Moving with a dog or cat between France and Italy

At a glance

Italy → France

Bringing a pet from Italy to France

A dog, cat or ferret living in Italy enters France on its EU pet passport, issued in the country where its owner lives. There is no titre test, no health certificate and no designated point of entry. The general non-commercial rules apply: at most five pets, travelling with their owner or a person the owner has authorised in writing, within five days before or after the owner.

A pet settling in France for three months or more must be registered in the national I-CAD database within 7 days of arrival, by a vet who copies the passport details. The Italian microchip is kept as long as an ISO reader can read it.

France → Italy

Moving to Italy with a dog or cat

For a pet coming from another Member State, Italy applies the EU rules: microchip, valid rabies vaccination and EU pet passport. The Italian Ministry of Health states that Italy does not use the young-animal exemption, that at most five pets may travel together, that the owner must travel within five days before or after the pet, and that no tick or tapeworm treatment is required.

Act 201/2010 penalises bringing in non-compliant animals: €200 to €2,000 per unidentified animal, and €1,500 to €3,000 for an animal under 12 weeks old.

No breed list, but rules for every dog

Italy has no national list of dangerous breeds. Since 2013, a Ministry of Health ordinance has set rules that apply to every dog, whatever its breed. It was extended again by an ordinance of 16 July 2026, published in the Italian Official Journal on 5 September 2026, for twelve months from 5 September 2026. The Ministry sums up the duties as follows:

• in urban areas and places open to the public, keep the dog on a lead of no more than 1.50 m, except in designated dog areas;
• always carry a muzzle, to be used when needed;
• pick up after your dog.

In practice, a retractable lead let out beyond 1.50 m, or a walk in town without a muzzle in your bag, is enough to break the rules.

Cropped ears and docked tails

Act 201/2010 bans ear cropping and tail docking except for veterinary reasons, and the ordinance bans selling or showing dogs that have had these procedures. For a cropped dog that is simply moving with its family, the texts we read contain no entry ban; it cannot, however, be shown in Italy.

After arrival: the regional dog register

In Italy, every dog is identified with an ISO microchip and entered in the dog register (anagrafe), and the national SINAC register is being rolled out. For an animal arriving from abroad, the regions set the procedure and the deadline. Two examples:

• Veneto: the arrival of an animal from another region or from abroad must be reported within 10 days. The region says SINAC will become the single register.
• Aosta Valley: dogs from other regions or from abroad are registered within 15 days; a dog whose owner is not resident and stays more than 90 days must be registered too.

We advise asking the veterinary service of the ASL (the local health agency) covering your new municipality which deadline applies, and booking the appointment before you arrive.

Identification and vaccination

In both directions, the pet must be identified with an ISO-standard microchip (or a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011) and then vaccinated against rabies. Microchip first, vaccine afterwards (or on the same day). The primary vaccination must be at least 21 days old on the day of travel; a booster given before the previous vaccine expired is valid immediately.

Puppies and kittens: neither Italy nor France accepts young unvaccinated animals. The rabies vaccine can be given from 12 weeks, plus the 21-day wait, so a pet cannot cross the border before about 15 weeks of age, in either direction.

Documents to prepare

• From France: the EU pet passport, signed by the owner, with a valid rabies vaccination.
• After arriving in Italy: the dog register certificate, which Trenitalia, for example, asks to see together with the health booklet when a dog travels by train.
• From Italy: the EU pet passport issued in Italy. For a dog that is category 2 in France, its registration papers from a recognised pedigree book (except for the Rottweiler type) for the keeping permit.
• Authorised person: if the pet is not travelling with its owner, the owner's signed written authorisation.

Rabies antibody titre test

Not required in either direction: between two EU Member States, the microchip, vaccination and passport are enough. A titre test only comes in if the pet spent time in an unlisted non-EU country before coming to France; that country of origin then sets the rules. See bringing a pet into France.

Typical timeline

1. Check the region and the dog's category as soon as the destination is known

   The destination region's registration deadline; for a move to France, the dog's category and pedigree.

2. Microchip and rabies vaccine at least 21 days before departure

   Nothing to repeat if the vaccination is up to date and recorded in the passport.

3. Short lead and muzzle before departure

   A lead of 1.50 m at most and a well-fitting muzzle, on hand from the moment you arrive.

4. Travel

   At most five pets, with the owner or an authorised person.

5. After arrival 10 days (Veneto) · 15 days (Aosta Valley) · 7 days (France)

   Regional dog register entry through the ASL or a vet; I-CAD registration in France for stays of three months or more.

Ways to travel

Driving is the usual choice, with up to five pets per vehicle. Keep the muzzle within reach from the moment you cross the border: the ordinance applies in every place open to the public.

By rail:

• TGV France–Italy (SNCF Connect): a small pet in a bag travels with a "pet in a container" ticket, a dog on a lead with a "dog on a lead" ticket; guide dogs travel free. The help page gives no prices, so we check them at booking time.
• Trenitalia (journeys within Italy), as of 19 October 2026: small pets travel free in a container of up to 70 × 30 × 50 cm; a leashed and muzzled dog pays €5 from Sunday to Friday and €1 on Saturdays on Frecce and Intercity trains. Carry the dog register certificate and the health booklet.

For flights, each airline sets its own conditions (cabin weight, crate, fee, minimum age): we check them for your flight at booking time.

Border crossings, airports and checks

Between two EU Member States, a pet does not have to use a designated point of entry: any road crossing or airport will do. Documents and microchip can still be checked, so keep the passport to hand. In the other direction, the French ban on category 1 dogs also covers a dog that is only passing through France, for example on the way to Spain.

What affects the cost

On this route, cost depends mainly on what is left to do at the vet (microchip, vaccine, passport update), how the pet travels (your own car, the train, a flight, or transport arranged through a partner, subject to availability) and the steps after arrival: the regional dog register in Italy, or the keeping permit and I-CAD in France. We found no official published fee for registration in Italy; the only amounts set in law are fines. Our quote lists each item separately.

Common mistakes

• Going out in town without a muzzle on hand, or with a retractable lead let out beyond 1.50 m.
• Forgetting to report the arrival to the regional dog register: only 10 days in Veneto.
• Travelling with a puppy that is too young: Italy grants no exemption and penalises bringing in an animal under 12 weeks.
• Assuming a dog with no restrictions in Italy has none in France: an American Staffordshire-type dog without a recognised pedigree is category 1 in France.
• Planning to show a cropped dog in Italy, which the ordinance forbids.

Frequently asked questions

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