Moving with a dog or cat between France and Spain

At a glance

Spain → France

Bringing a pet from Spain to France

A dog, cat or ferret living in Spain 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.

The other way round, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and Akita Inu, all potentially dangerous in Spain, 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 → Spain

Moving to Spain with a dog or cat

For a pet coming from another Member State, Spain's Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) requires a microchip (or a tattoo applied before 3 July 2011), a valid rabies vaccination recorded in the passport, and an EU pet passport with the owner, description, marking, issuing and rabies sections completed. No tapeworm or tick treatment, titre test or clinical examination is required. A MAPA instruction of June 2026 adds that checks are carried out by the national police forces and that old-model passports remain valid if issued before 1 January 2028.

Potentially dangerous dogs (PPP)

Act 50/1999 and Royal Decree 287/2002 do not ban breeds: they make keeping certain dogs subject to a licence. But the Act also makes "the import or entry into national territory" of a listed dog conditional on that licence, and states that dogs coming from other EU countries are covered. The listed breeds, and their crosses, are:

A dog of another breed can also be classed as PPP if it shows most of the physical traits listed in the decree, or if it has shown aggressive behaviour.

The licence is issued by the town hall of the municipality where you live and lasts five years. You must be an adult, without certain convictions, provide aptitude certificates and take out civil liability insurance of at least €120,000. The dog is then entered in the municipal register within 15 days of the licence; moving to another autonomous community, permanently or for more than three months, means registering again. In public, the keeper carries the licence and proof of registration, the dog is muzzled and on a non-extendable lead shorter than 2 metres, and one person may only handle one such dog.

What about holidays? The licence is tied to the municipality of residence, and we have found no procedure for owners who do not live in Spain. Before a stay with a listed dog, we advise asking the destination town hall; we run this check for your case.

Act 7/2023: duties announced, details still pending

Act 7/2023 on animal welfare, in force since 29 September 2023, provides for a training course and liability insurance for all dog owners, but leaves their content and amount to an implementing regulation. As of 19 October 2026, that regulation has not been published; a draft royal decree from June 2025 proposes cover of at least €100,000 per dog. These duties are therefore not yet enforceable nationally. The same Act bans cosmetic mutilations.

Regional registration after arrival

• Catalonia: dogs, cats and ferrets living there are entered in the municipal census within 30 days of acquisition or change of residence.
• Community of Madrid: resident dogs and cats are identified and entered in the regional register (RIAC) within one month of acquisition. An animal identified by another system is treated as unidentified, so ask a Madrid vet how the French microchip will be recorded.

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: MAPA is explicit: no exceptions are granted and no dog, cat or ferret under 15 weeks may enter Spain. France does not accept young unvaccinated animals either.

Documents to prepare

• From France: the EU pet passport, signed, with a valid rabies vaccination and every section completed.
• For a PPP-listed dog: what the Spanish town hall asks for the licence (aptitude certificates, proof of no convictions, insurance certificate), then the proof of registration, which you carry with you.
• From Spain: the EU pet passport issued in Spain. 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: MAPA asks for no titre test or examination for a pet coming from the EU, and France asks for none for a pet coming from Spain. A titre test only comes in if the pet spent time in an unlisted non-EU country before coming to France. See bringing a pet into France.

Typical timeline

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

   PPP status in Spain, category in France for a move back, first contact with the town hall about the licence.

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

   And a pet at least 15 weeks old on the day it enters Spain.

3. Insurance and PPP licence documents before departure

   Only for listed dogs.

4. Travel

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

5. After arrival 15 days (PPP register) · 30 days (Catalonia) · 7 days (France)

   Licence, then municipal register for a listed dog, and the municipal or regional census; I-CAD in France for stays of three months or more.

Ways to travel

Driving is the usual choice, with up to five pets per vehicle. Remember that a category 1 dog cannot cross France, even on the way to Spain from another country.

By rail, the rules depend on the operator:

• Renfe (AVE, AVE Internacional, long distance): under the conditions it published in September 2026, a pet of up to 10 kg travels in a bag or carrier of at most 60 × 35 × 35 cm, one per person. Dogs of up to 40 kg without a carrier are accepted on AVE Internacional only on the Spanish part of the route; potentially dangerous breeds, dogs under one year and females in heat are excluded. A large dog therefore cannot cross the border on AVE Internacional.
• TGV INOUI to Spain (SNCF Connect): pets under 10 kg travel in a container, for a supplement; guide dogs travel free.
• OUIGO (journeys within France, conditions of 24 March 2026): one animal per adult, in a container of up to 55 × 35 × 25 cm or muzzled and on a lead, €10 per animal per journey (€25 if not declared) as of 19 October 2026; category 1 dogs are refused.

For flights, each airline sets its own conditions. Under the conditions it published in September 2026, Vueling only carries pets in the cabin, never in the hold, in a soft carrier of 45 × 39 × 21 cm and 10 kg at most, so a large dog cannot fly with it. We check the conditions 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. In Spain, checks are a matter for the national police forces, who may look at the passport, the microchip and, for a listed dog, the licence. Keep these documents to hand for the whole journey.

What affects the cost

Cost depends on what is left to do at the vet, how the pet travels (your own car, the train, a flight, or transport arranged through a partner, subject to availability) and, for a listed dog, the licence steps: aptitude certificates, any town hall processing fee, and liability insurance whose premium depends on the insurer but which must cover at least €120,000. Any registration fees in Spain, and the I-CAD fee when moving back to France, are set by the bodies concerned. Our quote lists each item separately.

Common mistakes

• Planning to bring a puppy under 15 weeks: Spain makes no exceptions.
• Not realising that a Staffordshire Bull Terrier or Akita Inu is a potentially dangerous dog in Spain, although France does not classify either.
• Missing the municipal register within 15 days of the licence, or the new registration after moving to another autonomous community.
• Walking a listed dog without a muzzle or on an extendable lead.
• Booking AVE Internacional for a large dog: it is only accepted on the Spanish part of the route.
• Moving to France with an American Staffordshire Terrier without a recognised pedigree: licensed in Spain, category 1 in France.

Frequently asked questions

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