Do I need a licence to be a pet sitter in India?

Petym found no central licence or registration for pet sitting in an owner's home. The Pet Shop Rules cover selling pets and the Dog Breeding Rules cover breeders. Every sitter is still bound by the PCA Act's duty of care while a pet is in their custody.

Does a dog boarding kennel need to register in India?

The Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017 define boarding kennel operators as breeders, but their registration rule is written for breeding and selling dogs. Whether a boarding-only kennel must register is unsettled by the text, so ask your State Animal Welfare Board.

Who registers dog breeders and pet shops in India?

The State Animal Welfare Board and the state's Animal Husbandry Department. AWBI's circular of 28 December 2023 says they are authorised to register all dog breeding establishments and pet shops. Each registration costs a non-refundable Rs 5,000 under the 2017 and 2018 rules.

Do the Pet Shop Rules apply to pet boarding?

Not to boarding alone. The Pet Shop Rules, 2018 cover premises where pet animals are sold, or kept or exhibited for sale, including online platforms. A pet shop that also grooms must say so in its application and keep the grooming area separate.

Can I run home boarding from a flat in Noida or Ghaziabad?

Their published rules bar commercial dog breeding in flats, not boarding, and Petym found no specific boarding licence. Get your housing society's written permission, keep pet numbers low, and check with the authority, since rules change.

Does a pet sitting business need shops and establishments registration?

It depends on the state and the business. In Maharashtra, the 2018 Rules require registration for establishments with ten or more workers and an online intimation in Form F for those with fewer. Ask your state labour department whether your work counts as an establishment.

Pet rules 10 min read

Does pet boarding or pet sitting need a licence in India?

Updated October 2026By PetymFacts checked against official sources on 21 October 2026

Quick answer

No central licence exists for pet sitting in an owner's home. Two welfare rules touch the pet trade: the Pet Shop Rules, 2018 cover selling pets, and the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017 require breeders to register with the State Animal Welfare Board and define "boarding kennel operator" as a kind of breeder.

Whether a boarding-only kennel must register under the 2017 rules is not settled by their text, so ask your State Animal Welfare Board. Shops and establishments law and city rules may also apply, and the PCA Act's duty of care applies to every sitter (checked 21 October 2026).

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Is there a licence for pet sitting or boarding in India?

Licences and the pet care trade at a glance
What	The rule	Source
Pet sitting in the owner's home	No central licence or registration found in the rules Petym read.	Not stated
Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017	Breeders must register each establishment with the State Animal Welfare Board; fee Rs 5,000, valid two years.	Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
"Boarding kennel operator"	Defined in the 2017 rules as people who "keep pet dogs and pups for temporary housing in kennel or any other establishment", and included in "breeder".	Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
Pet Shop Rules, 2018	Cover premises where pets are sold, or kept or exhibited for sale, including online platforms; fee Rs 5,000 to the State Board.	Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
Who registers	The state's Animal Husbandry Department and State Animal Welfare Board, as AWBI's circular of 28 December 2023 says.	Animal Welfare Board of India
Shops and establishments (Maharashtra)	Ten or more workers: register. Fewer than ten: an online intimation in Form F.	Industries, Energy and Labour Department, Government of Maharashtra

What do the 2017 breeding rules say about boarding kennels?

They put boarding kennel operators inside the definition of a breeder. That is the line the debate turns on.

Word for word

"breeder" means an individual or group of persons who own dogs of specific breeds for breeding and sale of dogs and pups, and includes boarding kennel operator, intermediate handler and trader; "boarding kennel operator" includes an individual or group of persons that keep pet dogs and pups for temporary housing in kennel or any other establishment.

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017, rule 2(1)(c) and (d), G.S.R. 496(E), 23 May 2017 Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)

The registration duty itself, in rule 3, is narrower: "No breeder shall carry on or continue any breeding activity or own or house dogs for breeding and sale of dogs and pups" without a certificate of registration for the establishment. Read together, the rules clearly cover breeding and selling dogs, and clearly name boarding kennels, but do not say in so many words that a kennel which only boards must register. Rule 24 does require boarding kennels, among others, to give dogs over twelve weeks regular exercise.

Which rules apply to what you do?

Find the line that describes the work. Where the answer is unclear, the branch says so.

If you visit or stay in the owner's home to care for their pet
Petym found no central licence for this. The PCA Act's duty of care applies to you while the pet is in your custody. Animal Welfare Board of India
If you walk dogs for owners
No central licence found. City leash and clean-up rules apply to you as they do to owners; Mumbai's guidelines name dog walkers. Dog walking Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Veterinary Health Department
If you host a few pets in your own home while their owners travel
Not settled by the 2017 rules' text, which define boarding kennel operators but tie registration to breeding and sale. Ask your State Animal Welfare Board, and get your housing society's permission. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
If you run a kennel or pet hostel with dedicated kennels
You fall within the 2017 rules' definition of a boarding kennel operator; check registration with your State Animal Welfare Board, and your state's shops and establishments law. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
If you breed dogs or sell puppies, even occasionally
Registration with the State Animal Welfare Board is required under rule 3. Ghaziabad and Noida also bar commercial breeding in flats. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
If you sell pets, in a shop or online
The Pet Shop Rules, 2018 apply: a certificate of registration in Form II from the State Board before you trade. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
If a pet shop also grooms or boards
Grooming must be stated in the pet shop application and the grooming area kept physically separate from animal enclosures. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)

What do the two welfare rules cover?

Side by side, from the Gazette text of each.

	Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017	Pet Shop Rules, 2018
Notification Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)	G.S.R. 496(E), 23 May 2017	G.S.R. 844(E), 6 September 2018
Who it covers Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)	Breeders, including boarding kennel operators, intermediate handlers and traders	Anyone selling or trading pet animals, including online platforms
Animals Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)	Dogs and pups	Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats and mice, pet birds and others not barred by law
Register with Animal Welfare Board of India	State Animal Welfare Board	State Animal Welfare Board
Fee Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)	Rs 5,000, non-refundable; renewal Rs 5,000	Rs 5,000, non-refundable
Validity Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)	Two years	Five years; renewal Rs 5,000
Mentions boarding Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)	Yes: "boarding kennel operator" and exercise plans for boarding kennels	Only by repeating the breeder definition

AWBI wrote on 28 December 2023 that, except Maharashtra, no state had sent it the yearly report on registrations these rules require, and the centre's November 2024 advisory asked states to enforce both.

Do shops and establishments laws or city licences apply?

Possibly, depending on the state, the number of workers and the premises. Here is what Petym could confirm.

Each state has its own shops and establishments law. In Maharashtra, the 2018 Rules under the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017 say an establishment engaging ten or more workers applies for registration in Form A, and an establishment engaging fewer than ten workers submits "an online intimation in Form 'F' of commencement of the business". Petym could not open the Act's own definition of an establishment, so whether one person sitting pets in clients' homes counts is a question for the state labour department.

City rules add limits on what a home can be used for. Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam's licence terms prohibit running a dog breeding centre in a flat or house in a residential area, and Noida Authority's policy bars breeding centres in flats with a Rs 5,000 penalty and issues certificates to breeding centres and pet shops only after verification. Petym did not find a municipal licence category for pet sitting or home boarding in the corporation pages it read.

Above all of these sits the welfare law. Whatever the licensing position, the PCA Act's section 3 duty of care and section 11's offences apply to anyone looking after animals, paid or unpaid.

What should an owner check before a boarding or sitting booking?

With no single licence to look for, these checks tell you more. The Petym ones are the checks Petym runs before a sitter is listed.

Identity: Petym verifies every sitter's identity with PAN
The home, for sitters who host pets: Petym does a video walk-through
The housing society's permission for paid pet sitting, where the sitter hosts pets
Pet first-aid training before the first booking
A named 24-hour vet within reach of the sitter
A pet limit for the home, so your pet is not one of too many
For a kennel or breeder, its State Animal Welfare Board registration certificate on display, as the 2017 rules require of registered breeders Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
Your pet's vaccination record and licence, which a good sitter or kennel will ask to see Animal Welfare Board of India

What it means for owners

Do not rely on a licence that may not exist; check the person, the place and the plan.

A registration certificate under the 2017 or 2018 rules tells you a breeder or pet shop has registered with the state board. It does not exist for most pet sitters, and its absence does not mean a sitter is breaking a rule. Ask instead about identity checks, the home, the society's permission, first-aid training and the vet they would use.

Buy puppies only from registered breeders or pet shops. BMC's 2025 guidelines advise owners to buy from a breeder or pet shop registered under these rules, and not to buy puppies or kittens under eight weeks old.

Under section 11(2) of the PCA Act, an owner can be treated as having committed a cruelty offence if they failed to take reasonable care and supervision. Choosing a carer with care, and leaving a written plan, is part of that.

What it means for sitters

Most sitters need no licence, but every sitter carries the duty of care, and hosting sitters need their society's say-so.

A Petym sitter caring for pets in the owner's home is not a pet shop and not a breeder. The duty that does apply is the PCA Act's: section 2(f) counts "any other person for the time being in possession or custody of the animal" as its owner. Food, water, shelter, exercise and no cramped crates are the sitter's legal duties during a booking.

Sitters who host pets at home should stay clear of anything that looks like breeding or selling: never take in animals for sale, never breed a client's dog, and keep to Petym's pet limit for the home. If you are building a kennel-style business with dedicated kennels, ask your State Animal Welfare Board whether the 2017 rules' registration applies, and your state labour department about shops and establishments registration.

Keep records as a kennel would. Rule 24 of the 2017 rules asks boarding kennels to give dogs regular exercise under a plan; Petym's pet plan and walk log do the same job for every booking.

Going away soon? Tell us your dates.

A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.

Find a home boarding sitter How it works

Meet your sitter first, free
PAN-checked, first-aid trained
A photo every day
Pay through Petym, never cash

Questions owners ask

Do I need a licence to be a pet sitter in India?: Petym found no central licence or registration for pet sitting in an owner's home. The Pet Shop Rules cover selling pets and the Dog Breeding Rules cover breeders. Every sitter is still bound by the PCA Act's duty of care while a pet is in their custody.
Does a dog boarding kennel need to register in India?: The Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017 define boarding kennel operators as breeders, but their registration rule is written for breeding and selling dogs. Whether a boarding-only kennel must register is unsettled by the text, so ask your State Animal Welfare Board.
Who registers dog breeders and pet shops in India?: The State Animal Welfare Board and the state's Animal Husbandry Department. AWBI's circular of 28 December 2023 says they are authorised to register all dog breeding establishments and pet shops. Each registration costs a non-refundable Rs 5,000 under the 2017 and 2018 rules.
Do the Pet Shop Rules apply to pet boarding?: Not to boarding alone. The Pet Shop Rules, 2018 cover premises where pet animals are sold, or kept or exhibited for sale, including online platforms. A pet shop that also grooms must say so in its application and keep the grooming area separate.
Can I run home boarding from a flat in Noida or Ghaziabad?: Their published rules bar commercial dog breeding in flats, not boarding, and Petym found no specific boarding licence. Get your housing society's written permission, keep pet numbers low, and check with the authority, since rules change.
Does a pet sitting business need shops and establishments registration?: It depends on the state and the business. In Maharashtra, the 2018 Rules require registration for establishments with ten or more workers and an online intimation in Form F for those with fewer. Ask your state labour department whether your work counts as an establishment.

Keep reading

Pets in housing societiesSociety permission and what a society can ask.
Animal cruelty law in IndiaThe duty of care every sitter carries.
Pets in rented homesHosting pets in a rented flat.
Banned dog breeds in IndiaThe 2024 breed letter and breeding rules.
How to become a pet sitterSkills, checks and getting started.
Red flags when hiring a pet sitterWhat should make an owner think twice.