Frequently Asked Questions

Registration Applications

 How to fill out
 Help with coat colors
 More than two new owners
 Submitting late
 With additional transfers
 Cannot obtain
 Online registration
 Rules for naming
 Dogs sold without papers

Obtaining duplicates:
 Litter owner requesting
 Obtained from litter owner
 Obtained from pet store
 Fee schedule

  • Can you help me determine what color my dog is?

    There are two options. You can send scanned pictures of the dog and a scanned copy of the dog registration application for the dog in question attached to e-mail to awards@akc.org. Please allow several business days for a response. At least two 3 x 5 color photographs, providing close-up front and side views of the dog in a standing position, are required. If you do not have access to a scanner, you can also send the pictures and a photocopy of the application to our Special Services department by regular US mail to:

    American Kennel Club
    Attn: Special Services
    8051 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 100
    Raleigh, NC 27617-3390

    Please allow three to four weeks for handling and be sure to include a return address, phone number and/or e-mail address so they may give you their determination of the color of the dog.

    Please note that it may be difficult to determine the color from a digital image and you may be requested to send the photographs by mail. If you have specific questions about the possible colors of a breed, you can contact a representative of our Special Services Department. You can contact the American Kennel Club’s Special Services Department from 8:30am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, Eastern Time at (919) 233-9767. You can also address e-mail to awards@akc.org.

    Please note that the registry of the American Kennel Club is based on parentage and not the coat color of a member of any breed. However, coat color can sometime alert us to an error in the breeding of a particular litter.

    The American Kennel Club’s policy is to review any litter that contains a member that possess a non-standard coat color for it’s breed.

    A list of standard breed colors and markings can be found on the individual breed pages on our website.

  • I want to list three owners on my dog, but the application only has room for two. What should I do?

    If there are more than two new owners or more than two litter owners, you will need an additional form called an Additional Signature Form.


  • I heard you can submit an application with a penalty fee after the one year deadline. Is this true?

    You have one year to register your dog from the date we issued the dog registration application. Chapter 3, Section 4 of the Rules Applying to Registration and Discipline states the following:
    "An application to individually register a member of a registered litter shall be valid for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of issue of the application. An application to individually register a member of a registered litter filed with The American Kennel Club more than twelve (12) months from the date of issue of the application may be considered for registration provided the applicant supplies such required information and remits such penalty fee as shall be determined by the Board of Directors. No application to individually register a member of a registered litter will be accepted after twenty-four (24) months from the date of issue of the application, except when the delay in filing the application for individual registration results from an American Kennel Club investigation or inquiry, an action of law or other hardship circumstances satisfactory to The American Kennel Club and the applicant remits such penalty fee as shall be determined by the Board of Directors.
    If the dog's registration application has gone over the one-year expiration date, you need to send us the following:

    • Properly completed dog registration application.
    • $55 Processing fee ($35 is a penalty fee, $20 is the registration cost)
    • Note: If you choose the pedigree combo option, you need to send us $72 ($35 is a penalty fee, $37 is the registration/pedigree cost). Also, if you have any supplemental transfer statements (gray forms), please remember to add $5 for each gray form.


    If the dog's registration application has gone over 2 years from the date we issued the form; you need to send us the following:

    • Properly completed dog registration application.
    • A letter explaining the lateness.
    • $85 Processing fee ($65 is a penalty fee, $20 is the registration cost)
    • Note: If you choose the pedigree combo option, you need to send us $102 ($65 is a penalty fee, $37 is the registration/pedigree cost). Also, if you have any supplemental transfer statements (gray forms), please remember to add $5 for each gray form.


    Mail the above information to:

    • American Kennel Club
      8051 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 100
      Raleigh, NC 27617-3390


    Note: If there are more than two new owners or more than two litter owners, you will need an additional form called an Additional Signature Form.

    This is also needed if the dog has been transferred and there are more than two former or new owners on the supplemental transfer statement.

    If you need the form mailed to you, please send a request with your complete name and mailing address and the type and quantity of the form needed to info@akc.org.

    The information will be reviewed and your dog's registration will either be accepted or denied. If the penalty fee is submitted, most registrations are accepted, but there is no guarantee. If it is denied the late fee will be refunded but the registration fee will not. If accepted, you will be sent an official AKC certificate.


  • I got my dog from a pet store and have several transfer forms. How do I fill them out?

    There are four sections to a supplemental transfer statement. You must only complete the section of the supplemental transfer statement in which your name appears as the new owner. The first section is an explanation of the current fees. It is $5.00 for each supplemental transfer statement in addition to the registration (or transfer if the dog is already registered) fee. The second section contains the dogs information and needs to match exactly what is on the registration application or registration certificate. The third section contains your information. The fourth section contains the information pertaining to the person or firm from whom you directly got the dog.

    You can download a supplemental transfer statement from our website. If you need the form mailed to you, please send your name and your home mailing address with request to info@akc.org.

    If there are more than two new owners or more than two former owners, you will also need the Additional Signature Form.

    If you got your dog from a pet store, the chain of title would be documented using the registration application and, likely, several transfers. You would only complete the supplemental which lists, in the section called "Former Owner(s) Signature(s) Certifying Transfer," the name of the person or firm from whom you directly got the dog. An example of the paperwork for a dog purchased from a pet store follows (your specifics may vary):

    Form 1: Registration application. This would show the litter owner transferred the dog to a broker. The broker would be the new owner on the application. You would only complete the name of the dog, your registration option and the payment information and you would not complete anything else on this form.

    Form 2: Supplemental transfer number 1. This would show the broker transferred the dog to a pet store. The broker would be the former owner and the pet store would be the new owner. You would not do anything to this form.

    Form 3: Supplemental transfer number 2. This would show the pet store transferred the dog to you. The pet store would be the former owner and you would be the new owner. Your name, address, and signature would go on this form.

    Your total registration fee will include $20.00 for registration and $5.00 for each supplemental transfer. The person registering the dog is responsible for all fees.
  • I lost one of the applications from my litter of five. How do I replace it?

    You, the litter owner, will need to send us the following on a piece of paper:

    • Your Name, Address, and Signature requesting a duplicate dog registration application.
    • Litter Number
    • Date of Birth
    • Breed
    • Sex you are requesting for: male or female
    • $15.00 processing fee


    Please mail the above information to: American Kennel Club, 8051 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27617-3390. After we receive the information above we will print another form and mail it to you.

    When using a credit card, please be sure to include the following:

    • Your name, address, and telephone number.
    • Cardholder's name.
    • Credit card number and type of card (Visa, American Express, and MasterCard).
    • Expiration date.


  • I got my dog direct from the breeder and lost the application. How do I get another one?

    The only person that can request another copy of the dog’s registration application is the litter owner. You will need to get in touch with the litter owner and have that individual request another copy.

    The litter owner will need to send us the following on a piece of paper:

    • Litter Owner’s Name, Address, and Signature requesting a duplicate dog registration application
    • Litter Number
    • Date of Birth
    • Breed
    • Sex you are requesting for: male or female
    • $15.00 processing fee (the money can come from anyone)

    Please mail the above information to: American Kennel Club, 8051 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27617-3390.

    When using a credit card, please be sure to include the following:

    • Your name, address, and telephone number
    • Cardholder’s name
    • Credit card number and type of card (Visa, American Express, and MasterCard)
    • Expiration date

    After we receive the information above we will print another form and mail it to the litter owner. The litter owner can then transfer the paperwork to you.

    Note: If there are more than two new owners or more than two litter owners, you will need an additional form called an Additional Signature Form.

    If you need the form mailed to you, please send a request with your complete name and mailing address and the type and quantity of the form needed to info@akc.org.

  • I got my dog from a pet store and lost the paperwork to register it. How do I replace it?

    The pet store will need to get in touch with the litter owner to request another copy.

    The litter owner will need to send us the following on a piece of paper:

    • Litter Owner’s Name, Address, and Signature requesting a duplicate dog registration application
    • Litter Number
    • Date of Birth
    • Breed
    • Sex you are requesting for: male or female
    • $15.00 processing fee (the money can come from anyone)

    Please mail the above information to: American Kennel Club, 8051 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27617-3390.

    When using a credit card, please be sure to include the following:

    • Your name, address, and telephone number
    • Cardholder’s name
    • Credit card number and type of card (Visa, American Express, and MasterCard)
    • Expiration date

    After we receive the information above we will print another form and mail it to the litter owner. The litter owner can then transfer the paperwork to the pet store. The pet store will then sign a supplemental transfer statement (gray form) transferring ownership to you. You will then need to mail the dog registration application and the supplemental transfer statement (gray form) to our address for processing.

    Note: If there are more than two new owners or more than two litter owners, you will need an additional form called an Additional Signature Form.

    This is also needed if the dog has been transferred and there are more than two former or new owners on the supplemental transfer statement.

    If you need the form mailed to you, please send a request with your complete name and mailing address and the type and quantity of the form needed to info@akc.org.

  • The person from whom I got my dog will not give me papers. What can I do?

    Under AKC rules, any person who sells dogs that are registerable with the AKC must maintain records that will make it possible to give full identifying information with every dog delivered to a new owner. This identifying information may be stated on a properly completed AKC registration application, on a bill of sale, or on a written statement, signed by the seller, that gives the dog’s full breeding information as follows:

    • breed, sex and color
    • date of birth of the dog
    • registered names and numbers of the dog’s sire and dam
    • name and address of the breeder

    Buyers should not accept a promise that this identification or the registration application will be sent along later. It is the buyer's responsibility to obtain complete identification of the dog as described previously. If sufficient information to identify the dog in AKC records is not forthcoming, the buyer should seriously consider not purchasing the dog.

  • Can I register my dog online?

    Yes, please visit the Online Dog Registration section of our website.