Has your pet gone missing in Latvia? Exact steps

Updated: September 16, 2026 · Reunika

In Latvia, dogs must be microchipped and registered in the state register, administered by Lauku atbalsta dienests since 2025. Cats and ferrets must also be registered, subject to limited exceptions, and a disappearance must be recorded there within 72 hours. Found animals are taken to the shelter contracted by the local authority and kept for 14 days. Follow these steps in order.

No account. Starting the alert takes 30 seconds.

Follow these steps in order

Search on foot during the first few hours, close to where the animal went missing: cats usually stay within 500 m, while dogs usually stay within 3 km.
Post an online notice with a photo and the exact location. On Reunika, the notice becomes an alert on Facebook and Instagram in the area where the animal went missing and appears on the town map.
Record the disappearance in the pet register within 72 hours, online via latvija.gov.lv: the animal will appear in the public list of lost and found animals (registri.ldc.gov.lv), which shelters and vets check.
Notify the local authority (pašvaldība) immediately: by law, it organises the capture and placement of animals in shelters. In Riga, use the 24-hour line 80001201 and the ridzivnieki.lv website, which lists found animals.
Notify local vets: any practice can read the microchip and search the register.
Post on Dzīvnieku policija (dzivniekupolicija.lv, the main free portal with a map), on ss.com under „atrasts-pazaudēts”, and in the Facebook group „Atrastie, Pazudusie, Mekle jaunas majas, Klaino. Dzivnieki”. Include the link to your notice.
Put up posters at junctions, shops and veterinary practices, with a large photo and the QR code for the notice. Do not attach them to posts or street furniture without the local authority's permission.

What is specific to Latvia

Dogs: microchipping and registration have been compulsory since 2017. Cats and ferrets: compulsory since 1 July 2024, with exceptions for cats and ferrets that are not used for breeding, are not sold or given away, are not allowed outside the owner's property, are not boarded and are not shown. Cats born before 30 June 2024 have until 30 June 2027. Initial registration can only be done by licensed vets (9 EUR).
The register authority has been Lauku atbalsta dienests (LAD) since 1 January 2025; public searches remain available at registri.ldc.gov.lv. If the microchip label has 16 digits and starts with 0, search without the 0.
The shelter keeps the animal for 14 days (MK noteikumi Nr. 412, point 50). If no owner is found, it sterilises the animal, registers itself as the owner and may rehome it, keep it or euthanise it. Anyone who finds an animal must notify the local authority immediately (Animal Protection Law, art. 8).

Common questions

I have found an animal in Latvia. What should I do?

Notify the local authority immediately, in Riga call 80001201, take the animal to a vet to have its microchip read, and post a found-animal notice with a photo and location, for example on Dzīvnieku policija and Reunika.

Is the microchip enough?

No. The microchip only helps if the registration details are up to date; you must also record the disappearance within 72 hours so the animal appears on the lost and found list. Check the registration at registri.ldc.gov.lv.