01 / License
Register or renew online
Mobile verification, ID capture, dog information, veterinarian, fee and payment. The digital license is issued immediately with QR verification and Apple or Google Wallet.
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
NYC Digital Dog Identity + Licensing Platform
Every dog in New York City must be licensed. The license is now one component of a persistent identity record: owner, license, microchip, nose-print biometric, visual identity, veterinary and vaccination records, ownership history and lost or found history.
$8.50
Spayed or neutered dog, one year
$34.00
Dog that is not spayed or neutered
4 months
Age at which a license is required
4 stages
One session, about eight minutes
Before you start
What you'll need
Have these on hand and the whole application takes one sitting.
- A mobile number for verification
- Your driver's license or NYC ID
- Your dog's rabies vaccination record
- Microchip number, if your dog has one
- Your phone camera, for the nose-print scan
02 / Biometric
Nose-print identity
Your dog's nose print is unique, just like a human fingerprint. The scan creates a secure biometric identity that stays with the dog through renewal, transfer and adoption.
03 / Lost and found
Reunification
Shelters, animal control and veterinary practices can scan a found dog and search registered biometric profiles, even when the collar, tag or microchip cannot be read.
How it works
The registration sequence
- 01
Owner information
- Mobile number
- 6-digit verification
- Owner information
- ID capture
- 02
Dog identity and review
- Dog information
- Nose-print scan
- Biometric ID created
- Identification photos
- Veterinarian and rabies
- Review
- 03
Fee and payment
- Fee calculation
- Attestation
- Payment
- 04
Digital license issued
- License issued
- QR verification
- Wallet pass
- Biometric ID active
Other ways to register
Online is fastest, but not the only route
At your veterinarian
Partner practices can submit a license at the rabies appointment; the record and biometric transfer with you.
Licensing events
Borough pop-ups at parks and community centres handle enrolment, photos and nose-print scans on site.
Shelter adoption
Dogs adopted through ACC arrive pre-registered — confirm your details and the license is transferred.