Non-commercial pet movements in the EU: the five-pet limit, the five-day rule and unaccompanied travel

The rules at a glance

What the law calls a non-commercial movement

The definition sits in Regulation (EU) 2016/429, the EU Animal Health Law, whose pet-specific rules have been spelt out since 22 April 2026 by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131. A pet animal is an animal kept "for private non-commercial purposes". A non-commercial movement is a movement of that animal that meets two conditions at once:

• Its aim is neither a sale nor any other transfer of ownership. An adoption, a gift to a relative or a hand-over to a shelter all count as transfers of ownership.
• It is part of the owner's own movement, either under the owner's direct responsibility or under that of an authorised person when the animal is physically separated from the owner.

Two of the definitions have practical consequences. The owner is "a natural person indicated as the owner in the identification document": the name written in the passport or the certificate is what counts, not the household member who does most of the feeding. The authorised person is "any natural person" holding the owner's written authorisation, so a company cannot be the authorised person as such.

Everything our guides describe, from the EU pet passport to the customs check on a pet arriving from outside the EU, assumes this framework. As soon as one condition fails, the animal falls under the standard rules of Parts IV and V of Regulation 2016/429, the ones written for animals that are traded.

The five-pet limit

Article 246 of Regulation 2016/429 sets the ceiling: the number of dogs, cats and ferrets moved "during a single non-commercial movement" may not exceed five. Species add up, so three cats and three dogs are six animals. France's veterinary directorate (DGAL) puts it as "up to 5 animals per owner or authorised person, all species combined"; French customs says "5 specimens per person".

A single means of transport

Regulation 2026/131 added a detail aimed at cars: a non-commercial movement "is carried out in a single means of transport unless the means of transport is a public means of transport". Recital 17 explains why: to stop several owners travelling together in one private vehicle from stacking their allowances. The European Commission gives two examples in its official FAQ:

• seven dogs in your own car is not a non-commercial movement, which is "limited to five animals in a single vehicle";
• six cats split between your car and the car of a friend holding your written authorisation, on the same day, is compliant, since each car carries fewer than five animals.

An airliner, a train or a ferry is public transport, so the single-vehicle rule does not apply there; the five-per-owner-or-authorised-person ceiling still does.

The exception for competitions and shows

The same article allows one derogation, on three cumulative conditions: the movement is for a competition, exhibition or sporting event, or for training for one; the owner or authorised person holds written evidence of registration for the event or with an organising association; and the animals are over 6 months old. DGAL states that no numerical ceiling applies in that case. The EU animal health certificate has a dedicated line for it (point II.1).

The five-day rule and the authorised person

The owner does not have to sit on the same aircraft as the pet, or even travel on the same day. Article 245 of Regulation 2016/429 sets the limit: where an authorised person carries out the movement, it "may only take place within five days" of the owner's movement. The Commission and DGAL both read this in both directions: five days before or five days after the owner travels.

The arrangement rests on three documents:

1. The written authorisation, signed by the owner, on the model in Annex V, Part 1, of Regulation 2026/705. It names the authorised person, describes the animals and states the date of the owner's movement; a note on the form reminds the signatory that this date must fall within 5 days of the animals' movement. It is written in at least one official language of the Member State of destination or entry and in English, in block letters.
2. The identification document it is attached to: the EU pet passport for a move between Member States, the animal health certificate for entry from a non-EU country (Article 4 of Regulation 2026/131).
3. Proof of the owner's own journey: the notes to the certificate say that a boarding pass or flight ticket "shall be surrendered on request" to the authorities carrying out the checks. French customs likewise applies the five-day tolerance "on presentation of supporting evidence".

On the EU animal health certificate, box II.5 offers two options: the owner has declared the movement non-commercial, or the owner has authorised it in writing and provided evidence of their own movement. The vet completing the certificate has to tick the right one. The certificate's deadlines and attachments are covered on our page bringing a dog or cat into France.

Hold, cargo, relocation agent: what the European Commission says

This is the question we are asked most: is a pet that flies as cargo, or whose file is handled by an agency, still "non-commercial"? The Commission's answer, in its official FAQ, comes in three parts.

• Hold or cargo on the same flight. If airline rules require the dog to travel in the hold, "the movement can still be non-commercial" as long as the owner, or the authorised person, travels on the same flight and is responsible for the animal. Owner and pet do not need to be in the same part of the aircraft.
• Different flights. The movement can still qualify as non-commercial, "but only if" the conditions are met: the owner travels within five days, and the pet is accompanied, "for the purposes of the rules", by an authorised person designated in writing who is responsible for the animal throughout. "That responsible person may, where appropriate, be a member of the carrier's staff authorised by the owner."
• Nothing is said about agencies. No EU or French text mentions pet transport companies. What the authorities look for is a named natural person holding the owner's authorisation, and an owner who travels within five days.

When a pet travels without its owner, Pawgeot prepares the authorisation in the name of an identified natural person and keeps proof of the owner's journey with the file. Without both, the animal has to go through a border control post as a commercial consignment. We also recommend confirming the reading of customs and of the carrier for your case before anything is booked: no official source says, for instance, whether the authorised person must physically be on the aircraft that carries a cargo pet. How a cargo shipment works is explained on our page pet air cargo to and from France.

What changes when the movement is commercial

DGAL lists the three triggers: more than five animals without the derogation, a journey with the authorised person "beyond the 5-day limit", or animals "sold during transport". By definition, any movement whose aim is a transfer of ownership, even for free, joins that list. The movement is then "considered commercial", and entry into France follows a different route:

• A border control post designated for the species, where the border veterinary inspection service (SIVEP) carries out the check, instead of customs at the travellers' point of entry. French customs warns that "not all border control posts are approved to check pet animals": the post has to be confirmed before boarding, and an animal presented at a post that is not approved is sent back.
• A country of origin authorised for trade, under Annex VIII, Part 1, of Regulation (EU) 2021/404.
• The commercial health certificate of Annex II, Chapter 38, of Regulation (EU) 2021/403, instead of the pet certificate.
• A common health entry document (CHED-A) issued in TRACES NT, the EU's consignment notification system.

France's own obligations do not change with the regime: identification, rabies vaccination, I-CAD registration within 7 days for a stay of 3 months or more, the ban on category 1 dogs. What changes is where the check happens, which certificate model applies, and the fact that a commercial consignment is prepared like an import, usually with a freight forwarder. In the other direction, for a pet leaving France, the EU regime matters little: the destination sets its conditions, as our page leaving France with a dog or cat explains.

Four everyday situations

A family returns from Montréal with six cats

Six is one too many for a single owner. The way out lies in the definition: the ceiling applies per owner or per authorised person. If two members of the household are each named as owner on their animals' certificates, or if one holds the other's written authorisation, each presents five animals at most. On an aircraft, which is public transport, the single-vehicle rule does not apply; on arrival at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, each declares and presents their own animals to customs. We confirm the split with customs and the airline before booking, because airlines also cap the number of animals per passenger.

A dog leaves Dubai as cargo two days before its owner

The dog is too heavy for the hold and the airline accepts it as cargo. The owner signs the Annex V, Part 1 authorisation in the name of a named natural person who is responsible for the animal during the journey; the health certificate ticks "the owner has authorised the movement"; the owner's ticket, dated two days later, stays in the file. The movement remains non-commercial. Who is physically present at arrival is settled with the handling agent and customs before departure.

Your parents, still abroad, send on the cat you left with them

It all depends on who is named as owner. If it is you, and you have been in France for months, the cat is travelling neither with you nor within five days of your move: the movement is not non-commercial. If it is your parents, and they are giving the cat to you, that is a transfer of ownership: same conclusion. Either way, the animal enters France through a border control post, with a commercial certificate and a CHED-A. It is slower and more expensive; where it is still possible, the pet is better off travelling with the person who is moving.

An employee starts an assignment a month before the family follows

If the dog is registered in the employee's name in its passport and travels a month later with the spouse, the gap from the owner's movement exceeds five days. Two solutions, both to arrange at the vet's before departure: have the spouse named as owner in the animal's identification document, or move the animal within five days of the employee's departure with a written authorisation. We check this point in the first conversation, because it shapes the whole timeline.

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