PET Travel Scheme

Note about Brexit:

On 29th of March 2019, the United Kingdom (UK) will leave the EU. Although this date is not far away, it is not yet decided whether or not the rules change - and if the rules change what these changes look like. If you are planning to travel with your pet in the near future (EU  UK), please contact the British Ministry of Agriculture (Link ) or the EU (Link ) in a timely manner.

At the moment there is intensive negotiation. If there is no special “deal”, the UK will become a so-called “third country”. Then, two options are possible:
  1. UK will become a "listed third country" (country, equated to the member states or country with a "favorable rabies situation"). In this case, virtually nothing changes.
Or
  1. UK will become a "non-listed third country" (other countries). In this case, the rules change significantly and a rabies antibody titer determination (blood test) and possibly a 3-month waiting period is then required.

    Although option 1 (listed third country) is most likely, option 2 (non-listed third country) can not be ruled out completely. To be on the safe side, the UK government recommends preparing for the "worst case," even when it classifies option 2 as unlikely (Link).


Bringing pets into the EU


The owner of the pet is responsible that all rules are met for entering the EU. All procedures have to be carried out in the correct order and all documentation has to be correctly completed. Otherwise the import of the pet could be rejected or the pet will be put into quarantine on arrival.

The rules

The rules depend on which country you are travelling from into the EU or into other EU member states:

I. EU member states and approved non-EU countries (and territories)

In order to travel into other EU member states or into the EU from the approved non-EU countries the following points have to be fulfilled:
  • The pet is microchipped
  • The pet is currently vaccinated against rabies and the vaccination was carried out after microchipping
  • 21 days have passed since vaccination
  • When travelling from EU member states: the pet do have an EU Pet Passport
  • When travelling from an approved non-EU country: the pet do have an official Veterinary Health Certificate
  • Depending on the travel destination there might be additional requirements (i.e. tapeworm treatment)

An actual list of the approved non-EU countries is available on the EU´s Homepage (see link below).

II. non-approved countries

In order to travel into the EU from the non-approved countries the following points have to be fulfilled:
  • The pet is microchipped
  • The pet is currently vaccinated against rabies and the vaccination was carried out after microchipping
  • A blood sample was taken at least 30 days after vaccination and a blood test (anti-rabies antibody titration Eurovir Einsendeschein Tier [docx] ) was successfully carried out in an approved laboratory. A certificate from the laboratory states that the anti-rabies antibody titer was 0,5 IU/mL or higher.
  • A 3-month waiting period must be awaited before importation/travelling. This time period starts with the date of blood sampling.
  • The pet do have an official Veterinary Health Certificate
  • Depending on the travel destination there might be additional requirements (i.e. tapeworm treatment)

An actual list of the non-approved countries is available on the EU´s Homepage (see link below) as well as an actual list of the EU-approved laboratories (e.g. the EUROVIR Hygiene-Labors).

III. Travelling from a EU member state into a non-approved country and returning back into the EU

In order to re-entry the EU after travelling from an EU member state into an non-approved country the following points have to be fulfilled (Please note that in comparison to section II the 3-month waiting period will not apply when the blood test was successfully carried out before leaving the EU).
  • The pet is microchipped
  • The pet is currently vaccinated against rabies and the vaccination was carried out after microchipping
  • A blood sample was taken at least 30 days after vaccination and a blood test (anti-rabies antibody titration Eurovir Einsendeschein Tier [docx] ) was successfully carried out in an approved laboratory. A certificate from the laboratory states that the anti-rabies antibody titer was 0,5 IU/mL or higher.
  • The pet do have an EU Pet Passport
  • Depending on the target country there might be additional requirements (i.e. tapeworm treatment)

An actual list of the non-approved countries is available on the EU´s Homepage (see link below) as well as an actual list of the EU-approved laboratories (e.g. the EUROVIR Hygiene-Labors).

Further information