Keeping Alpacas in Austria: Registration Rules and Duties

If you want to keep alpacas in Austria, start with three jobs: register the holding, arrange compliant identification and check the site against Austria's minimum welfare standards. The first deadline comes quickly: the holding must be reported within 7 days of starting to keep camelids [1].

This is separate from registering an alpaca with a breed association. The official registration tells the authorities where animals are kept; a breed register records pedigree and is usually voluntary.

Last checked: August 2026. This is a practical summary, not legal advice. Your Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde is the right place to confirm how the rules are applied in your district.

Austria's alpaca rules at a glance#

Register your alpaca holding within 7 days#

Austria's VIS system is run by Statistik Austria. Its guidance specifically names alpacas under Kamelartige and says that a new camelid holding must be reported to the Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde within 7 days [1]. Depending on where you live, that authority is normally the Bezirkshauptmannschaft or the Magistrat.

You have two routes:

• notify the district authority; or
• register yourself using the VIS form.

The form asks for the keeper's details, the holding address and the animal species. Select Kamelartige and enter the current number of camelids. If you already have a VIS registration number, also called an LFBIS number, do not create a second registration: ask VIS or your authority how to add the animals to the existing holding [2].

The official guidance does not state a minimum herd size or a hobby exemption for camelids. That means a small private group should be reported too. If you stop keeping alpacas altogether, report the end of the holding by 1 April of the following year [1].

Is there an annual alpaca count?#

The annual VIS survey with a 1 April reference date is described for pigs, sheep and goats. Camelids are not included in that survey [3]. In other words, VIS does not publish a routine annual alpaca stock return.

Do not confuse this with the duty to keep your own records up to date. Your authority may also request information in an individual case.

Identify every alpaca#

The individual identification rules come from EU law. Under Article 73 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035, a camelid must have either:

• one conventional ear tag in each ear; or
• one injectable transponder [5].

The identification is applied at the holding of birth. Regulation (EU) 2021/520 adds the timing rule: the Member State sets the deadline, but it may not be later than 9 months after birth. The animal must be identified before it leaves its holding of birth, even if that is earlier [6].

Use identification devices approved by the competent authority and ask your Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde where to order them. If an existing tag or transponder is lost or unreadable, do not simply assign a new number yourself; arrange the replacement with the authority.

Animals that were correctly identified under the national rules before 21 April 2021 remain recognised under the transition in Article 87(4) [5].

There is also an Austrian-specific rule to know. Section 36 of the Tierkennzeichnungs- und Registrierungsverordnung 2009 requires alpacas to have an injectable transponder before an official certificate is issued, during vaccination against a notifiable or otherwise regulated animal disease, or when the authority orders it [9]. Two ear tags may therefore satisfy the general EU identification route but still not remove the need for a chip in one of these situations. Confirm this with the authority before a certified movement or regulated vaccination.

Check the minimum space before buying animals#

Austria's binding welfare requirements for llamas and alpacas are in Anlage 11 of the 1. Tierhaltungsverordnung [4]. They cover the enclosure, shelter, fencing, group housing and feeding.

The regulation gives group and per-animal figures. The official self-evaluation checklist recommends using the group figure for the first two animals, then adding the per-adult figure for every further animal [8]. On natural ground, that works out as follows:

These are legal minimum areas, not a promise that the pasture will feed the herd year-round. Soil, rainfall, drainage and pasture rotation may mean you need considerably more land.

Shelter, fencing and group keeping#

Every animal must be able to use the weather shelter at the same time. A shelter needs:

• at least two side walls and a roof;
• a clear internal height of at least 2 m; and
• a closed, dry, non-slip floor [4].

Fencing must be visible and designed so the animals cannot injure themselves. Barbed wire is prohibited. If animals are temporarily on pasture without direct access to a building, they need sufficient natural protection or must be moved to shelter during harmful heat or wet weather [4].

Llamas and alpacas must be kept in groups. Temporary individual housing is permitted for newly purchased, particularly aggressive or treated animals, but they must retain visual contact with other llamas or alpacas [4]. The regulation does not name a legal minimum number. Starting with at least three is still the safer practical plan, because one loss or veterinary stay would otherwise leave a single animal.

If there is no permanent pasture access, roughage must be freely available at all times. Outdoor bulk feeders must be covered [4].

Keep a simple, reliable record#

EU animal-health law requires registered establishments to keep records. Article 102 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 covers the animals kept, movements into and out of the holding, origin or destination and dates, accompanying documents, mortality, and relevant health measures and treatments [7]. Records must be available to the authority and retained for at least three years; a competent authority may require longer.

For day-to-day use, keep these details together:

• each alpaca's name and ear-tag or transponder code;
• date of birth and current status;
• arrivals and departures, with date, origin or destination;
• deaths and their dates;
• movement certificates and veterinary documents; and
• treatments, test results and any withdrawal information supplied by your vet.

Paper or a spreadsheet can work. The important part is being able to match an animal, its identification and its history without searching through several notebooks. Our guide to keeping alpaca records shows a practical way to organise them.

Moving alpacas to another EU country#

Moving an alpaca from Austria to another EU Member State is more than a normal sale and trailer trip. Camelids are treated as ungulates under EU animal-health law, and Article 143 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 requires an animal health certificate issued by the competent authority for movements between Member States [7].

Contact your Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde well before the planned journey. The authority can confirm the current health conditions, arrange the certificate and tell you what must be entered in TRACES. Because Austria requires a transponder before an official certificate is issued, check this before booking transport [9]. Make sure each animal's physical identification matches its paperwork.

A practical checklist before your alpacas arrive#

1. Contact the Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde and confirm the local process.
2. Register the holding within 7 days through the authority or VIS.
3. Check the usable enclosure and shelter measurements, not just the total property size.
4. Confirm identification before buying or moving each animal.
5. Start the record before arrival, including seller, date and identification code.
6. Ask early about cross-border paperwork if the alpacas are coming from another country.

For the broader registration picture, see Do You Need to Register Alpacas?. For a practical record setup, continue with How to Keep Alpaca Records.

Sources & Further Reading#

• [1] Statistik Austria, VIS: Landwirtschaftliche Nutztiere – andere Tierarten - 7-day notification, camelid definition and reporting the end of a holding. Checked August 2026.
• [2] Statistik Austria, VIS: Registrierung – Tierhaltung - registration form, camelid count and VIS/LFBIS number. Checked August 2026.
• [3] Statistik Austria, VIS: Jahreserhebung - annual survey for pig, sheep and goat holdings. Checked August 2026.
• [4] Austrian Federal Legal Information System (RIS): 1. Tierhaltungsverordnung, Anlage 11 - current minimum requirements for llamas and alpacas. Checked August 2026.
• [5] EUR-Lex: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 - Articles 73 and 87(4), individual identification and transition for older animals. Checked August 2026.
• [6] EUR-Lex: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/520 - Article 16, identification timing for camelids. Checked August 2026.
• [7] EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2016/429 - Articles 102 and 143, holding records and certificates for movement between Member States. Checked August 2026.
• [8] BMSGPK / Fachstelle für tiergerechte Tierhaltung und Tierschutz: Checkliste Lamas und Alpakas - recommended method for calculating minimum areas. Checked August 2026.
• [9] Austrian Federal Legal Information System (RIS): Tierkennzeichnungs- und Registrierungsverordnung 2009, Section 2 and Section 36 - the national definition includes alpacas and requires a transponder before official certification, specified vaccinations or an authority order. Checked August 2026.