Relocating a dog or cat between France and Portugal: paperwork and organisation

At a glance

Portugal → France

Bringing a pet from Portugal to France

A dog, cat or ferret living in Portugal enters France on its EU pet passport, issued in the country where its owner lives. The DIAC, the identification document issued on SIAC registration, is for use within Portugal; to travel to another EU country the pet must have its passport. France asks for no titre test and no health certificate, and sets no 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.

The other way round, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro, all potentially dangerous in Portugal, are not classified in France. A pet settling in France for three months or more must be registered in the national I-CAD database within 7 days, by a vet.

France → Portugal

Moving to Portugal with a dog or cat

Portugal's veterinary authority, the Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária (DGAV), applies the EU rules in force since 22 April 2026 to pets arriving from another Member State. The pet needs a microchip (or a clearly readable tattoo applied before July 2011) and a rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks or older, after the chip, and at least 21 days old if it is a primary vaccination. Its EU pet passport must be issued in the country where the owner habitually lives, in the owner's name, and properly completed. Portugal asks for no tapeworm treatment, no titre test and no advance notice. For the preparation on the French side, see moving abroad with a dog from France.

What Portugal expects once you live there

• SIAC registration. SIAC is the national register of dogs, cats and ferrets. A pet arriving from another EU country that stays 120 days or more must be entered by an accredited vet, in the name of the owner shown in the passport; the existing microchip is used. The vet then issues the DIAC, on paper or by email; this document must go everywhere with the animal. DGAV sets no deadline beyond that 120-day threshold, so we advise registering as soon as you settle.
• Rabies vaccination for dogs. Every dog in Portugal aged 3 months or more must have a valid rabies vaccination. DGAV judges validity by the duration of immunity stated for the vaccine used, so a French vaccination recorded in the passport counts until it expires. Each booster is then recorded in SIAC and a new DIAC is issued. For cats and ferrets the vaccine is optional under Portuguese law, but it is still required for any trip to another country.
• Dog licence. Every dog on SIAC needs a yearly licence from the junta de freguesia, the parish council where the owner lives. SIAC registration counts as the licence for the first year; after that the owner renews it each year at the parish council, showing the DIAC. Potentially dangerous dogs follow separate rules, set out below.
• Changes. A change of the owner's address, or of where the pet lives, must be reported to SIAC within 15 days, through the vet, the parish council or by email to SIAC.

Potentially dangerous dogs

Portugal does not turn these dogs away: DGAV allows non-commercial entry from another Member State. It does put them under a strict regime, set by Decree-Law 315/2009 as amended, in particular by Act 46/2013. The listed breeds, and their crosses, are:

According to SIAC, DGAV also treats the American Bully as a potentially dangerous breed, because it shows traits of crossbreeding with the American Staffordshire and the Pit Bull Terrier. What applies next depends on how long the dog stays:

• Under 4 months (holidays): the health rules are the same as for any breed. In public places the dog wears a muzzle and a short lead of 1 metre or less, and travels with its health documents. The decree-law also requires foreign visitors to show proof of registration in their home country and sign a declaration of responsibility on entry; DGAV's current pages do not mention this, so we check it for your trip.
• 4 months or more: the owner takes the dog to the municipal vet, who enters it in SIAC, then applies to the parish council where they live for a keeping licence, the first one within 30 days of SIAC registration. The licence lasts a year at most, is renewed every year and must be carried whenever the dog goes out.

For the licence, the law requires:

• a keeper over 16 years old, with a criminal record certificate;
• civil liability insurance for the dog with cover of at least €50,000 per policy year;
• an up-to-date health booklet or passport showing the rabies vaccination;
• a pass in a training course for keepers of dangerous dogs, run by the GNR, the PSP or a certified provider (enrolling on the course gives a provisional 3-month licence);
• a signed declaration of responsibility;
• for a dog not entered in an officially recognised pedigree book, proof that it has been neutered.

In public, the dog wears a muzzle that stops it biting and a lead of 1 metre or less, fixed to a collar or harness, held by someone over 16. Its home must be secure against escape (fencing at least 2 metres high, a sign warning of the dog), and municipalities may ban these dogs from certain areas. According to DGAV, a dog brought in without meeting these rules exposes the owner to a fine and the dog to being sent back or, ultimately, put down.

Madeira and the Azores

From France, the rules are the same as for mainland Portugal. Between the mainland and the two archipelagos, DGAV applies national rules: a dog aged 3 months or more travels with its health booklet or passport showing a valid rabies vaccination, with no 21-day wait after a primary vaccination; a cat, a ferret or a dog under 3 months must be on SIAC and travel with a vet's certificate of good health. The DIAC or passport always goes with the animal.

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: Portugal is not among the countries that accept young unvaccinated animals, and neither is France. The rabies vaccine can be given from 12 weeks, followed by a 21-day wait, so a pet cannot cross the border before about 15 weeks, in either direction. TAP's 10-week minimum age for the cabin does not change this health rule.

After the move: rabies vaccination stays compulsory in Portugal for every dog aged 3 months or more. Book boosters before the current vaccine expires: a late booster counts as a new primary vaccination, with another 21-day wait before any trip. The rules shared across the EU are summarised on our page on pet relocation in Europe.

Documents to prepare

• From France: the EU pet passport, signed, with a valid rabies vaccination and the owner, identification and vaccination sections completed. The Portuguese vet also works from it when registering the pet on SIAC.
• For a potentially dangerous dog staying 4 months or more: criminal record certificate, insurance certificate, proof of training (or enrolment), proof of neutering or of entry in a recognised pedigree book, and the declaration of responsibility.
• From Portugal: the EU pet passport issued in Portugal. 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 France and Portugal. It only comes in when the pet arrives from a country the EU does not list, such as Brazil, Venezuela, Ukraine or the African countries DGAV mentions: a blood sample at least 30 days after vaccination, tested in an EU-approved laboratory, then a waiting period before the pet may enter the EU. See rabies vaccination and the titre test and bringing a pet into France, which follows the same EU logic as Portugal.

Typical timeline

1. Check the breed and the route as soon as the destination is known

   Status in Portugal, and in Spain if you are driving; recognised pedigree or neutering; category in France for a later move back.

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

   And a pet at least about 15 weeks old on the day it crosses the border.

3. Book the pet's place at least 24 h before the flight

   That is TAP's minimum notice. Pet places are limited on each flight, so we advise requesting them when you buy the tickets.

4. Travel

   At most five pets, with the owner or an authorised person. For a listed dog, muzzle and short lead from arrival.

5. After arrival 30 days (licence for a listed dog) · 15 days (change of address) · 7 days (France)

   SIAC registration for stays of 120 days or more, parish licence, rabies boosters for dogs. On a move back to France, I-CAD for stays of three months or more.

Ways to travel

Driving is the usual choice, with up to five pets per vehicle. The route crosses Spain, whose law lists eight breeds as potentially dangerous, among them the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Rottweiler and Akita Inu, and makes the entry of such a dog conditional on a licence from the municipality of residence. Before driving with one of these breeds, read our France ⇄ Spain guide; we check this point for your journey. Keep the passport to hand for the whole trip.

For flights, each airline sets its own conditions, and they differ a good deal:

A dog weighing more than 32 kg with its crate therefore cannot fly in TAP's hold between France and Portugal, while Air France takes up to 75 kg. For snub-nosed breeds, see flat-faced dogs and cats on planes. For other airlines, we check the conditions of your flight at booking time; our page on airline pet policies compares their rules.

Border crossings, airports and checks

Between two EU Member States, a pet does not have to use a designated point of entry and no advance notice is needed: any road crossing or airport will do. DGAV may check the pet on arrival, together with customs, or at its destination through its regional services. If the conditions are not met, the pet may be sent back to where it came from, isolated or, as a last resort, put down, at the owner's expense.

Arriving in Portugal from outside the EU

For a pet arriving from Brazil, the United States or another non-EU country, Portugal applies the EU entry rules, the same as France: a health certificate issued by the official services of the departure country, a check at a travellers' point of entry and, from an unlisted country such as Brazil, a rabies titre test. DGAV adds some practical instructions:

• the owner, not the airline, must notify the point of entry at least 48 hours before arrival, using DGAV's form;
• the points of entry include the airports of Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Funchal and Ponta Delgada; Lisbon's is closed from midnight to 6 am, Porto's from 11 pm to 7 am;
• the veterinary check costs €43.17 for one animal and €86.34 for two or more (amounts checked on 4 November 2026).

What affects the cost

Cost depends on what is left to do at the vet, how the pet travels (your own car, the cabin or hold, or transport arranged through a partner, subject to availability) and, for a listed dog, the licence steps. Some official or published amounts, checked on 4 November 2026:

• Portugal's official rabies vaccination campaign: €10 per dog vaccinated by the municipal vet, and €2.50 for SIAC registration when the vet microchips the dog at the same visit. These amounts apply to campaign services; a vet of your choice charges for their own work.
• Dog licence: the fee is set by the parish.
• Potentially dangerous dog: liability insurance (the premium depends on the insurer; the minimum cover is €50,000), training, neutering where required and the yearly licence.
• The pet's ticket: with TAP, the cabin costs from €70 online in low season for a flight within Europe; the price varies with the date and the booking channel.

On a move back to France, the I-CAD registration fee is set by the body that runs it. Our quote lists each item separately; to see what makes up the price, read international pet relocation costs.

Common mistakes

• Planning to bring a puppy under 15 weeks: Portugal does not accept young unvaccinated animals.
• Assuming a Staffordshire Bull Terrier raises no questions because France does not classify it: it is potentially dangerous in Portugal.
• Moving with a listed dog without a recognised pedigree and no plan for neutering, insurance and training.
• Letting a dog's rabies vaccination lapse after the move: it is compulsory in Portugal, travel or not.
• Forgetting SIAC registration once the stay passes 120 days, or the 15-day deadline to report a change of address.
• Booking TAP's hold for a dog over 32 kg with its crate, or for a breed TAP refuses in the hold.
• Driving through Spain with a Rottweiler or Akita Inu without checking the Spanish rules.
• Moving to France with an American Staffordshire Terrier without a recognised pedigree: licensed in Portugal, category 1 in France.

Frequently asked questions

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