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

Keeping / owning   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-11

Keeping a roof rat needs NO INPA permit. The Wildlife Protection Law 5715-1955 s.8(3) bars holding a ‘wild animal that is not a pest’ without a permit; the Wildlife Protection Regulations 5736-1976 Reg. 2(2) expressly declare Rattus rattus a pest (מזיק), alongside R. norvegicus at Reg. 2(1), so it is carved out of the s.8 permit regime entirely, exactly like the freely-kept fancy rat. The one wrinkle is tiered government: municipal sanitation bylaws (under the Municipalities Ordinance) classify rats on a property as a ‘nuisance’ subject to a removal/eradication notice, drawing no distinction between a feral infestation and a caged pet, a theoretical exposure that does not displace the federal exemption.

Sources: State of Israel / Knesset (via INPA), Ministry of Environmental Protection / INPA, Ministry of Interior / Local Municipalities

Breeding   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-11

Private hobby breeding of lawfully-held roof rats is unregulated and lawful: because INPA requires no holding permit for declared pests (Wildlife Protection Law 1955 s.8; 1976 Regs Reg. 2), it does not track or restrict their reproduction, and the Animal Protection (Welfare) Law 5754-1994 sets only general welfare standards, not a breeding ban. The status shifts to RESTRICTED only at commercial scale: a systematic breeding operation triggers a mandatory municipal business license under the Business Licensing Order 5773-2013 Item 3.2(a) (‘breeding, keeping and treating of animals’), with veterinary/sanitation/fire inspections. There is no fixed numeric hobby-to-business threshold; it is judged qualitatively (scale, public access, income, nuisance).

Sources: State of Israel / Knesset (via INPA), Ministry of Environmental Protection / INPA, State of Israel (translated text), Ministry of Interior (secondary: licensing-practice summary)

Selling or giving away   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-11

Private sale or gifting of captive-bred roof rats is lawful and needs no INPA permit: the Wildlife Protection Law 1955 s.8(1)-(2) require trade/transfer permits only for a ‘wild animal that is not a pest’, and R. rattus is a declared pest (1976 Regs Reg. 2(2)), so it is exempt, which is why both rat species are sold openly on Israeli platforms (e.g. Yad2, Facebook groups) without violating any wildlife-trafficking statute. The status is RESTRICTED only for commercial retail: a pet shop or systematic seller needs a municipal business license under the Business Licensing Order 5773-2013 Item 3.2, plus Animal Protection (Welfare) Law 1994 housing standards. Not CITES-listed.

Sources: State of Israel / Knesset (via INPA), Ministry of Environmental Protection / INPA, Ministry of Interior (secondary: licensing-practice summary)

Transport & import   Restricted

Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-11

Internal transport of lawfully-held stock is unregulated beyond general welfare. International IMPORT is the heavily restricted edge: Israel runs a ‘White List’ (רשימה לבנה) admitting only listed species, and the 2018 INPA Mammal White List omits ALL Rattus species while listing other pet rodents (hamsters, chinchilla, degu, gerbil), so commercial import of roof rats is effectively prohibited, a deliberate policy (per a 2023/2025 draft amendment) to bar non-native rat lineages. A narrow lawful pathway survives: the Ministry of Agriculture Veterinary Services ‘accompanied pet’ exemption permits importing up to two rodents with an origin Veterinary Health Certificate (issued ≤7 days pre-export), a 90-day-ownership / non-commercial declaration (Annex B/C to vs-airport@moag.gov.il ≥48h before arrival), and an inspection fee, though its application to a declared ‘pest’ is unsettled and INPA inspectors may still confiscate at the border. Under the assume-a-pathway lens this is legal_with_permit/restricted, not flat-prohibited. Never release.

Sources: Israel Nature & Parks Authority, Israel Nature & Parks Authority, Israel Ministry of Agriculture, Veterinary Services, Israel Ministry of Agriculture, Veterinary Services (via USDA APHIS), State of Israel / Knesset (via INPA)

• Determine whether the operation is qualitatively ‘commercial’ (scale, public access, income, nuisance), private hobby placement is exempt
• If commercial: apply to the local municipality for a Business License under Item 3.2
• Pass prior/periodic inspections by the municipal veterinarian, Ministry of Health, and Fire & Rescue Authority (ventilation, drainage, escape-proof enclosures, disease control)

Where: Local municipality business-licensing department (רישוי עסקים) · Fees: Set by the municipality

Source: Ministry of Interior (secondary: licensing-practice summary)

• Obtain an original Veterinary Health Certificate (in English) from a government vet in the origin country, issued ≤7 days before export
• Hold the animal(s) for ≥90 days pre-flight; limit to 2 rodents; non-commercial only
• Submit the Annex B/C declaration to Veterinary Services at Ben Gurion (vs-airport@moag.gov.il) ≥48 hours before arrival
• Pre-clear the species with INPA (off the White List) to avoid confiscation; pay the arrival inspection fee

Forms: MoAg Veterinary Services pet-arrival declaration (Annex B / Annex C) · Where: Ministry of Agriculture Veterinary Services, Ben Gurion Airport (vs-airport@moag.gov.il); coordinate with INPA (import@npa.org.il) · Fees: Arrival inspection fee, historically ~55 NIS (subject to adjustment)

Source: Israel Ministry of Agriculture, Veterinary Services, Israel Ministry of Agriculture, Veterinary Services (via USDA APHIS), Israel Nature & Parks Authority, Israel Nature & Parks Authority

• Keep rats fully indoors in secure, sanitary enclosures; avoid odor/escape that could draw a neighbor complaint
• Never release a roof rat, release of an invasive pest is a prosecutable offense

Where: Local municipality (sanitation / nuisance enforcement)

Source: Ministry of Interior / Local Municipalities