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

• Swedish Board of Agriculture (Jordbruksverket), written reply June 2026: it is permitted to keep Rattus rattus as pets in Sweden as long as the animals are not caught in the wild, with NO permit and NO registration required (SJVFS 2019:15, ch. 1 §§4-5). Welfare and enclosure-size/enrichment standards apply (SJVFS 2019:15 ch. 1; SJVFS 2019:29 ch. 11 §§17-18). A permit is only relevant for PROFESSIONAL (yrkesmässig) keeping, breeding, or selling, larger-scale but non-professional hobby activity is exempt (except breeding animals intended as feeder/feed animals); professional operators should ask their county administrative board (länsstyrelsen) whether a permit is needed. Cross-border transport of pet rodents needs no registration; commercial transport requires authorisation as an animal transporter, and intra-EU commercial movement (or more than 5 pet animals) needs an Article 151 Animal Health Law self-declaration from a registered establishment, no TRACES notification and no health certificate. The agency also confirmed the ‘6 enclosures’ figure refers to the number of cages.

Keeping / owning   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-10

Jordbruksverket confirmed (June 2026) it is permitted to keep R. rattus as pets as long as they are not wild-caught, with no permit and no registration (SJVFS 2019:15 ch. 1 §§4-5). Djurskyddslagen 2018:1192 imposes welfare duties but no species ban; R. rattus is absent from the EU Union list and Sweden’s national invasive list (Förordning 2026:311). Keepers must meet welfare/enclosure standards (SJVFS 2019:15 ch. 1; enclosure size/furnishing/enrichment per SJVFS 2019:29 ch. 11 §§17-18) and the social-species rule (keep ≥2 rats).

Sources: Sveriges Riksdag, Statens jordbruksverk, Sveriges Riksdag / Naturvårdsverket, EU / EUR-Lex

Breeding   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-10

Jordbruksverket confirmed (June 2026) that keeping, breeding, or selling pets other than dogs and cats at larger scale but NOT in a professional manner is EXEMPT from the permit requirement, so a private/hobby rattery needs no permit regardless of cage count. Only PROFESSIONAL (yrkesmässig) breeding must ask the county administrative board (länsstyrelsen) whether a permit is required, and the exemption does NOT cover breeding animals intended to be sold as feeder/feed animals. (The agency clarified the ‘6 enclosures’ figure refers to the number of cages.) Welfare standards apply throughout.

Sources: Sveriges Riksdag, Statens jordbruksverk, Statens jordbruksverk

Selling or giving away   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-10

Free transfers and sales between hobbyists are permit-free: Jordbruksverket confirmed (June 2026) that larger-scale but non-professional keeping/breeding/selling of pets other than dogs and cats is exempt from the permit requirement (Sweden has no separate pet-shop licence). Only PROFESSIONAL (yrkesmässig) selling must check with the county administrative board (länsstyrelsen). SJVFS 2019:15 sets sale conditions (health checks, documentation). No species ban or price cap on captive-bred R. rattus; the exemption excludes breeding animals sold as feeder/feed animals.

Sources: Sveriges Riksdag, Statens jordbruksverk

Transport & import   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-10

Jordbruksverket confirmed (June 2026): cross-border transport of pet rodents needs NO registration. If animals are moved in connection with an economic activity, the carrier must be authorised as an animal transporter (SJVFS 2019:7; minimum rodent-container requirements in Annex/Bilaga 1.11). For intra-EU COMMERCIAL movement, or movement of more than 5 pet animals, no health certificate and no TRACES notification are required, but an Article 151 Animal Health Law (Reg. 2016/429) self-declaration is, issued by the operator at the place of origin, which must itself be registered as an establishment for terrestrial animals (Art. 84). There is no numeric cap on a single commercial movement and no fixed template for the self-declaration. Non-EU import follows different, tighter rules. Internal transport is unregulated beyond welfare. Never release.

Sources: Jordbruksverket, EU / EUR-Lex

• If operating professionally, ask your länsstyrelsen whether a permit is required
• For transport in connection with an economic activity, register as an authorised animal transporter with Jordbruksverket

Where: Länsstyrelsen (county administrative board); Jordbruksverket for transporter authorisation

Source: Statens jordbruksverk, Statens jordbruksverk