age. Offshore islands: prohibited.

Sources: Irish Statute Book, Irish Statute Book, Irish Statute Book

Transport & import   Legal with a permit

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-09

Rodents are ‘non-harmonised species’ (outside the EU pet-passport system), so import follows Ireland’s national rules: an EU-origin pet needs an Owner Declaration to DAFM at least one working day before arrival; a non-EU/GB pet needs an advance DAFM import permit (apply 1–2 months ahead) plus an official government-vet health certificate. Internal transport to an offshore island is an offence.

Sources: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Irish Statute Book

• Mainland: no NPWS licence needed to keep or breed (NPWS confirmed it does not licence the species)
• If supplying >=6 pet animals per year (sale or free): register with DAFM (S.I. 681/2019) and meet the 4-week minimum transfer age
• Offshore islands: do not keep, breed, or transport R. rattus (S.I. 374/2024)
• Welfare/import questions: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)

Where: DAFM (pet-sales registration; welfare; import). NPWS does not licence this species.

Source: Irish Statute Book, Irish Statute Book

Where: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)

Source: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine