Keeping hens · National rules

Can you keep backyard chickens in Timor-Leste?

The national sources we read don't settle registration or who decides where hens can live. Here's what they do say.

Read from 1 official source32 passages quotedChecked November 2, 2026

At a glance

Registering your flock

Not established

National keeping rule

Rule with conditions

Bird-flu housing orders

Status needs rechecking

Welfare rules

No rule identified

A sourced reading of national law in Timor-Leste, not legal advice. Local ordinances and zoning, HOA rules, and any local rooster or coop limits aren't covered here yet: check your local code before you get hens.

Keeping your flock

These findings cover the national scope stated below. They do not determine whether chickens are allowed at a particular home. City zoning, property restrictions and other local rules are outside this research.

Registering as a poultry keeper

No rule identified in this research

Jurisdiction: Timor-Leste

Applies to: Animal identification and registration (Decreto-Lei n.º 11/2014) and the animal health decree's identification system (Decreto-Lei n.º 41/2023).

Outside this finding's scope

  • The 2014 identification and registration decree covers cattle, buffalo, horses, pigs, sheep and goats; its definition of 'animal' does not name poultry. No register of poultry keepers was found in the texts read.

What the checked sources say

  • The animal health decree has the agriculture ministry's quarantine and biosecurity directorate (DGQB) develop an animal identification and traceability system as part of biosecurity and animal-health control during production (Decreto-Lei n.º 41/2023, art. 81(1)(a)).

Authority: Direção-Geral de Quarentena e Biossegurança (DGQB), ministry responsible for agriculture

Fee: Not established from the sources checked.

The official wording

  • O presente Decreto-Lei estabelece o regime de identificação, registo e circulação de animais das espécies bovina, bufalina, equina, suína, ovina e caprina em território nacional:

    DL 11/2014, art. 1, lead-in · Checked

  • a) “Animal” — qualquer animal das espécies bovina, bufalina, suína, ovina, caprina e equídeos;

    DL 11/2014, Annex (Regulamento), art. 2(a) (definition) · Checked

  • 1. A DGQB deve, em colaboração com os restantes serviços relevantes do Ministério, assegurar a biossegurança e controlo da saúde animal durante a produção, incluindo:

    DL 41/2023, art. 81(1), lead-in · Checked

  • a) Desenvolver um sistema de identificação e rastreabilidade animal;

    DL 41/2023, art. 81(1)(a) · Checked

Bird-flu housing orders

Current status needs rechecking

An official current-status link has not been established.

Orders can change between checks. A missed check or an expired order does not establish that no order applies.

Housing-order finding as checked on 2026-11-02

The scope and conditions below are a dated record, not confirmation of today's position.

No rule identified in this research

This does not establish that no authority can order poultry to be housed or confined.

Uses housing orders in this scope: Not established from the sources checked.

Jurisdiction: Timor-Leste

Applies to: Disease-control powers in the animal health decree (Decreto-Lei n.º 41/2023), which applies throughout the country; its terrestrial animals include birds.

Outside this finding's scope

  • No order requiring poultry to be housed was identified in the texts read. Whether any declaration is in force now is not stated here; declarations are made by ministerial diploma in the Jornal da República.

What the checked sources say

  • The DGQB may prohibit or regulate the movement of animals, people and vehicles in and out of infected areas or zones, aquatic zones, free zones or confinement zones, and may separate, isolate, observe or quarantine any infected or suspected animal (Decreto-Lei n.º 41/2023, art. 58(a), (d)).
  • When the DGQB confirms a notifiable or emerging disease, the Minister, after the Chief Veterinary Officer's opinion, must declare the infected area by ministerial diploma (art. 66(1)); the Minister may also declare a confinement zone and specify prohibitions, restrictions and requirements in it (art. 69).
  • After the Chief Veterinary Officer's opinion, the Minister must declare an animal disease emergency and publish it by ministerial diploma within 24 hours (art. 77(2)).
  • An owner of an animal infected or suspected of a notifiable disease must keep it apart from animals that are neither infected nor suspected, and keep it tied, confined or in an enclosure (art. 72); anyone who knows or suspects a notifiable disease must report it at once to the DGQB, the nearest police station or the nearest agricultural authority (art. 64(1)).
Checked
Recheck due

Historical evidence, as checked

These quotations record what was checked on the dates shown. They do not confirm an order's current status.

  • O presente diploma aplica-se a todo o território nacional.

    DL 41/2023, art. 2 · Checked

  • e) «Animal terrestre», o mamífero, pássaro ou abelha;

    DL 41/2023, art. 4(1)(e) (definition) · Checked

  • A DGQB pode:

    DL 41/2023, art. 58, lead-in · Checked

  • a) Proibir ou regular a circulação de animais, produtos de origem animal, artigos relacionados, pessoas e veículos, dentro, para dentro ou para fora de áreas ou zonas infetadas, zonas aquáticas, zonas livres ou zonas de confinamento;

    DL 41/2023, art. 58(a) · Checked

  • d) Separar, isolar, observar ou manter em quarentena qualquer animal infetado ou suspeito de estar infetado;

    DL 41/2023, art. 58(d) · Checked

  • 1. Sempre que a DGQB confirmar a presença de uma doença de notificação obrigatória ou emergente em qualquer área ou instalações, o Ministro, após parecer do CVN, deve declarar a área infetada por diploma ministerial.

    DL 41/2023, art. 66(1) · Checked

  • Após parecer do CVN, o Ministro, para fins de prevenção, controlo ou erradicação de uma doença animal de notificação obrigatória, pode declarar qualquer terreno, instalações, área ou local como zona de confinamento e pode especificar quaisquer proibições, restrições e requisitos a serem aplicáveis em tal zona.

    DL 41/2023, art. 69 · Checked

  • 2. Após parecer do CVN, o Ministro deve declarar a emergência de doença animal e publicá-la, por diploma ministerial, no prazo de 24 horas.

    DL 41/2023, art. 77(2) · Checked

  • Qualquer proprietário de um animal infetado ou suspeito de estar infetado com uma doença de notificação obrigatória deve manter esse animal separado de animais que não estejam infetados nem sejam suspeitos de estarem infetados

    DL 41/2023, art. 72 (opening words) · Checked

  • amarrado, confinado ou colocado num cercado.

    DL 41/2023, art. 72 (closing words) · Checked

  • 1. Qualquer pessoa que tiver conhecimento ou suspeitar de que um animal está infetado com uma doença de notificação obrigatória deve comunicar imediatamente essa informação à DGQB, à pessoa encarregada da esquadra da polícia mais próxima ou à pessoa responsável pela autoridade agrícola mais próxima.

    DL 41/2023, art. 64(1) · Checked

Small-flock welfare minimums

No rule identified in this research

Jurisdiction: Timor-Leste

Applies to: Animal welfare provisions of the animal health decree (Decreto-Lei n.º 41/2023).

Outside this finding's scope

  • No welfare duty binding people who keep a small flock was found in the texts read; the decree's welfare section addresses stray animals. The Penal Code was not read.

What the checked sources say

  • The DGQB must develop animal welfare to prevent cruelty and promote animal health and welfare, as part of its production biosecurity tasks (Decreto-Lei n.º 41/2023, art. 81(1)(b)).
  • The DGQB must set health, cleaning and disinfection and animal welfare measures for animal markets and other commercially or epidemiologically significant gatherings of animals (art. 82).
  • The decree's welfare section has the DGQB implement control and prevention measures for stray terrestrial animals (art. 84(1)).

The official wording

  • 1. A DGQB deve, em colaboração com os restantes serviços relevantes do Ministério, assegurar a biossegurança e controlo da saúde animal durante a produção, incluindo:

    DL 41/2023, art. 81(1), lead-in · Checked

  • b) Desenvolver o bem-estar dos animais para fins de prevenção da crueldade e promoção da saúde animal e bem-estar;

    DL 41/2023, art. 81(1)(b) · Checked

  • A DGQB deve estipular medidas de saúde para mercados de animais e outros agrupamentos de animais comercial ou epidemiologicamente significativos, incluindo a criação de um sistema de controlos veterinários, e deve estipular os procedimentos de limpeza e desinfeção e as medidas relativas ao bem-estar animal.

    DL 41/2023, art. 82 · Checked

  • 1. De modo a evitar a propagação de doenças animais e

    DL 41/2023, art. 84(1), opening words · Checked

  • zoonoses e garantir a segurança pública, a DGQB deve, em articulação e colaboração com os relevantes serviços do Ministério com atribuições sobre saúde animal, implementar medidas de controlo e prevenção visando os animais terrestres vadios.

    DL 41/2023, art. 84(1) (rest) · Checked

National rules on keeping poultry

Conditions apply to this finding

Jurisdiction: Timor-Leste

Applies to: Keeping poultry (domestic birds for human consumption, such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese) in urban areas and their outskirts (Decreto-Lei n.º 12/2014), and keeping food animals in population clusters of at least 500 residents (Decreto-Lei n.º 33/2008 as republished in 2024).

Outside this finding's scope

  • The 2014 decree prohibits raising and keeping poultry in places of greatest urban concentration and in residential housing complexes except for own consumption and use, while the 2008 decree admits food animals in residential areas if confined; how the two fit together was not established. The 2014 decree's definitions (art. 3) do not define places of greatest urban concentration.

What the checked sources say

  • Raising and keeping animals, poultry included, in places of greatest urban concentration or in residential housing complexes is prohibited, except for own consumption and use (Decreto-Lei n.º 12/2014, art. 5(1)(b)).
  • Poultry must be kept in cages or coops (art. 5(2)), and animals may not be left loose or tied in urban areas, on roads or in public places (art. 5(1)(a)).
  • Owners must keep their animals immunized at their own cost according to the agriculture directorate's norms, without prejudice to immunizations the State provides free (art. 7).
  • In population clusters of at least 500 residents, keeping food animals, poultry included, in residential areas is admissible if they are confined in a henhouse or other suitable building, and animals may not move on public roads or in other public places unless tethered or led by people (Decreto-Lei n.º 33/2008, arts. 2, 7, 8(1)); municipal authorities and the national police enforce it (art. 4(1)).

The official wording

  • O presente diploma estabelece o regime de restrição do movimento de animais de várias espécies, designadamente bovina, bufalina, suína, ovina, caprina, equina, canina e aves, nas áreas urbanas e suas periferias.

    DL 12/2014, art. 1 · Checked

  • f) “Aves”, aves domésticas para consumo humano, designadamente, mas não só, galinhas, patos, perus e gansos.

    DL 12/2014, art. 3(f) (definition) · Checked

  • 1. É expressamente proibido:

    DL 12/2014, art. 5(1), lead-in · Checked

  • b) A criação e manutenção de animais das espécies, designadamente, bovina, bufalina, equina, ovina, caprina, suína e aves nos locais de maior concentração urbana

    DL 12/2014, art. 5(1)(b), opening words · Checked

  • ou complexos de casas de residência e moradias, exceto para consumo e utilização próprios;

    DL 12/2014, art. 5(1)(b) (rest) · Checked

  • 2. Do mesmo modo, as aves devem ser acondicionadas em gaiolas/capoeiras e os caninos ser mantidos em casotas ou devidamente presos por forma a não colocarem em risco a saúde ou causarem incómodos a terceiros.

    DL 12/2014, art. 5(2) · Checked

  • a) A permanência de animais soltos ou atados nas áreas urbanas, nas estradas e lugares públicos ou locais de livre acesso ao público;

    DL 12/2014, art. 5(1)(a) · Checked

  • Todos os proprietários são obrigados a manter a seu custo os seus animais permanentemente imunizados de acordo com as normas definidas pela D.G.A.P. sem prejuízo de imunizações que sejam gratuitamente disponibilizadas pelo Estado.

    DL 12/2014, art. 7 · Checked

  • O presente diploma aplica-se aos aglomerados populacionais com pelo menos 500 residentes.

    DL 33/2008 (as republished 2024), art. 2 · Checked

  • É admissível a posse em áreas residenciais de animais destinados à alimentação humana, nomeadamente suínos, caprinos, ovinos, bovinos ou aves de capoeira, se os mesmos se encontrarem confinados em estábulo, pocilga, galinheiro, curral ou outra construção adequada.

    DL 33/2008 (as republished 2024), art. 7 · Checked

  • 1. É proibida a circulação na via pública e demais lugares públicos de quaisquer animais que não vão atrelados ou conduzidos por pessoas.

    DL 33/2008 (as republished 2024), art. 8(1) · Checked

  • Incumbe aos órgãos e serviços das Autoridades Municipais, da Autoridade Administrativa de Ataúro e aos órgãos e serviços da Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste fiscalizar o cumprimento das normas constantes do presente diploma, bem como de proceder à aplicação das respetivas sanções previstas.

    DL 33/2008 (as republished 2024), art. 4(1) · Checked

Selling eggs in Timor-Leste? →License, small-flock line, markets and cartons, on their own page.Selling: License: not stated

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Common questions

Do I have to register backyard chickens in Timor-Leste?
Registration: no rule identified. The finding covers: Animal identification and registration (Decreto-Lei n.º 11/2014) and the animal health decree's identification system (Decreto-Lei n.º 41/2023). Outside this finding's scope: The 2014 identification and registration decree covers cattle, buffalo, horses, pigs, sheep and goats; its definition of 'animal' does not name poultry. No register of poultry keepers was found in the texts read. Authority: Direção-Geral de Quarentena e Biossegurança (DGQB), ministry responsible for agriculture.
Can I keep chickens in my backyard in Timor-Leste?
The national sources we read don't settle it, and we haven't identified who decides. Check your local rules before you get hens.
Do I have to keep my hens indoors for bird flu in Timor-Leste?
Housing orders come and go, so we never show one as current. We haven't confirmed an official current-status page for it.

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