In short: dog insurance in Spain is mandatory by law: Law 7/2023 requires the owner of a dog to take out third-party liability insurance and keep it for the animal's whole life. The amount is to be set by a regulation and, in our search of 1 October 2026, we found none published. Potentially dangerous dogs also have their own regime, with a minimum cover of 120.000 €.
In person or by representative? Law 7/2023 does not regulate how the insurance is bought. For the licence of a potentially dangerous dog, the texts we read do not say whether a representative can handle it: ask your town hall.
What is required, by animal:
- Dog: third-party liability insurance is mandatory (Law 7/2023, art. 30). The amount is pending a regulation.
- Potentially dangerous dog: in addition a municipal licence, insurance with minimum cover of 120.000 €, municipal register entry and a microchip (Law 50/1999 and Royal Decree 287/2002).
- Cat, ferret or other companion animal: article 30 only mentions dogs; your community may have its own rules.
- Health insurance for the animal: voluntary.
Dog liability insurance (Law 7/2023, art. 30):
- Who: the person registered as the dog's owner.
- What: third-party liability insurance whose cover includes whoever looks after the dog, even if they are not the owner.
- For how long: the animal's whole life.
- How much: an amount sufficient to cover possible costs, to be set by a regulation.
- Since when: the law has been in force since 29 September 2023, six months after its publication in the BOE (29 March 2023).
- Who is left out: hunting dogs, herding and livestock-guarding dogs, and professional working dogs such as rescue dogs or those of the security forces (art. 1.3). They follow their own rules.
The amount: what we know and what we do not. The law gives no figure. Neither the consolidated BOE text nor the regulations page of the Ministry of Social Rights shows, as of 1 October 2026, a regulation setting it (details in «Aclaraciones oficiales»). So there is no official minimum sum to quote for general dog insurance. A draft Royal Decree developing Law 7/2023 exists (Ministry of Social Rights, revision 03, June 2025, TIP-N-25-049-DCA), but it has not been approved yet. Since when it is enforced in practice, and what happens if you do not have it, the texts we read do not say: ask your town hall or your community. According to the Ministry leaflet, some home insurance policies already include this cover: check your policy (home insurance for foreigners).
Potentially dangerous dogs (a different regime). This is the current regime; there is a reform draft that has not been approved (the draft Royal Decree mentioned above amends Royal Decree 287/2002). Governed by Law 50/1999 and Royal Decree 287/2002:
- Which dogs: eight breeds in annex I (including Rottweiler, Pit Bull Terrier and Dogo Argentino) and dogs that meet most of the traits in annex II.
- Municipal licence: granted by the town hall, valid for five years and renewable. Requirements include being of legal age, no convictions for offences such as homicide or assault, physical capacity and psychological aptitude, and liability insurance with cover of no less than 120.000 € (art. 3).
- Register and chip: the animal is entered in the Municipal Register and carries a microchip (art. 9). That minimum applies to these dogs, not to the general insurance under Law 7/2023.
It depends on your autonomous community. Law 7/2023 sets a common minimum and each community can add its own rules. Example: Galicia's Law 4/2017 refers liability insurance to the cases set by law or regulation (art. 8) and asks for a municipal licence for potentially dangerous dogs (art. 17). Look up the animal protection law of your community and your town hall's bylaw.
Pet health insurance: voluntary. None of these rules requires it. What it covers depends on each policy: read the terms before buying.
If you are bringing the animal from another country, see the card moving to Spain with a pet: microchip, rabies vaccine, health certificate and registration on arrival. It also explains the dog-ownership course required by art. 30.1 of Law 7/2023.
Official source: Law 7/2023 of 28 March, Ministry of Social Rights FAQ.
Informational only; check the official source and a professional for your specific case.
