Pet relocation in Europe: moving a dog or cat between European countries or from another continent

Three kinds of move and their rules

Which rules apply to your pet depends on the direction of travel and on the countries at each end. Since 22 April 2026 the European Union has applied the same health conditions in all 27 Member States (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131), and each country then adds rules of its own.

The United Kingdom, Switzerland and the other European countries outside the Union each have their own status, set out in the table by status.

Moving between France and another European country

To move a pet from one Member State to another, the law sets four conditions:

• A microchip, or a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011.
• A valid rabies vaccination, given after the microchip to an animal at least 12 weeks old, and at least 21 days old if it is a primary vaccination.
• An EU pet passport signed by you and issued in the Member State where you habitually live. No titre test is required.
• Five pets at most per movement, in a single means of transport unless it is public transport, travelling with you or with someone you have authorised in writing, no more than five days before or after your own journey. Beyond that the movement becomes commercial: see the five-pet and five-day rules.

Puppies and kittens. France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands turn away pets whose rabies vaccination is not yet valid, which in practice means a minimum age of about 15 weeks (12 weeks, then 21 days). Other countries, such as Switzerland, Luxembourg and Czechia, accept them under conditions, according to the table published by the European Commission.

What varies from one country to the next is mostly national rules (breeds, tapeworm, registration) and what you must do after arriving. In France, for instance, a pet settling for three months or more must be registered in the I-CAD database within seven days; the rest of the arrival is covered in bringing a dog or cat into France. For a holiday or a short stay, our article on travelling in the EU with a pet is all you need.

Depending on the pet's size and the route, the journey is made by car, train, ferry or plane, in the cabin, the hold or as cargo. Each carrier sets its own conditions (weight, crate, accepted breeds), and we check them before booking anything.

Detailed guides covering both directions: France ⇄ UK, France ⇄ Switzerland, France ⇄ Germany, France ⇄ Belgium, France ⇄ Spain, France ⇄ Italy, France ⇄ Netherlands, France ⇄ Portugal.

European countries by status

Outside the Union, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636 sorts countries into two lists. That status decides which documents a pet needs to enter the EU. Going the other way, into those countries, their own rules apply.

Norway, which belongs to the European Economic Area, issues pet passports and requires the same tapeworm treatment for dogs. Northern Ireland follows EU rules for these movements, tapeworm treatment included. A pet that lives in the EU and comes back from a short stay in a non-EU country can return on its EU passport if its rabies vaccination was given before it left and is still valid; from an unlisted country it also needs a titre test done before departure.

National rules we have checked

• Tapeworm (dogs). To enter Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway, a dog must be treated by a vet between 24 and 120 hours before its scheduled arrival, with the treatment recorded in the passport. Great Britain requires the same treatment between 24 hours and 5 days before arrival. Cats are exempt.
• Germany. Federal law bars Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers and their crosses from being brought in, including from another Member State. Each Land can add breeds for its own territory, and the law leaves exceptions to a decree. Details in the France ⇄ Germany guide.
• United Kingdom. Five types of dog are banned: Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully. Type is judged on what the dog looks like rather than its stated breed, and a dog of a banned type can only enter Great Britain with a valid Certificate of Exemption. See France ⇄ UK.
• Switzerland. Dogs with cropped ears or docked tails may not be imported. See France ⇄ Switzerland.
• Netherlands. Since 1 January 2026 nobody may keep a hairless or fold-ear cat there (Sphynx, Bambino Sphynx, Peterbald, Scottish Fold, Highland Fold, Foldex), even on holiday, unless they can prove the cat was born and microchipped before that date.
• Belgium. Dogs and cats must be registered within 8 days of arrival unless the stay is under six months, and all three Regions require an arriving cat over 5 months to be neutered within 30 days. See France ⇄ Belgium.
• Portugal. A dog, cat or ferret staying 120 days or more must go on the national SIAC register, and every dog aged 3 months or more must stay vaccinated against rabies. Seven breeds, including the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Rottweiler, are potentially dangerous there: muzzle from arrival, then a licence, insurance and, without a recognised pedigree, neutering for stays of 4 months or more. See France ⇄ Portugal.
• France. Category 1 dogs may not be imported or brought in, even in transit; category 2 dogs may enter under conditions.

For other countries, and for regional or local rules (registration, dog tax, neutering), we check case by case on the competent authority's website.

Coming to Europe from another continent

A dog or cat arriving from the Americas, Asia, the Middle East or Oceania enters the Union on the same terms whether it lands in Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid or Milan. Only the status of the departure country changes the list of documents.

• Microchip and vaccination: an ISO-standard microchip (otherwise the owner brings a reader), then a rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks or older and valid for at least 21 days. There is no exemption for young animals coming from outside the EU.
• EU animal health certificate: signed by an official vet in the departure country, or completed by an authorised vet and then endorsed by the competent authority, no more than 10 days before entering the Union (by sea, the length of the voyage is added). It must be written in an official language of the country of entry and in English, with your written declaration that the movement is not commercial attached.
• Titre test from an unlisted country (China, South Korea, India, Brazil, South Africa…): blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination, a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml from an approved laboratory, and at least 90 days between the blood sample and the date the certificate is issued. Annex II countries (United States, Canada, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Australia…) are exempt.
• Travellers' point of entry: each Member State designates its own, and the European Commission links to every national list. The document and identity check takes place at the first point of entry into the Union.
• Stopovers: connecting through an unlisted country (Qatar or Türkiye, for example) keeps the titre exemption if you sign a declaration that the pet stayed on the aircraft or inside the airport's international zone and had no contact with animals that can carry rabies.

A pet flying in the hold, or on a different flight from you, remains a non-commercial movement if you travel within five days and a named person you have authorised in writing is responsible for it throughout; the European Commission notes that this can be a member of the carrier's staff. For arrivals in France, bringing a dog or cat into France covers the customs check and France's own rules. See also the EU animal health certificate and rabies vaccination and titre tests.

Leaving Europe for another continent

The 2026 EU regulations only cover pets entering a Member State. For a move to the Americas, Asia or Oceania, the destination country sets everything: the certificate model, any permit, the tests, quarantine, and sometimes the arrival airport and how the pet must travel.

How a destination treats your pet also depends on the country it leaves from. Singapore lists countries one by one: France is on its Schedule II, and a country missing from the first two schedules falls under the third. Hong Kong puts France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands in its Group II, but Hungary and Lithuania in Group IIIA, with different permit and quarantine terms. So we check the rules for your actual departure country, including who must sign or endorse the certificate there. For departures from France, the roles of the authorised vet and the DDPP are explained in taking a pet abroad from France.

Europe and other continents: what changes by route

The third column gives the conditions published by the destination's own authority. They depend on how that country classifies your departure country: each guide covers departures from France, and we check the position for other European countries.

To compare every destination on one page, see our country guides.

What Pawgeot does, and what we don't

A move can start in France, end in France, or link two other countries: a dog leaving Berlin for Tokyo, a cat flying from Montreal to Lisbon. We coordinate, while the vet, the airline and the authorities each keep their own role.

We don't publish a flat rate, because a cat driven from Lyon to Turin and a large dog flying as cargo from Paris to Sydney have almost no cost lines in common. The quote separates our fee from third-party costs (vet, laboratory, official fees, airline, crate, ground services) and says who bills each line. Pricing and quotes explains how a quote is built, and how it works walks through each step from your first request to arrival.

Frequently asked questions

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