Republic of Ireland Residents

What is it an EPRN?

• A Unique ID for a location where horses are kept in Ireland, required by The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
• If there are other species on the establishment (such as sheep or cattle), the EPRN will be the same as the flock/herd number.
• It is necessary to notify the Regional Veterinary office (RVO) of the intention to keep horses by submitting a completed EPRN form.

How do you get an EPRN?

• Contact your local Regional Veterinary Office.
• Fill in a HR1 Form. This can be found on the DAFM website or by clicking here
• Registration is free of charge.

If you do not register your premises:

• Could face prosecution, as it’s a legal requirement.
• Can face a fine of up to €10,000.
• You will not be able to register your horse, obtain a passport or have your horse slaughtered for human consumption.

Other information

• A valid EPRN is necessary to apply for an equine passport.
• Failure to return a census or submission of a nil return, can result in in EPRN being made inactive on the department’s systems.

Herd owner: means an operator” as defined in EU Regulation 2016/429 who has a beneficial interest in a herd.

Keeper: means an operator as defined in EU regulation 2016/429 who is registered as the keeper of a herd and who is, irrespective of ownership, responsible for the day-to-day care and welfare of the herd.

A herdowner, who is not the keeper, shall be considered responsible with the keeper for the herd and the holding for the purposes of these Regulations

If you keep your horse at a livery yard - the livery yard owner will an EPRN

Northern Ireland Residents - Equine Establishment Numbers (EEN)

From 1 February 2026, it will be mandatory for all equine establishments in Northern Ireland to be registered and to hold a valid Equine Establishment Number (EEN).

From this date, all Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) authorised by DAERA will require a valid EEN to be provided when submitting:

• An application for a new equine passport
• A passport update (including change of ownership)
• An application for a duplicate or replacement passport in cases where a passport has been lost, stolen, or damaged

Please note that from 1 February 2026, the EEN field will become a mandatory requirement for all Northern Ireland registrations. Applications that do not include a valid EEN will not be processed.

We strongly encourage all horse, pony, donkey, and equine keepers in Northern Ireland to ensure their establishment is registered in advance of this date to avoid any disruption to passport services.

Further information and guidance on how to register an equine establishment is available from the DAERA website or via the following links:

Single Lifetime Identification Document for Equines (“Horse Passports”) | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Q&A: Registration of Equine Establishments - Questions and Answers | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Link to registration page (includes guidance on how to complete registration form): Horse Premises Registration document | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs