🚫 Banned & Restricted Dog Breeds in Europe
Breed rules differ more across Europe than almost any other pet law. Some countries ban pit bull–type dogs outright, some require a licence, muzzle or insurance for listed breeds, and some leave it to regions or have dropped breed lists altogether. Rules for visitors can differ from rules for residents — check before you travel or move.
16 National ban or restricted list3 Regional or local rules only11 No national breed rules
| Country | Status | What the law says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Regional or local rules only | No national ban. Several states — including Vienna, Lower Austria and Vorarlberg — list breeds such as the American Staffordshire Terrier, Pit Bull, Bull Terrier, Rottweiler and Tosa, whose owners need a special dog licence or competence test. | Official text |
| Belgium | Regional or local rules only | No national breed list. Some municipalities declare breeds such as the Pit Bull, American Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler and Tosa dangerous and set their own conditions — check with your commune. | Official text |
| Bulgaria | No national breed rules | Bulgaria has no national list of banned or restricted dog breeds. | Official text |
| Croatia | National ban or restricted list | Croatia treats Pit Bull Terriers and bull-terrier types without an FCI-recognised pedigree — including Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers and Bull Terriers — as dangerous dogs, with strict conditions for keeping them. | Official text |
| Cyprus | National ban or restricted list | Cyprus bans the import of four fighting breeds: the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro. | Official text |
| Czechia | No national breed rules | Czechia has no national list of banned or restricted dog breeds. | Official text |
| Denmark | National ban or restricted list | Denmark bans keeping, breeding and importing 13 breeds and their crosses: Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bulldog, Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Boerboel, Kangal, Central Asian Shepherd, Caucasian Shepherd, South Russian Shepherd, Tornjak and Sarplaninac. | Official text |
| Estonia | No national breed rules | Estonia has no national list of banned or restricted dog breeds. | Official text |
| Finland | No national breed rules | Finland has no national list of banned or restricted dog breeds. | Official text |
| France | National ban or restricted list | France sorts certain dogs into two categories. Category 1 “attack dogs” (non-pedigree Staffordshire / American Staffordshire Terrier, Mastiff/Boerbull and Tosa types) may not be bought, sold, imported or bred; Category 2 “guard and defence dogs” (including pedigree Rottweilers) need a permit, and both must be leashed and muzzled in public. | Official text |
| Germany | National ban or restricted list | Germany bans the import of Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers and their crosses. Each state (Land) also keeps its own list of dangerous breeds with rules on licences, muzzles and leads. | Official text |
| Greece | No national breed rules | Greece has no national list of banned or restricted dog breeds. | Official text |
| Hungary | National ban or restricted list | Hungary treats pit bull terriers and their crosses as dangerous: they may not be imported or bred, and owners must meet strict conditions (microchip, neutering, lead and muzzle in public). | Official text |
| Ireland | National ban or restricted list | Ireland requires 11 listed breeds and their crosses — including the American Pit Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Dobermann and Staffordshire Bull Terrier — to be leashed and muzzled in public. Since 2024–25 the XL Bully may not be imported, bred or sold, and owners need a certificate of exemption. | Official text |
| Italy | No national breed rules | Italy dropped its national list of dangerous breeds in 2009; owners of any dog are responsible for its behaviour, and some municipalities add their own rules. | Official text |
| Latvia | No national breed rules | Latvia has no national list of banned or restricted dog breeds. | Official text |
| Lithuania | National ban or restricted list | Lithuania lists the American Pit Bull Terrier as a fighting breed and several breeds — including the American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Kangal and Caucasian Shepherd — as dangerous, with permits and conditions for keeping them. | Official text |
| Luxembourg | National ban or restricted list | Luxembourg classes breeds such as the American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Pit Bull, Mastiff, Tosa and Boerboel as potentially dangerous: owners must be adults, complete a training course and declare the dog to their municipality. | Official text |
| Malta | National ban or restricted list | Since December 2024 Malta bans breeding, selling and advertising non-pedigree “bully” breeds and their crosses (Subsidiary Legislation 439.28). | Official text |
| Netherlands | No national breed rules | The Netherlands repealed its pit bull ban in 2008. The government publishes a guidance list of high-risk breeds, but it is not a ban. | Official text |
| Norway | National ban or restricted list | Norway bans keeping and importing the Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, and their crosses. | Official text |
| Poland | National ban or restricted list | Poland keeps a list of “aggressive” breeds — including the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Presa Canario, Tosa, Rottweiler, Anatolian Shepherd and Caucasian Shepherd — which need a permit from the municipality to keep or breed. | Official text |
| Portugal | National ban or restricted list | Portugal classes the Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Pit Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Tosa as potentially dangerous, and has banned importing and breeding them since 2008. | Official text |
| Romania | National ban or restricted list | Romania bans importing Pit Bulls, Boerboels and Bandogs, and requires several other breeds — including the Rottweiler, Staffordshire breeds and Caucasian Shepherd — to be muzzled and leashed in public. | Official text |
| Slovakia | No national breed rules | Slovakia has no national list of banned or restricted dog breeds. | Official text |
| Slovenia | No national breed rules | Slovenia has no national list of banned or restricted dog breeds. | Official text |
| Spain | National ban or restricted list | Spain’s “potentially dangerous dogs” (PPP) rules cover the Pit Bull, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa and Akita: owners need a licence (with a psychological test and liability insurance), and the dog must be registered, leashed and muzzled. Some regions, such as Catalonia, add breeds. | Official text |
| Sweden | No national breed rules | Sweden has no national list of banned or restricted dog breeds. | Official text |
| Switzerland | Regional or local rules only | No national ban. Many cantons regulate or ban listed breeds — Zurich, for example, bans pit bull–type dogs, American Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers — so the rules depend on the canton. | Official text |
| United Kingdom | National ban or restricted list | The Dangerous Dogs Act bans the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and, since 2024, the XL Bully. These dogs may only be kept with a certificate of exemption, and must be neutered, microchipped, insured, leashed and muzzled in public. | Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 |
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General information, not legal advice. Laws change and local authorities often add stricter rules. Each row links to its source and was checked on the date shown at the top — confirm with your local authority or a lawyer before relying on it.