Registering Your Dog and Getting the Rabies Shot in Sapporo: What Residents Need to Know

In short: the City of Sapporo’s dog registration and rabies shot page says that under the Rabies Prevention Act, owners of dogs 91 days old or older must register the dog (once in its lifetime, which gets you a registration tag, 鑑札) and give it a rabies shot every year (which gets you a vaccination tag, 注射済票). The page says these are two separate procedures, so a dog that gets its shot every year still needs registering if it has not been registered. It also says both tags must be attached to the dog’s collar or similar, that microchip information registration is a separate procedure from dog registration in Sapporo, and that you must notify the city if your dog dies, or if your address, name, phone number, or your dog’s location changes, or if the owner changes. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) page lists the same three duties for dog owners. I have left out fees and dates on purpose, because they can change, so check the official page for current details. For anything about your dog’s health, ask your vet.

If you have a new dog, or have just moved to Sapporo, you may wonder what you have to do and in what order. This post walks through what the official pages say, in plain English.

Please read this first: this post is general information. It is not about my own dog, and it is not legal or veterinary advice. I am not a veterinarian or a government official, and the rules and procedures can change. Quotes and paraphrases below are my English versions of Japanese pages, and anything marked “my suggestion” or “my note” is not from an official page. Please check the official pages listed at the end for current details, and for questions about your dog’s health, ask your vet.

The two procedures at a glance

	Dog registration	Rabies shot
What it is	Registering your dog with the City of Sapporo	A vaccination to prevent the spread of rabies
What you receive	A registration tag (鑑札)	A vaccination tag (注射済票)
How often	Once in the dog’s lifetime	Once every year
Who must do it	Owners of dogs 91 days old or older	Owners of dogs 91 days old or older
Where it comes from	City of Sapporo, dog registration and rabies shots page	City of Sapporo, dog registration and rabies shots page

On the Sapporo page, it is stated that both tags must be attached to the dog’s collar or similar. The MHLW rabies page lists the same duties for dog owners: register the dog, have the dog vaccinated once a year, and attach the registration tag and the vaccination tag to the dog.

Registration is a separate step from the shot

The City of Sapporo page says that “registration” and “shot” are separate procedures. Even if your dog gets its rabies shot every year, you still have to register it if that has not been done.

The page says that if this is your first dog, or you are not sure whether your dog is registered, you should first check whether the registration has been done. If you do not know the registration number, it says to contact the Animal Care and Management Center (動物愛護管理センター).

The page says you can register your dog (and receive the registration tag) at these places:

• the Animal Care and Management Center
• a public health center (保健所)
• the health and children division of a ward office (区役所健康・子ども課, also called the health center)
• a contracted veterinary clinic (委託動物病院)

The page also lists what to bring for a new registration: a registration application form (available at each counter), the registration fee, and your dog’s details such as breed, coat color, date of birth, and name. It adds that writing the details down in advance makes things smoother. The page shows the fee amounts, but I won’t repeat them here; check the official page for current details.

The yearly rabies shot

The City of Sapporo page says the rabies shot should be given at a veterinary clinic. After the shot, you need to get the vaccination tag, which proves the shot was given. The page says the tag is issued every year.

How you get the tag depends on where the dog had its shot, according to the page:

Where the shot was given	How you get the vaccination tag
A contracted veterinary clinic	The tag is issued on the spot
A clinic that is not contracted (including outside the city)	The clinic issues a certificate with the vet’s name and seal. Take it to the Animal Care and Management Center, a public health center, or a ward office health and children division to get the tag

The page adds that some clinics handle the procedure on your behalf, and that you should ask your regular clinic for details. It also says that if your dog cannot get the shot within the set period because of poor health, a deferral procedure is needed at the veterinary clinic. I am not giving a period or a date here, because they can change; please check the official page; check the official page for current details, and ask your vet about your dog.

The MHLW page says April, May, and June are promoted as rabies vaccination month. My note: I did not find that page saying this is the only time to vaccinate, so please follow the City of Sapporo page and your vet for timing.

Keep both tags on the collar

The City of Sapporo page says the registration tag and the vaccination tag must be attached to the dog’s collar or similar. The MHLW page lists attaching them as one of the three legal duties of a dog owner.

If you lose a tag or one is damaged, the Sapporo page says a reissue procedure is needed. A reissue application form and a reissue fee are required, and for damaged tags you bring the damaged tag. It says reissue is handled at the Animal Care and Management Center, a public health center, or a ward office health and children division, and not at veterinary clinics. My post If Your Dog Goes Missing in Sapporo: First Steps and Who to Contact explains why it helps to keep your registered details and tags up to date.

Microchip information is a different procedure

The City of Sapporo page has a note that, in Sapporo, registering microchip information and registering a dog under the Rabies Prevention Act are separate procedures. It points readers to the Ministry of the Environment’s microchip information registration system for the microchip side.

The Ministry of the Environment’s microchip Q&A (dated November 24, 2022) says:

• Fitting a microchip to a home-kept dog is an effort obligation, but once a chip is fitted, registering the information with the designated registration body is mandatory.
• If your name, address, or phone number changes, you must notify the registration body, and you must also notify it if the dog dies.
• The fee for microchip registration is different from the dog registration fee that the municipality collects under the Rabies Prevention Act.

The MHLW page adds a special rule: in municipalities that asked in advance to be notified, registering a dog’s microchip information can count as the application for dog registration, and the chip can count as the registration tag. My note: the Sapporo page says the two are separate in Sapporo, so I would follow the Sapporo page and ask the Animal Care and Management Center if you are unsure.

If something changes

The City of Sapporo page says registration does not end once it is done. You must notify the city in these cases:

What changed	What the page says to do
Your dog died	Notify the city. The page lists an online form, the Sapporo City Call Center by phone, or a death notice form sent by fax or mail to the Animal Care and Management Center. You need the registration number, which is the same as the number on the registration tag
Your registration details (such as name, address, or phone number) or the owner changed (within Sapporo)	Call the Animal Care and Management Center, or send a registration change form by fax or mail
You moved out of Sapporo	No procedure is needed in Sapporo. Take the registration tag issued by Sapporo to the new municipality’s office and notify them there
You moved into Sapporo from another municipality	Take the registration tag from your old municipality to the Animal Care and Management Center, a public health center, or a ward office health and children division. The page says they will exchange it for a Sapporo tag

For phone numbers, forms, and hours, see the official page. If you are bringing a dog from overseas, my post Bringing a Dog to Japan: The Import Steps in Plain English covers city registration after arrival.

Why it matters

The MHLW rabies page says that rabies still occurs in most of the world, including countries around Japan, and that although no cases are occurring in Japan at present, Japan is always exposed to the threat of rabies coming in. It says registration and vaccination are important for preventing rabies, and asks each dog owner to make sure both are done. For questions about rabies or vaccination for your own dog, ask your vet.

A short checklist

Item	What the official pages say
My dog is 91 days old or older, so registration and the yearly shot apply	City of Sapporo
Registration is done once, and I received a registration tag	City of Sapporo
The rabies shot is every year, and I received a vaccination tag	City of Sapporo
Both tags are attached to the collar or similar	City of Sapporo, MHLW
I know registration and the shot are separate procedures	City of Sapporo
Microchip information registration is done separately, if my dog has a chip	City of Sapporo, Ministry of the Environment
I notify the city if my dog dies or my details change; if I move out of Sapporo, I notify the new municipality	City of Sapporo
I check the official pages for current fees and dates	Fees and dates can change

Register once, get the rabies shot every year, keep both tags on the collar, treat microchip registration as a separate step, and notify the right office when something changes. For your dog’s health, ask your vet.

FAQ

Do I need to register my dog and also get a rabies shot every year?

Yes. The City of Sapporo page says owners of dogs 91 days old or older must register the dog once in its lifetime and give it a rabies shot every year. It says these are separate procedures, so a yearly shot does not replace registration. Check the official page for current details.

Do both tags have to be on the collar?

The City of Sapporo page says the registration tag and the vaccination tag must be attached to the dog’s collar or similar. The MHLW rabies page lists attaching the tags as one of the three duties of a dog owner.

Is microchip registration the same as dog registration?

In Sapporo, no. The City of Sapporo page says microchip information registration and dog registration under the Rabies Prevention Act are separate procedures. The Ministry of the Environment’s Q&A says that once a chip is fitted, registering its information is mandatory. Check both official pages for your own situation.

What do I do if I move or my dog dies?

The City of Sapporo page says to notify the city if the dog dies, or if your address, name, phone number, dog’s location, or owner changes. If you leave Sapporo, you notify the new municipality with the registration tag. If you arrive in Sapporo, you take your old tag to a city office to exchange it. The Ministry of the Environment’s Q&A says changes to your name, address, or phone number, and the dog’s death, must also be reported to the microchip registration body.

Sources checked: City of Sapporo, 犬の登録と狂犬病予防注射／札幌市 (dog registration and rabies shots) (Japanese; page dated July 3, 2026), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 狂犬病｜厚生労働省 (rabies) (Japanese), Ministry of the Environment, 環境省_犬と猫のマイクロチップ情報登録に関するQ&A (microchip registration Q&A) (Japanese; dated November 24, 2022). Checked on October 9, 2026. This post is general information, not veterinary or legal advice; fees, dates, hours, and procedures can change, so please check the official pages.