Relocating a dog or cat between France and Thailand: rules, lead times and organisation

At a glance

Thailand → France

Bringing a pet from Thailand to France

Thailand is listed in neither Annex I nor Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, including as amended by Regulation 2026/1228. A dog or cat arriving from Thailand therefore needs a favourable rabies antibody titre test on top of the usual conditions:

• An ISO microchip, implanted before or on the same day as the rabies vaccine.
• A rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks or older, with the primary course at least 21 days old on arrival.
• A titre test of at least 0.5 IU/ml on blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination and at least 90 days before the health certificate is issued, run by an EU official lab or an EU-designated lab in a non-EU country.
• An EU animal health certificate (the Annex III model of Regulation (EU) 2026/705) in French and English, issued or endorsed by the Thai veterinary authority no more than 10 days before entry into the EU, with the owner's non-commercial declaration.
• Arrival through a travellers' point of entry, where you present the pet to customs yourself, without an appointment, before leaving the international zone.

The titre test does not need repeating as long as every rabies booster is given before the previous one expires: the DGAL and French customs both state it then stays valid for the pet's whole life. Once checked on arrival, the certificate remains valid for six months of onward travel within the EU, or until the rabies vaccine expires if that comes first. A certificate on the old model is accepted only if it was issued before 1 October 2026, and only until 31 March 2027.

Three situations on the way back

• Pet living in France, titre done before leaving and recorded in the passport, no booster given in Thailand: the pet comes home on its EU pet passport, provided the vaccine is still valid. The regulation then sets aside the 90-day wait.
• Rabies booster or titre test done in Thailand: the DGAL says the passport alone is no longer valid. The pet needs the EU health certificate signed by the Thai veterinary authority. A titre test done in France before departure still counts if vaccination was never interrupted.
• Pet with no titre test: a vaccine if needed, a blood draw at least 30 days later, analysis by an EU-designated lab, then at least 90 days before the certificate can be issued. Allow about four months.

Leaving Thailand: the DLD export steps

The DLD's public manuals set out the export procedure. You file the application (form R.1/1) in the online e-Movement system or by email with the animal quarantine station at the airport of departure, then book an appointment there. The station examines the pet and, where the destination country requires it, takes samples, vaccinates or treats it. The DLD then issues two documents:

• The health certificate, free of charge, in 3 working days according to its manual. Documents required by the destination country, such as the EU certificate, are part of the file.
• The export licence (form R.9): 250 baht per dog or cat, plus 10 baht for the application form. It is valid for 9 days.

The file includes the vaccination record showing the microchip number, the microchip certificate from a veterinary clinic and the lab report. Since the EU certificate is only valid for 10 days up to the check in France, the DLD appointment, the signature and the flight need to follow one another closely.

An EU-designated lab in Bangkok

The European Commission lists one Thai laboratory: the National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH) in Bangkok, designated on 14 April 2020. A titre test it runs counts for entry into the EU just like one done in France.

France → Thailand

Moving to Thailand with a dog or cat

The competent authority is the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), part of Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Its animal quarantine stations at the country's points of entry issue permits and inspect animals on arrival. The DLD's conditions for dogs and cats ask for no rabies titre test and name no banned breed; airlines have their own lists, covered further down.

The import permit, before you fly

You apply by email to the quarantine station at your airport of arrival (for Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok: qsap_bkk@dld.go.th) or through the DLD's e-Movement system. The Suvarnabhumi station wants the file between 60 and 7 days before departure; the DLD manual says at least 7 working days before arrival. We work to the longer of the two. The file contains:

• application form R.1/1;
• a copy of the traveller's passport, or of the person collecting the pet if it flies as cargo;
• a photo of the pet and the flight itinerary;
• the vaccination record, in English;
• the microchip certificate.

The permit comes back by email with the import conditions attached: allow at least 3 working days (4 according to the DLD manual). It is valid for 60 days and can be cancelled if an animal disease outbreak hits the country of origin. Print it: it travels with the pet, and the DLD makes clear it is not the import licence, which is issued on arrival.

Vaccines and health certificate

• Rabies: given at 3 months (12 weeks) or older and at least 21 days before departure.
• Dogs: distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and leptospirosis, at least 21 days before departure. A dog not vaccinated against leptospirosis needs a negative test within the 30 days before departure instead.
• Cats: feline panleukopenia, at least 21 days before departure.
• A health certificate in English, signed or endorsed by a government official vet of the exporting country. It describes the pet (species, breed, sex, age, colour, identification), gives the owner's name and address, and certifies that the pet is healthy, free of external parasites, fit to travel and vaccinated as above.

In France, that official signature comes from the DDPP (or DDETSPP) of the département where the pet lives. In Paris, appointments are requested online only, at least 15 days before departure. The DLD documents we consulted give the certificate no validity period, so we schedule the exam and the endorsement as close to the flight as possible. Who does what is explained in French authorities for pet travel.

The journey and arrival

The DLD requires a nose-and-paw-proof crate. During a stopover the pet must have no contact with other animals and stays within the airport, except for an approved transit quarantine area. On arrival, the pet and the original documents (traveller's passport, EU pet passport or vaccination record, health certificate, printed permit) are presented to the quarantine station. The DLD vet checks the papers and the animal, then issues the import licence (form R.7) for 500 baht per animal.

Quarantine: what the texts say

The DLD's documents do not all say the same thing. Its standard conditions for importing dogs and cats, republished by the Royal Thai Embassy in Helsinki among others, provide for quarantine of at least 30 days at approved premises, with any tests or treatment deemed necessary, at the owner's expense. The procedure published by the Suvarnabhumi station describes an inspection and the issue of the licence at the airport, and mentions detention only for a pet that does not comply. What applies to your pet is the set of conditions attached to the permit: we go through them with you as soon as it arrives, before the flight is confirmed.

A pet that does not meet the conditions, or whose microchip number does not match the documents, may be sent back to the country it came from or held at an approved quarantine facility, at the importer's expense.

Microchip and vaccination

One readable ISO microchip serves both directions. The DLD wants the microchip certificate with the permit application and a vaccination record that shows the chip number; the EU requires the chip to be implanted before the rabies vaccine, or on the same day. Check that the number is identical on every document: a mismatch can get the pet sent back or held.

For Thailand, every vaccine must be at least 21 days old on the day of departure, and the rabies shot must have been given at 3 months or older. Read through the record before applying for the permit: each vaccine on the DLD list should appear with its date.

Keep rabies vaccination up to date without a break. That is what keeps a titre test done in France valid for the return: a booster given after the previous vaccine expired means a new test and another three-month wait. If a booster falls due during your stay, you will need the EU certificate endorsed by the DLD to come back, but the titre test remains valid as long as there was no gap.

Puppies and kittens: for Thailand, the rabies vaccine at 12 weeks plus 21 days puts the earliest departure at around 15 weeks, and Thai Airways only takes pets older than 4 months in the hold on international flights. For France, with the vaccine at 12 weeks, 30 days to the blood draw and 90 days to the certificate, a pet born in Thailand cannot arrive before it is about six and a half months old.

Documents to prepare

• Leaving France: the printed DLD import permit; the English health certificate endorsed by the DDPP; the original EU pet passport or vaccination record; the microchip certificate; the leptospirosis test result if the dog is not vaccinated; your passport. For the return later, the titre test recorded in the passport.
• Leaving Thailand on the passport: an EU pet passport showing a titre test done before leaving the EU and a valid vaccination, with no booster given in Thailand.
• Leaving Thailand on a certificate: the EU health certificate signed or endorsed by the DLD within 10 days of arrival; a certified copy of the titre report; the owner's non-commercial declaration; the DLD export licence; your boarding pass.
• Authorised person: the owner's written authorisation if the owner travels within five days before or after the pet but not with it.

See also veterinary documents and the EU animal health certificate.

Rabies antibody titre test

On this route the test is only required one way, into France:

France has three approved labs: ANSES Nancy, Laboratoire départemental 31 (Launaguet) and INOVALYS (Le Mans). We recommend having blood drawn before you leave, at least 30 days after the vaccine: it adds no delay to the trip to Thailand, and the return is ready in advance. For more on timing, see rabies vaccination and the titre test.

Typical timeline

Before leaving France

1. Breed, weight and airline 2 months ahead or more

   The airline's refused breeds, crate size, hold or cargo.

2. Microchip, rabies and core vaccines at least 21 days before departure

   Earlier if you are doing the titre test for the return. No need to repeat a vaccine that is up to date.

3. Blood draw for the titre test, recommended at least 30 days after the vaccine

   Sent to ANSES, LD31 or INOVALYS; your vet records the result in the passport.

4. DLD permit application 60 to 7 days before departure

   Answer in at least 3 working days; permit valid 60 days.

5. DDPP appointment request Paris: at least 15 days ahead

   Elsewhere, with the DDPP or DDETSPP of the département where the pet lives.

6. Hold booking on Thai Airways at least 3 working days ahead

   Check in at the counter at least 2 hours before the flight.

7. Exam, certificate and DDPP endorsement the last days before the flight

   The certificate attests the pet's health at the time of departure.

8. Arrival in Thailand DLD quarantine station

   Inspection, R.7 import licence, 500 baht per animal.

Allow about 1 month for a pet that is already vaccinated, about 2 months if you do the titre test for the return.

Coming back to France

1. Rabies boosters before each due date

   With no gap throughout the stay.

2. Titre test, if not done in France at least 4 months before the return

   Blood drawn at least 30 days after the vaccine, tested at NIAH or an EU lab, then 90 days before the certificate.

3. DLD appointment and R.9 export licence within 10 days of arrival

   The DLD-endorsed EU certificate is added if a booster was given in Thailand, or if no titre test was recorded in the passport before leaving the EU.

4. Arrival in France travellers' point of entry

   Present the pet to customs before leaving the international zone.

Ways to travel

Airline rules as published, checked on 4 November 2026. Thai Airways sells flights between Bangkok and Paris-Charles de Gaulle; schedules, frequency and aircraft type are confirmed at booking.

For Air France and airlines routing through other hubs, we check the conditions in force when we book. A category 2 dog can only fly into France on an Air France flight or as cargo.

Hold, cargo and heat

A pet travelling without its owner, or refused in the hold, goes by air cargo. Thai Airways explains its ban on flat-faced breeds by their breathing difficulties and by sorting areas that can get very hot or very cold. On this route we advise a direct flight where possible, a well-ventilated IATA travel crate with a water bowl fixed to the door, and your vet's opinion for an older or fragile pet. For brachycephalic dogs and cats, see flat-faced pets and flying.

Airports and checks

In Thailand: at Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok), a pet arriving with its owner goes to the quarantine station next to baggage carousel 8, open 24 hours a day, every day. A pet arriving as cargo goes through the cargo terminal station (Free Zone, CE-1 building), open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 16:30, so we time cargo arrivals for a working day. For another airport of arrival, the permit request goes to that airport's quarantine station, and we first check that it handles pets.

In France: a pet arriving from Thailand comes in through a travellers' point of entry, which for Thai Airways flights is Paris-Charles de Gaulle. You declare it to customs before leaving the international zone; documentary and identity checks are systematic, including for a pet coming home on its EU passport. See French airports.

Non-compliant pet (for example, back without a valid titre test): the DGAL notes that officers can order it sent back, placed in quarantine or, as a last resort, put down, at the owner's expense.

What drives the cost

Official fees and published rates, checked on 4 November 2026:

A titre test done in France before departure costs one blood draw and one analysis; skipping it costs a second test and three months on the way back. The DDPP, the titre labs (in France and at NIAH) and Thai quarantine facilities publish no rates in the official sources we consulted. Vet visits, the crate and, where needed, cargo come on top: our quote lists each item separately. See also our pricing.

Common mistakes

• Leaving without a titre test done in France because Thailand does not require one: the three-month wait then comes on the way back.
• Sending the permit application too late (under 7 working days before arrival) or too early (more than 60 days before departure).
• Giving a vaccine less than 21 days before the flight, core vaccines included.
• Forgetting leptospirosis: an unvaccinated dog needs a negative test within the 30 days before departure.
• Booking the Thai Airways hold for a breed it refuses, or for a pet under 4 months old.
• Not spotting a microchip number that differs between documents: the pet can be sent back or held.
• Coming home on the EU passport alone after a rabies booster given in Thailand.

Frequently asked questions

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