Rabies vaccination and titre test: when do you need them?

Steps and waiting times at a glance

Rabies vaccination: order and timing

The 2026 EU rules keep the familiar principles, with some precise points to get right:

• Chip first. Identification must always come before vaccination. A vaccine given before the chip was implanted or read does not count, and will have to be repeated.
• From 12 weeks. The pet must be at least 12 weeks old on the day of the primary vaccination.
• An accepted vaccine, inactivated or recombinant, authorised in the EU (or, if given outside the EU, licensed in that country and meeting the World Organisation for Animal Health standards), administered by an authorised vet.
• A 21-day wait. The vaccination becomes valid no sooner than 21 days after the manufacturer's primary protocol is completed. If the datasheet sets a longer period, that longer period applies.
• Boosters on time. How long a vaccination lasts depends on the product and is entered by the vet. A booster given before that date takes over straight away; one given after it counts as a new primary vaccination, with another 21-day wait.

Puppies and kittens therefore cannot enter France before about 15 weeks of age (12 weeks plus 21 days): France does not accept unvaccinated animals or animals whose vaccination is not yet valid, and there is no exception at all for animals coming from outside the EU.

When is a titre test required?

The rabies antibody titre test is a blood test that checks the vaccination has worked. For entry into the European Union, whether it is needed depends only on where the pet is coming from:

Stopovers in an unlisted country: a pet coming from a listed country keeps its exemption if it stays inside the aircraft or other means of transport, or within the airport's international zone, without contact with rabies-susceptible animals, and the owner signs a declaration to that effect. The reverse does not work: a pet living in an unlisted country still needs the titre test even if it then travels via a listed one.

How the titre test works

1. The blood sample is taken by an official or authorised vet at least 30 days after the primary vaccination (the full course, if it involves more than one injection), or at any time during an unbroken series of boosters.
2. The analysis is carried out by an EU-approved laboratory. In France, the Ministry of Agriculture's list includes the Anses rabies and wildlife laboratory in Nancy, Laboratoire départemental 31 (Launaguet) and INOVALYS Le Mans. Outside the EU, only laboratories on the lists published by the European Commission count.
3. The result must be 0.5 IU/ml or higher. A certified copy of the laboratory report is attached to the health certificate.

A favourable titre stays valid for the pet's whole life, as long as its rabies vaccination never lapses. A late booster resets everything: a new primary vaccination, then a new titre test at least 30 days later.

When a sample taken abroad is sent to a French laboratory, the laboratory must first obtain an import authorisation for it from the departmental authority for the protection of the population (DD(ETS)PP). Shipping the sample is the job of the vet who took it.

The three-month wait: how it is counted

For a pet coming from an unlisted country, the blood sample must have been taken at least 90 days before the date the health certificate is issued, not before the arrival date. The French Ministry of Agriculture explains why: the test cannot tell vaccine antibodies from those caused by an infection, and the wait gives any infection time to show itself.

For a puppy born in an unlisted country, the arithmetic is simple: 12 weeks before the vaccine, 30 days before the sample, then 3 months. It cannot enter the EU before it is about seven months old.

1. Microchip and rabies vaccine from 12 weeks

   The chip is read before the injection and recorded on the vaccination record.

2. Blood sample at least 30 days later

   Sent to an approved laboratory; keep the original report.

3. Wait 3 months

   Boosters must stay up to date throughout.

4. Health certificate no more than 10 days before arrival

   Issued or endorsed by an official vet in the country of departure.

Leaving France for an unlisted country: test before you go

The three-month wait does not apply to a pet that lives in the EU and returns on its EU passport, provided a favourable titre test was done before it left the EU and recorded in the passport. That is why the French Ministry of Agriculture advises residents to leave the EU only with a pet that is chipped, validly vaccinated and already tested, and to start the process with their vet at least three months before departure.

See also our article on the EU pet passport.

Destinations with requirements of their own

Everything above is about entering the European Union. When you leave France for a non-EU country, the destination's rules are what count, and some set their own titre test, with their own timing, recognised laboratories and validity periods. Destinations such as Japan, Australia and Singapore have tightly regulated entry conditions, and their timelines are planned months ahead. We check the destination's requirements for every file; see leaving France with a pet.

Common mistakes

• Vaccinating before the chip is implanted or read: the vaccine does not count.
• Missing a booster date, even by a day: new primary vaccination, a 21-day wait and, where relevant, a new titre test.
• Counting the three months up to the flight instead of up to the date the health certificate is issued.
• Sending the sample to a laboratory that is not EU-approved: the result will not be accepted.
• Assuming South Korea is exempt: it is not on the EU lists in force since April 2026.
• Having a booster or titre done during a stay outside the EU without planning the official health certificate for the return.

The full entry rules for France by country of departure are on bringing a pet into France.

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