Guides / International pet travel
Travelling to the EU with your pet in 2026: the bloc rules, plus the Dutch, French and German extras
The EU pet rules changed on 22 April 2026. What a dog or cat from Canada or the US needs to enter, and the national rules the Netherlands, France and Germany add on top.
International pet travel · Published · Last checked
WayFur answer
A dog or cat flying from Canada or the United States into the EU needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks or older with at least 21 days passed since a first vaccination, and an EU animal health certificate issued no more than 10 days before arrival. Canada and the US are on the EU's list of approved countries, so pets coming straight from either skip the rabies blood test. Member states add their own rules on top: France bans Category 1 dogs even in transit, Germany bans four breeds except for visits of four weeks or less, and the Netherlands names the 14 airports and seaports pets must arrive through.
What the EU asks of every dog and cat from Canada or the US
Picture a couple in Calgary planning three weeks in Europe next spring with their five-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier: a week in Amsterdam, a week in Paris, then a week in Berlin. They fly into the Netherlands and take the train from there. Their first job is the EU layer, which is the same wherever they land.
Under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131, which has applied since 22 April 2026, a pet dog or cat entering from outside the EU must:
- be identified with a microchip, put in or read before the rabies vaccination (a chip that doesn't meet the ISO standard is accepted only if you carry your own reader);
- have a rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks of age or older, with at least 21 days passed since the first vaccination before you travel;
- show no signs of disease and be fit to travel;
- travel with an EU animal health certificate issued by an official vet, or by an authorised vet and then endorsed by your government's veterinary authority, no more than 10 days before you enter the EU (by sea, add the length of the voyage). Under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705, it must be drawn up in at least one official language of the EU country you enter, and in English;
- come with a signed declaration that the trip is non-commercial.
With the vaccine at 12 weeks and a 21-day wait after it, a puppy or kitten from outside the EU can't arrive younger than 15 weeks. No more than five pets can travel with you as one non-commercial movement (more only for pets registered for a competition, show, sporting event or training).
Easy to miss
Dogs heading to Finland, Ireland, Malta or Northern Ireland also need a tapeworm treatment between 24 and 120 hours before entry, recorded on the health certificate. None of the couple's three countries is on that list.
Once the certificate has been checked at the EU border, it covers onward travel to other EU countries for six months from that check, or until the rabies vaccination expires if that comes first. For the Calgary couple, one certificate covers all three countries.
Practical tip
Some national pages, including the Dutch NVWA page and the French ministry's FAQ, still describe a four-month onward window from the rules before April 2026. The regulation now in force says six months. If an onward leg falls between four and six months after your border check, confirm with the country you're entering.
Where this comes from
The EU requirements in this section come from our EU entry data (core entry rules for dogs and cats from listed countries, and the EU certificate and tapeworm rules), taken from Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131, Articles 14 to 19. Last verified 20 September 2026. The certificate language rule is from Annex III of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705. The five-pet limit and its exception are from the travelling-with-pets page of Germany's agriculture ministry, BMLEH (published 24 July 2026).
Do pets from Canada and the US need a rabies titer test for Europe?
No, as long as they travel straight from there. The EU splits the world into listed and unlisted countries. Pets from an unlisted country need a rabies antibody test from an approved lab, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml. The vet takes the blood sample at least 30 days after the vaccination and at least 90 days before the health certificate is issued, so the test adds about three months to the timeline. Pets from a listed country skip it.
Canada and the United States both appear in Annex II of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636. The exemption also holds if your pet has stayed only in listed countries, or passed through another country without contact with animals and without leaving the vehicle or the airport or port transit area, with a signed declaration saying so.
Easy to miss
Annex II status carries one condition people miss: pets from Annex II countries such as Canada and the US must enter through a travellers' point of entry, an airport or port the arriving country has designated for pet checks. Check your arrival airport against your destination country's official list before you book.
For the Calgary couple, the timeline is short. Their dog's rabies vaccine is current, so the real deadline is the health certificate: a vet appointment and the government endorsement, all inside the 10 days before they land. Our guide to the pet health certificate covers how that endorsement works.
What the Netherlands, France and Germany add
The EU rules are the floor. Each country on the couple's route adds something, and two of the three can stop a trip outright.
What three EU countries add to the bloc rules for a pet from Canada or the US
| Country | What it adds | Can it stop a short visit? |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | Arrive through one of 14 designated airports and seaports and declare your pet to Customs. A dog staying more than three months must be registered by a vet within two weeks | No, if you use a listed entry point |
| France | Category 1 dogs banned, even in transit. Category 2 dogs only with an existing French permit. Every imported dog needs at least one adult tooth | Yes, for Category 1 dogs and for Category 2 dogs without a French permit |
| Germany | Federal import ban on four breeds and their crosses, with a four-week exception for visitors. State rules on leads and muzzles while you're there | Not for four weeks or less; a longer stay needs state approval |
The Netherlands: entry points and customs
The couple land at Amsterdam Schiphol, one of the 14 airports and seaports the Dutch authority, NVWA, lists as points of entry for pets. They take the red "something to declare" exit and report their dog to Customs, who check the chip and the documents. Nothing has to be sent to NVWA in advance. Our guide to travelling to the Netherlands with your pet covers the full list of entry points, the 15-week age line for puppies and kittens, what happens if a check fails, and the dog registration rule for stays over three months.
France: the dog categories and the adult-tooth rule
France sorts certain dog types into two categories, and the categories decide whether a dog can come in at all.
- Category 1 dogs can't enter France, not even in transit. A dog of American Staffordshire Terrier type (often called a pit bull) or Tosa type that isn't registered in France's official pedigree book (LOF) is Category 1.
- Category 2 dogs can enter only if you already hold a French Category 2 ownership permit from before you left France, plus the usual rabies and health documents. In practice that route is for owners who live in France. A LOF-registered American Staffordshire Terrier or Tosa is Category 2, and so is every Rottweiler, with or without pedigree papers.
- Category status can't be read from a breed name. If your dog has no pedigree papers but looks like one of these types, get a signed statement from a vet before you arrive saying it is not in a dangerous category, translated into French if needed.
The Calgary couple's Staffordshire Bull Terrier isn't one of the listed types, but if your dog could be mistaken for one, raise it with your vet and with French customs before you book.
France adds two more rules. Every dog imported from outside the EU must have at least one adult tooth. And Bengal and Savannah cats need pedigree proof from a studbook recognised by France's Ministry of Agriculture, with early-generation Savannahs (F1 to F4) needing a separate import permit. Nothing has to be sent ahead: if France is your first EU stop, you present yourself and your documents to customs officers when you arrive.
Where this comes from
The French categories come from our French breed data, taken from the French authorities' published rules (arrêté du 27 avril 1999 and Code rural article L. 211-15), last verified 4 October 2026. The adult-tooth rule, the cat rules and the arrival step come from the French Ministry of Agriculture's FAQ on importing pets from non-EU countries (page dated 11 June 2025).
Germany: four banned breeds and a four-week exception
Germany's federal dog import law bans Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers and their crosses. This is where the couple's plan gets a hard edge: their dog is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, so the ban applies to it. A visitor who doesn't live in Germany may still bring one of these dogs for a stay of no more than four weeks, so their week in Berlin fits.
Once they're in Berlin, the city's own dog law applies too. Berlin's listed breeds (Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier and their crosses) must wear a muzzle and stay on a lead in public. The couple's Staffordshire Bull Terrier isn't on Berlin's list, so it falls under the general lead rule Berlin applies to visiting dogs. Berlin also requires the owner of a visiting dog to hold liability insurance of at least €1 million per claim, with a deductible of no more than €500. Our guide to travelling to Germany with your pet covers the exception, the paperwork German customs asks for, and the state rules on leads and muzzles.
Where this comes from
The German ban and visitor exception come from our German breed data, taken from the federal dog import law (HundVerbrEinfG section 2(1)) and its exceptions regulation (HundVerbrEinfVO section 2), last verified 4 October 2026. The Berlin rules come from the Berlin Senate's FAQ on the Berlin dog law (questions 13, 15, 16 and 19), checked 6 October 2026.
Enter your pet, your route into the EU and your travel date. The free readiness check compares the EU entry rules with your pet's age, vaccination dates and origin, lists the Dutch points of entry for a trip to the Netherlands, flags France's and Germany's breed rules if your dog's breed is listed, and shows the source for each one. It checks breed law where your trip starts and ends. Confirm the national rules above with each country's authority before you fly.
Sources
- European Commission (EUR-Lex): Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705
- European Commission (EUR-Lex): Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131
- European Commission (EUR-Lex): Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636
- NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority): Travelling from third countries to the Netherlands with your cat or dog
- NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority): Punten van Binnenkomst / Points of Entry (DIGD012000, version 1.0.4, 16 December 2024)
- French Ministry of Agriculture: FAQ on importing pets from non-EU countries (page dated 11 June 2025)
- German federal government (Bundesamt für Justiz): HundVerbrEinfG section 2
- German federal government (Bundesamt für Justiz): HundVerbrEinfVO section 2
- German Customs (Zoll): Dangerous dogs
- Berlin Senate Department for Consumer Protection: FAQ Hundegesetz
- BMLEH (German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity): Reisen mit Heimtieren (published 24 July 2026)
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies titer test to travel from Canada or the US to Europe?
No, if your dog travels directly from Canada or the US, or has stayed only in other listed countries. Both are listed in Annex II of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636.
How long before travel do you get the EU animal health certificate, and how long does it last?
It must be issued no more than 10 days before your pet enters the EU, extended by the length of the voyage if you travel by sea. After the border check, it stays valid for onward travel inside the EU for up to six months, or until the rabies vaccination expires.
Can a dog from Canada or the US get an EU pet passport?
No. A pet arriving from Canada or the US travels on the EU animal health certificate. Pet passports from outside the EU are accepted only when issued in a short list of countries, such as Switzerland, Iceland and Andorra, and Canada and the US aren't on it.