Registration of Equines

If you own or keep a horse or other equine, it must be microchipped and must have an official identification document, known as a horse passport.

These requirements are under EU Regulation 504/2008 which, along with later amendments, has been transposed into Irish law. They apply to all members of the horse family, including ponies, donkeys and crosses, officially known as equine animals but referred to here, for clarity, as horses.

See also DAFM Information on Equine Passports and Microchips

Any horse that is born in the State must have a passport before 31 December of the year of birth, or within 6 months of the date of birth, whichever is later. So a horse born in May, for example, must have a passport by 31 December of that year. A horse born in October must have a passport within 6 months – by April of the following year.

All equines with a passport from 1^st of July 2009, must have a corresponding microchip inserted by a veterinary surgeon.

Foals – obtain a passport before 31 December of the year of birth or within 6 months following the date of its birth, whichever occurs later.

Adult horse without a passport – obtain a passport immediately

Passports must accompany horses, ponies and donkeys whenever they are moved; No passport = no movement

Equine Identification Brochure (D.A.F.M. June 2020) 

Issuing Bodies approved by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for the purposes of issuing identity documents for equidae (Updated 7 September, 2018)

* Please note that microchips starting with this number can be used by more than one organisation

 Change of Ownership of Equines

On foot of a Statutory Instrument signed into law by the Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, it is now a legal requirement to report changes of horse ownership to the Passport Issuing Authority who issued the original passport for a horse. This applies for any horses whose ownership changes after July 1^st, 2014.

When a horse is sold the seller should give the passport to the buyer. The buyer should then complete the Transfer of ownership form and return it to Horse Sport Ireland along with the passport and the appropriate fee. A record of the transfer of ownership of an equine shall be maintained by both the person transferring ownership and the person to whom ownership is transferred for a period of 5 years from the date of the transaction and be made available on request to an authorised officer.

FAQs on Change of Ownership (PDF)

When buying / acquiring ownership:

• You must receive the passport from the seller at the time of purchase.
• You must complete the "buyer" parts of this form and ensure the seller has also completed their sections.
• You must forward this form and the passport with the appropriate fee to the PIO within 30 days of taking ownership.

Records/Penalties:

• Both parties must keep a copy of this transfer of ownership declaration - photocopying or photo will suffice.
• DAFM authorised officers will carry out inspections and have powers to inspect records and documents.
• Failure to register the transfer of ownership within the time limit is now a serious offence in Ireland and attracts heavy penalties.
• Giving false, misleading or incomplete information is also a legal offence.

Links to equine change of ownership forms