Morocco's Law 19.25 on Stray Animals: What Changes for You
Morocco now has a new law on stray animals. It was enacted by dahir no. 1.26.55 of 28 July 2026 and published in Official Bulletin no. 7533. It does not only concern street dogs: if you have a dog or a cat at home, it creates concrete obligations for you too.
Here is what it provides, explained calmly, without drama and without downplaying.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Practical arrangements are still being put in place. For your specific situation, speak to your commune, your vet, or consult the official text in the Official Bulletin.
In short
- The law organises the capture, care, vaccination, sterilisation, release and adoption of stray animals through dedicated centres.
- If you have an animal: you must declare it, keep a health record, and make sure it permanently carries its identification number.
- Short deadlines apply: 24 hours for a change of owner, 3 days to report a loss, 10 days to collect an animal held in a centre.
- Feeding a stray animal in a public space now carries a fine of 500 to 2,000 dirhams. This is the most debated measure.
- Cruelty is heavily punished: 2 to 6 months in prison and 5,000 to 20,000 dirhams.
What the law calls a "stray animal"
The definition is broader than most people assume. An animal is considered stray when it is, temporarily or permanently, in a public space without the control or supervision of its owner or keeper.
That covers the street, but also shared residential buildings and places open to the public. In other words, a dog that goes out alone into the stairwell or wanders the neighbourhood can fall within this definition, even though it has a home.
That is the point most owners underestimate.
What changes if you have a dog or a cat
This is the part that concerns you directly. The law creates four main obligations.
1. Declare your animal
Every owner must declare the animals they own through a national electronic service provided for by the law. After the declaration, the animal receives an identification number.
2. Make the number permanent
The owner must ensure the animal carries that identification number permanently. In practice this points to durable identification, which your vet already commonly does with a microchip.
3. Keep a health record
Every animal must have its health record. If your animal is followed by a vet, you probably already have one. This is the moment to check it is up to date, especially vaccination.
4. Keep the information current
The owner must update the information about their animal, in particular in the event of death or serious illness.
The deadlines to remember
The law sets short deadlines. These are what most easily catch out an owner acting in good faith.
| Situation | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Change of owner | 24 hours to declare |
| Your animal is lost | 3 days to report |
| Animal found again | 3 days to update |
| Animal held in a centre | 10 days to collect it |
If your lost animal is identified in a centre, the centre must notify the owner immediately. You then have ten days to collect it, and you must pay the costs of its care during its stay. After those ten days, the animal is considered abandoned.
How to register your dog or cat, in practice
This is the most concrete question owners have, and the one with the least clear answer available anywhere. Here is what is certain, and what is still being rolled out.
What the law requires, unambiguously:
- Declare every animal you own, through the national electronic service the text provides for.
- Ensure the animal permanently carries the identification number it is issued.
- Keep an up-to-date health record for each animal.
- Report changes: a transfer within 24 hours, a loss within 3 days, and death or serious illness as soon as you are informed.
What to check locally: the declaration service and the network of centres are being rolled out progressively. Your commune and your vet are the two right points of contact to find out where the system stands near you. Be wary of shortcuts read on social media: on a text this recent, a lot of what circulates is approximate.
Three useful steps right now, without waiting for everything to be in place:
- Review your animal's identification with your vet. It is the foundation for everything else.
- Bring its health record up to date, especially vaccination.
- Write down the 24-hour and 3-day deadlines somewhere. Those are what turn an honest oversight into a fine.
Feeding a stray: the measure that divides
This is the most discussed provision in the text, and it deserves an honest treatment.
The law prohibits individuals from sheltering, feeding or treating a stray animal in a public space. That care now falls to the centres the law creates. A person who feeds, treats or shelters a stray animal in a public space risks a fine of 500 to 2,000 dirhams.
For many Moroccan families who have always left a bowl of water by the door, this is a hard change to hear. The logic of the text is public health, channelling care towards structures that vaccinate and sterilise rather than letting unmonitored gathering points form.
If you want to help a street animal, the route the law provides is reporting it, then letting a centre or an association working under agreement with the commune take over. It is slower than putting food down, but it is the legal framework.
A note on precision: figures reported in the press varied slightly on this specific point. The range of 500 to 2,000 dirhams is the most widely reported. If in doubt, refer to the text published in the Official Bulletin.
The care centres
The law creates centres responsible for capturing, collecting, transporting, receiving and identifying stray animals, checking their health and behaviour, feeding them, treating them, vaccinating them and sterilising them.
These centres can also return certain animals to their environment or to another suitable place. This is the capture, sterilise, vaccinate and release approach that animal welfare associations have advocated for years.
The centres also carry a public awareness role on animal protection and on preventing diseases transmissible from animals to humans.
Communes may work with associations, provided they are legally constituted, have animal care as their purpose, and have the necessary means, experience and skills. Their involvement is organised through an agreement with the commune.
Adoption officially enters the law
This is the good news in the text, and it often goes unnoticed.
Centres may hand an animal to a person who wishes to take it in, after checking that the required conditions are met and that the person is able to care for it. This can be without charge or involve a contribution.
In other words, adopting a rescued animal becomes a recognised and regulated route, rather than an informal arrangement. For anyone considering welcoming a companion, that is a clearer and safer framework, for the adopter and for the animal.
If that is you, our complete guide to adopting in Morocco covers the steps, and our city guides show where to look near you: Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, Tangier, Agadir and Fez.
Euthanasia, now regulated
The law provides that euthanasia may be carried out when an animal suffers from an illness or infirmity it cannot recover from, or when it presents a danger to another animal's health. It must be performed under veterinary supervision.
Framing it explicitly, and separating it from the cruelty punished elsewhere in the text, is an important point.
The penalties
| Offence | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Deliberately killing, torturing or injuring a stray animal | 2 to 6 months in prison and 5,000 to 20,000 MAD, or one of the two |
| Deliberately abandoning an animal in a public space | 10,000 to 20,000 MAD |
| Failing to act after a reported death or serious illness | 5,000 to 15,000 MAD |
| Failing to report the loss of your animal | 5,000 to 10,000 MAD |
| Failing to update information, to deposit the animal at a centre when giving it up, or to keep its number carried permanently | 1,000 to 10,000 MAD |
| Feeding, treating or sheltering a stray animal in a public space | 500 to 2,000 MAD |
The cruelty penalty does not apply to euthanasia carried out in accordance with the law. For repeat offences, penalties are doubled.
Penalties also target authorised centres: 10,000 to 25,000 dirhams if they fail to notify the owner of a found registered animal, and 5,000 to 15,000 dirhams if they fail to update the information of an abandoned animal.
What is still to be clarified
A published law is not immediately operational in every detail. The concrete arrangements, how the declaration service works, the network of centres and the agreements with associations are all being put in place progressively.
In practice, if you have an animal today:
- Check its health record is up to date, especially vaccination.
- Raise identification with your vet at the next visit.
- Ask your commune about how to declare your animal.
- Do not let your animal wander alone in public spaces.
Those four habits put you on the right side of the text, without waiting.
What about Law 56-12 on dangerous dogs?
It remains in force. These are two distinct texts: Law 56-12 covers banned dog breeds in Morocco, Law 19.25 covers stray animals and owner obligations. If you have a dog, both concern you.
We cover the first in our article on the 6 dog breeds banned in Morocco, including the breeds often wrongly named.
What this says about Morocco
Beyond the fines, this text marks a shift in outlook. It recognises that stray animals are both a public health matter and an animal welfare one, it writes sterilisation and vaccination into law rather than elimination, and it gives adoption an official framework.
It also creates duties for those who take an animal in. That is consistent with a simple idea we have held from the start: welcoming a companion is not a one-day gesture, it is a commitment you prepare for.
Still unsure which companion truly fits you, and what you can genuinely offer? Find your match in a few questions.
Sources
- Dahir no. 1.26.55 of 28 July 2026 promulgating Law no. 19.25, published in Official Bulletin no. 7533.
- Medias24, "Animaux errants au Maroc: ce que dit la loi 19.25", 17 August 2026.
- Le Brief, "La loi 19.25 renforce l'encadrement des animaux errants", August 2026.
For any official step, refer to the text published in the Official Bulletin and to information from your commune.
