Bringing your dog to France: breed rules, flights and support

What to check for a dog

• The country of departure decides the documents (EU pet passport or health certificate) and whether a rabies titre test is needed. See bringing a pet into France.
• The dog's category: a category 1 dog cannot enter France, not even in transit; a category 2 dog can, under conditions, and flies only with Air France or as cargo.
• One adult tooth for a dog arriving from outside the EU.
• Weight and build: above 8 kg including the bag, the dog flies in the hold or as cargo; snub-nosed breeds are refused in the hold on Air France.
• After arrival: I-CAD registration within 7 days for a stay of three months or more, and a keeping permit for a category 2 dog.

Category 1 and category 2 dogs

France places some dogs in two categories (Article L211-12 of the Rural Code and the order of 27 April 1999). The classification is based on breed and physical appearance (a mastiff-type build), not on the dog's behaviour.

Category 1: no entry, not even in transit

These are attack dogs not registered in a pedigree book recognised by the French Ministry of Agriculture whose appearance resembles the American Staffordshire Terrier ("pit bulls"), the Mastiff ("boerbulls") or the Tosa. Importing them or bringing them into mainland France, the overseas collectivities or New Caledonia is banned, including simply passing through France. A connection at Roissy to another country is therefore ruled out. The law provides for up to six months' imprisonment, a €15,000 fine and confiscation of the dog.

Category 2: entry possible, under conditions

These are American Staffordshire Terriers, Rottweilers and Tosas registered in a pedigree book, plus Rottweiler-type dogs without a pedigree. To enter France, a category 2 dog must, on top of the usual health conditions:

• travel with its pedigree registration papers (the LOF or, in practice, a book recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale), except for Rottweiler-type dogs;
• be identified and validly vaccinated against rabies.

French customs and the Ministry of Agriculture warn that these conditions make short tourist visits almost impossible: the system is designed for owners settling in France.

Living in France with a category 2 dog

• Keeping permit (permis de détention) issued by the town hall where you live (in Paris, by the Préfecture de police). It requires the dog's identification, a valid rabies vaccination, civil liability insurance, the owner's aptitude certificate and the dog's behavioural assessment. A provisional permit is issued while the dog is too young to be assessed.
• Aptitude certificate: a training course of at least seven hours, personal to the owner.
• Behavioural assessment when the dog is between 8 and 12 months old, by a vet on the département's list.
• Rabies vaccination is compulsory for category dogs, even in a rabies-free département.
• Muzzle and lead, held by an adult, in the street, in shared areas of buildings, in public places and on public transport.
• A minor, or an adult under guardianship without a judge's authorisation, cannot keep a category dog.

A dog that looks like a category dog

For a cross-breed or a dog without papers whose appearance could get it classified, the customs fact sheet advises travelling with a detailed vet certificate showing it does not meet the criteria. Its findings may be checked by a vet in France, with a risk of confiscation. We look at this with you, with photos and measurements, before any quote.

By air

The Ministry of Agriculture sums it up: category 1, banned; category 2, allowed only on Air France flights and cargo flights. Air France specifies that category 2 dogs travel on its cargo flights and, on request and subject to availability, on the same flight as their owner, in an approved crate. Category 1 dogs are refused in every mode.

Staffordshire Bull Terriers: no category in France

The Ministry of Agriculture is explicit: the Staffordshire Bull Terrier ("Staffie") is a different breed from the American Staffordshire Terrier and is not a category dog. No keeping permit is needed in France.

Two caveats, though. Air France lists the Staffordshire Bull Terrier among the snub-nosed breeds it refuses in the hold (see below). And other countries ban or restrict it: if your dog will travel on afterwards, we check the rule in that country.

The adult-tooth rule

According to the DGAL note updated in June 2026, which relies on Article L236-1 of the Rural Code, a dog imported from outside the EU may only enter France if it has at least one adult tooth. This comes on top of the minimum age set by the rabies vaccination (about 15 weeks, much more from an unlisted country). For a young dog, we check this point with the vet before fixing the travel date.

Cabin, hold or cargo, by size

Every airline sets its own rules. As an example, here are Air France's (page read on 19 October 2026):

Air France does not accept pets under 15 weeks old, and sets minimum connection times for pets in the hold (4 h 30 at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, 3 hours at Orly). A dog flying as cargo without its owner remains a non-commercial movement if the owner travels within five days and a person authorised in writing is responsible for it (explained here).

A crate for a large dog

IATA standards (Live Animals Regulations, 52nd edition, in force in 2026) require that the dog can stand, sit upright, lie in a natural position and turn around comfortably. The crate is ventilated on all four sides, its locking pins engage by at least 1.6 cm, and the two halves of a plastic crate are held together with bolts (Air France requires them); it carries "Live Animals" and "This Way Up" labels. For a large dog, crate dimensions, more than the dog's weight, limit which flights are possible. See choosing an airline crate.

IATA has long discouraged sedating pets for travel: only consider a sedative on your vet's advice.

For a detailed comparison of the three modes, see flying with a dog: cabin, hold or cargo?; to measure your dog, IATA crate size: how to measure.

Snub-nosed dogs

Air France does not carry "snub-nosed" animals in the hold on the flights it operates. Its list includes Boxers, all bulldogs, Pugs, the Cane Corso, all breeds listed as "dogues", all Mastiffs, the Chow Chow, the Shar Pei and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

• In the cabin: possible if the dog weighs 8 kg or less with its bag; Air France advises seeing a vet before the trip.
• As cargo: Air France accepts, for example, Boxers, Pekingese and Shih Tzus, but no longer Pugs, bulldogs or Boston Terriers since 15 July 2019.
• The crate: IATA requires a crate 10% larger for snub-nosed breeds.

Other airlines keep their own lists. For a French Bulldog or a Pug over 8 kg, the route is built around an airline that accepts the breed: it is often the part that takes the most research.

After arrival in France

• Customs: arriving from outside the EU, present your dog and its documents to customs officers before leaving the international zone.
• I-CAD within 7 days: for a stay of three months or more, a vet in France registers the dog in the national database from its passport or health certificate, and issues a provisional identification certificate valid for one month. The foreign microchip is kept if an ISO reader can read it. Identification is compulsory in France for every dog over 4 months old in any case.
• Category 2 dog: keeping-permit steps with the town hall (training, assessment, insurance).

The rest of the settling-in steps are in moving to France with pets: the checklist.

Frequently asked questions

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