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

• Romania’s CITES Management Authority (within the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests) confirmed in writing (June 2026) that Rattus rattus is not listed in the CITES appendices, so from the CITES authority no document is required to import, keep, sell, donate, or transport the species. This resolves only the CITES layer; the companion-animal vs ‘wild animal’ classification under Legea 205/2004 remains the open question for the Ministry.

Keeping / owning   Unregulated / unclear

Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-11

No Romanian law defines R. rattus as protected (not in OUG 57/2007 Annex 4A/4B) or invasive (not on the EU or national IAS list), so no prohibition applies; the fancy rat is kept freely as a companion animal with no permit. The unresolved point: Legea 205/2004 Art. 9 requires DSVSA authorization to keep a ‘wild animal,’ and it’s unconfirmed whether authorities would class a captive-bred R. rattus as ‘wild’ or ‘companion’ (police guidance on ‘wild animals’ targets primates/big cats/raptors/venomous reptiles, not commensal rodents). Practically treated as a pet → likely no permit.

Sources: Portal Legislativ (Romania), Portal Legislativ, Romanian Police

Breeding   Unregulated / unclear

Confidence: Low · Last verified 2026-06-11

Hobby-scale breeding of standard domesticated rodents needs no licence; commercial breeding registers the unit with the county DSVSA (ANSVSA framework). Scientific/feeder breeding facilities need Legea 43/2014 authorization. If R. rattus were classed as a ‘wild animal,’ Legea 205/2004 Art. 9 authorization would apply. No blanket breeding ban; the barrier is classification ambiguity, not a prohibition.

Sources: Portal Legislativ (Romania), ANSVSA

Selling or giving away   Unregulated / unclear

Confidence: Low · Last verified 2026-06-11

Rodents (inc. rats) are sold openly on Romanian pet-trade platforms; commercial sale requires a DSVSA-registered pet-shop/breeder unit, while private gifting/adoption is subject only to general welfare law (Legea 205/2004). No specific prohibition on selling/giving R. rattus. Commercial wild-caught native fauna is barred, but captive-bred animals from registered operations are treated differently. Same classification dependency.

Sources: Portal Legislativ (Romania), ANSVSA

Transport & import   Legal with a permit

Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-11

Intra-EU non-commercial movement of pet rodents (Reg. (EU) 576/2013 Annex I Part B; national rules apply pending EU Part-B harmonisation) needs owner documentation; commercial movement needs a veterinary health certificate. R. rattus isn’t on the EU IAS list, so no IAS import bar. Internal transport of a lawfully-held companion animal is unrestricted (if classed ‘wild,’ an ANSVSA movement doc may apply). Third-country import needs border vet inspection + health cert + TRACES. Never release. Romania’s CITES Management Authority confirmed in writing (June 2026) that R. rattus is not CITES-listed, so no CITES document is required for import/transport.

Sources: EU / EUR-Lex, ANSVSA, EU / EUR-Lex, CITES Secretariat / UNEP-WCMC (Species+); cited by the Romanian CITES Management Authority

• Ask ANSVSA whether captive-bred R. rattus is a companion animal (no permit) or a ‘wild animal’ (DSVSA authorization)

Where: ANSVSA / county DSVSA; Ministry of Environment

Source: Portal Legislativ (Romania)

In Romania there is no law that bans keeping the roof rat (Rattus rattus, “șobolanul negru”) as a pet. It is not on the protected-species annexes of OUG 57/2007, not on the EU invasive-species Union list (Reg. 1143/2014), and not on Romania’s national IAS list. The fancy rat (Rattus norvegicus) is kept and sold freely as a companion animal with no permit. The single open question is classification: Legea 205/2004 (Art. 9) requires a county DSVSA authorization to keep a “wild animal,” while companion and domestic animals need only standard welfare compliance. Captive-bred, tame roof rats are sold openly on Romanian pet platforms as “rozătoare,” which indicates they are treated as companion animals needing no permit, but no authority has put that classification in writing. The problem is not a ban. It is an unwritten ambiguity that leaves keepers unsure whether a captive-bred roof rat is a “companion animal” (no permit) or a “wild animal” (DSVSA authorization).

The ask: Ask the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests for a written clarification: is a captive-bred, tame Rattus rattus kept indoors as a hobby classified as a companion animal (same regime as the fancy rat, Rattus norvegicus, no special permit), or as a “wild animal” requiring a county DSVSA authorization under Legea 205/2004 Art. 9? The question turns on domestication, not wild ancestry. The dog descends from the wolf and the cat from a wild felid, yet both are recognised as domestic animals; what matters is generations bred in captivity for tameness. The already-permitted fancy rat is itself the wild brown rat, domesticated only in the 19th century, so a captive-bred roof rat is the same case one species over (see https://blonderoofrat.com/how-the-sewer-rat-became-the-fancy-rat/). This is a question for the Ministry to settle, not a conclusion to assert. Also ask the Ministry to confirm R. rattus is not on the OUG 57/2007 protected annexes or the national IAS list, and what documentation, if any, applies to intra-EU transport. The goal is a written answer that keepers can rely on, not a change to any law.

Where the lever really is: This is branch (a): the lever is the agency, not the legislature. No statute or list names or bans Rattus rattus in Romania, so there is nothing to repeal and no positive list to be added to. The only obstacle is administrative ambiguity: it is unconfirmed whether officials would read a captive-bred roof rat as a “companion animal” (no permit) or a “wild animal” under Legea 205/2004 Art. 9 (DSVSA authorization). An agency can settle that with a written interpretation; there is no defective law for a legislature to fix. ANSVSA (the veterinary authority) has replied that roof-rat legality falls outside its competence and redirected the matter to the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests. The correct and verified touchpoint is therefore the Ministry of Environment, via its Law-544/2001 public-information channel or its petition form, requesting a written classification. A legislative or public-comment approach is the wrong tool: there is no bill, no list, and no rulemaking window. The species has not been addressed in writing, and a clarifying letter to the right ministry is the lever.

Where to send it (more than one channel helps):

• Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests (Ministerul Mediului, Apelor și Pădurilor), petition form (executive / agency), official contact page
  The verified competent authority. ANSVSA stated roof-rat legality is outside its competence and redirected the question here. The official petition form is the cleanest written channel for a citizen to request a classification clarification and receive a logged reply.
• Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, Law 544/2001 public-information request (executive / agency), solicitari544@mmediu.ro
  The Ministry’s official public-information (Law 544/2001) inbox, the exact address ANSVSA provided when redirecting. Use this to request a written statement on whether captive-bred R. rattus is a companion animal or a ‘wild animal’ under Legea 205/2004 Art. 9, and whether it appears on any protected or invasive list.
• Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, petitions inbox (executive / agency), petitii@mmediu.ro
  The Ministry’s official petitions email (verified on the ministry’s own contact page), an alternate written channel if the public-information route does not produce a substantive classification answer.

A starting-point message, please put it in your own words; a short personal note carries far more weight than an identical form letter:

Subject: Request for written classification of captive-bred roof rats (Rattus rattus) kept as pets

Dear Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests,

I am writing to request a written clarification about the legal status of keeping the roof rat (Rattus rattus, șobolanul negru) as a companion animal in Romania. ANSVSA has indicated this question falls within your competence.

The animals in question are captive-bred, tame, kept indoors for their whole lives, and never released into the wild, the same as the commonly kept fancy rat (Rattus norvegicus). As far as I can determine, R. rattus is not on the protected-species annexes of OUG 57/2007, nor on the EU invasive-species Union list, nor on Romania's national IAS list.

Whether an animal is 'wild' turns on domestication, not on wild ancestry. The dog descends from the wolf and the cat from a wild felid, yet both are recognised as domestic animals because they were bred over generations for tameness. The already-permitted fancy rat is itself the wild brown rat, domesticated only in the 19th century, so a captive-bred roof rat is the same case one species over. I raise this as context for the classification question, not as a conclusion of my own.

My questions are: (1) Is a captive-bred, tame Rattus rattus kept as a hobby treated as a companion animal under the same regime as the fancy rat (no special permit), or as a 'wild animal' requiring a county DSVSA authorization under Legea 205/2004 Art. 9? (2) Is R. rattus on any protected (OUG 57/2007) or national invasive-species list? (3) What documentation, if any, applies to intra-EU transport of captive-bred rats?

A written answer would let responsible keepers comply with confidence. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your contact details]

Subiect: Solicitare de clasificare scrisă privind deținerea ca animale de companie a șobolanilor negri (Rattus rattus) crescuți în captivitate

Stimată / Stimate doamnă / domnule,

Vă adresez o solicitare de clarificare în scris privind statutul legal al deținerii șobolanului negru (Rattus rattus, șobolanul de casă) ca animal de companie în România. ANSVSA a indicat că această chestiune intră în competența dumneavoastră.

Animalele în cauză sunt crescute în captivitate, blânde, ținute în interior toată viața și niciodată eliberate în natură, la fel ca șobolanul de companie crescut frecvent (Rattus norvegicus). Din câte am putut constata, R. rattus nu figurează pe anexele speciilor protejate din OUG 57/2007, nici pe lista Uniunii privind speciile invazive, nici pe lista națională a speciilor invazive.

Ceea ce stabilește dacă un animal este „sălbatic” este domesticirea, nu originea sa sălbatică. Câinele provine din lup, iar pisica dintr-un felin sălbatic, și totuși ambele sunt recunoscute ca animale domestice, pentru că au fost crescute de-a lungul generațiilor pentru blândețe. Șobolanul de companie deja permis este el însuși șobolanul cenușiu sălbatic, domesticit abia în secolul al XIX-lea, astfel încât un șobolan negru crescut în captivitate este același caz, doar o specie mai departe. Ridic acest aspect ca context pentru întrebarea de clasificare, nu ca o concluzie proprie.

Întrebările mele sunt: (1) Un exemplar de Rattus rattus crescut în captivitate și blând, deținut ca hobby, este tratat ca animal de companie în același regim ca șobolanul de companie (fără permis special), sau ca „animal sălbatic” care necesită o autorizație DSVSA județeană conform Legii 205/2004 art. 9? (2) Figurează R. rattus pe vreo listă a speciilor protejate (OUG 57/2007) sau pe lista națională a speciilor invazive? (3) Ce documente, dacă este cazul, sunt necesare pentru transportul intra-UE al șobolanilor crescuți în captivitate?

Un răspuns în scris ar permite deținătorilor responsabili să se conformeze cu încredere. Vă mulțumesc pentru timpul acordat.

Cu stimă,
[Numele dumneavoastră]
[Datele dumneavoastră de contact]

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