Pet Wiki

Dogs in Canton of Bern, Switzerland: rules, tax and travel

Bern requires liability insurance of at least CHF 3 million and registration in AMICUS; there is no general dog course, and the dog tax is up to each municipality.

The canton sets insurance and leash basics; municipalities decide whether to charge a dog tax and how much.

The national rules for Switzerland apply here too. National rules

Breed rules

No breed-specific rule found.

Registration and microchip

Registration

Dogs must be marked and registered (Art. 6 Hundegesetz); the municipality enters owners in AMICUS and a vet can register the dog.[1]

Dog tax and licence

Dog tax

Municipalities may levy a dog tax on dogs over 6 months and set the amount themselves (Art. 13). Example: Buren an der Aare CHF 80 per year.[2]

a year

Licence or owner test

No general course or competence test. The cantonal authority can order an owner to attend training courses (Art. 12).[2]

Insurance

Liability insurance

Compulsory for all dog owners (Art. 11). Minimum cover is CHF 3 million.[1]

Leash and muzzle

Leash and muzzle

Leash required on school grounds, public playgrounds and sports fields, public transport and stations, pastures with livestock, nature reserves, and places the municipality designates (Art. 7). A general forest or breeding-season leash rule was not found in the cantonal law.[2]

Laws change: this is general information, not legal advice. The authority linked on each line has the final word.

Sources

  1. weu.be.ch/content/dam/weu/dokumente/avet/de/hunde/Broschuere-Hundegesetz-Kanton-Bern-DE.pd (official)
  2. be.lexwork.naz.ch/de/dta/916.31.pdf (official)