Traveling with pets: a checklist of what to do before your trip

🐾 The rules for transporting pets are similar in most countries, but there are exceptions everywhere. To take a pet with you on a trip, you should find out in advance about the requirements for importing your friend on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture of the required country and/or contact the animal disease control station in your city. For example, most EU countries allow the import of no more than five dogs, cats or ferrets over 12 weeks old. If there are more animals, it is necessary to provide proof that they are participating in competitions or exhibitions, and in Canada you can take no more than four pets per person.

We have tried to highlight the main rules that are common to all countries. We strongly recommend to clarify the current requirements on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture of the country of your destination before you set off.

1. Study the laws on importing pets into the destination country.

This advice seems obvious, however, many people neglect it. Some countries require your pet to have certain vaccinations, others have quarantine requirements, and some may even require an import permit, which can take several months.

2. International Veterinary Passport.

If you are traveling around Europe, you may also need an international pet passport, although in most other countries it has been replaced with an International Health Certificate for your pet. An International Veterinary Passport can simplify traveling with a pet around Europe and in some cases avoid the need to quarantine your pet. The passport can be obtained at a veterinary clinic. It must contain information about the animal, owner, vaccinations, deworming, and chipping. This data should only be filled out by a veterinarian.

3.Microchip.

The chip contains information about the pet's name, date of birth, owner's contacts, and the veterinary clinic where the procedure took place. The owner can add the pet's photo and pedigree to the data. The date of chipping and the individual number of the microchip are recorded in the veterinary passport, if there is one. The microchip data of all animals are entered into an international database and stored there. The microchip must comply with the international quality standards ISO 11784/11785 and be 15 digits long. Pets are chipped before traveling, necessarily before rabies vaccination. For example, if the pet was vaccinated in May 2022, and only chipped in August 2022, the vaccination will need to be repeated. In the EU, an alternative to the microchip could be a clearly readable stigma, but this is only permissible for animals born before 2011, i.e. before the requirements for mandatory chipping came into force.

4. Vaccination.

Different countries have different vaccination requirements for pets. This depends on many factors: starting from the epidemiological situation in the country, ending with climatic peculiarities. When making an appointment with a veterinarian before a trip, keep in mind that the doctor may not know exactly what vaccinations your pet may need. It's better to prepare and find out everything in advance yourself or from professionals who deal with animal transportation. Absolutely for sure, wherever you go, you will need to confirm that your pet has been vaccinated against rabies and has been given antiparasitic drugs. Remember, if you are embarking on an intercontinental journey, you may need less well-known vaccines. It is also important to bear in mind that some vaccinations may require more than one dose. This can increase the preparation time, so it is better to start this as soon as possible.

Rabies Vaccination

Under the rules of the European Union and most other countries, the date of the rabies vaccination must be later than the date of chipping. In addition, a three-week quarantine is required after it, so the vaccination must be given no later than 21 days before the pet crosses the border. The vaccination is not given to pets under 12 weeks of age. The name of the vaccine used for vaccination is specified, and it must certainly be certified in the country of your destination. In addition, there should be marks about the complex vaccination, which is carried out to all animals, even if their export abroad is not planned. The validity period of the rabies vaccine is one year, and if the animal was vaccinated during the validity period of the previous vaccination, then quarantine may not be observed.

Complex vaccines.

In addition to rabies vaccination, animals are vaccinated against infectious diseases that are typical for their species:

• Dogs are vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and adenovirus infections, leptospirosis;

• Cats - against panleukopenia, viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus infection, chlamydia;

• Ferrets - against distemper, viral enteritis and pseudomonas.

5. The result of the test for the rabies virus antibody titer.

The first step is to find out whether it is necessary to provide the result of a test for rabies antibody titers in the country of arrival. Typically, it must be presented when importing an animal from a country where rabies is prevalent. For example, if you are flying from Montenegro to a European Union country, you will need this test. All travelers should remember this, even if your pet has a "European registration", and you have stayed with them in a country where rabies is prevalent. The test should be conducted by an accredited clinic no earlier than 30 days after the first vaccination and 21 days after the annual one. In addition, a pet can only be transported abroad 3 months after the test results have been obtained. The test results should show that the pet has at least 0.5 IU/ml of antibodies in its blood. The rabies virus antibody titer test will be valid for the animal's entire life. The main thing is to get the vaccination every year on the same day (or a few days earlier). If you get the vaccination later, you will have to redo the rabies antibody titer test.

6. Animal Health Certificate (International Health Certificate).

This document can only be obtained from government-approved clinics or veterinarians who have such authority. The certificate is issued after a thorough medical examination and must include such data as your pet's name, age, breed, weight, microchip number, vaccination status, and owner's information. The document is valid for 10 days. During this time, you need to manage to cross the border with your pet.

7. Health Check.

In many countries, upon inspection at the arrival airport, a pet should not have signs of diseases transmissible to humans. If your little companion is not in the best shape or is ill, further examination may be required from a licensed veterinarian at your expense. Sometimes it is necessary to take your pet with you on a trip, even if it is sick, so it is important to consider this fact.

8. Checking permission to travel with your pet.

If you have a dog or cat, make sure that your pet's breed is not prohibited in the destination country. For example, in the UK, you cannot come with dogs of such breeds as pit bull terrier, Brazilian fila, Argentine dog, and tosa-inu. You can come to Spain with a tosa-inu or an Argentine dog, but the dog will not be allowed to appear on the street without a muzzle and leash. If you own an exotic animal, it is necessary to look not only at the rules of importing your pet, but also exporting from the country of your permanent residence. Pay attention to this, especially if you have a turtle or a parrot. You should make sure that they are not protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). In this case, you will have to apply for additional permissions. More than 180 countries participate and ensure compliance with CITES rules.

9. Insurance.

This is not mandatory, but you can consider the possibility of travel insurance for your pet to cover costs in case of pet injury, pet loss, or other circumstances.

Perhaps these are the main rules that apply to most countries. Usually, preparing for a trip with a pet takes no more than four months. However, do not forget about unexpected "surprises" that may await you when crossing the border (news that the pet must be sent to quarantine, absence of a special filled out pet questionnaire, lack of vaccinations, refusal to admit dogs or cats of certain breeds, etc.). To avoid finding yourself in an unpleasant situation, prepare for the trip in advance: study government websites, do not hesitate to write letters to officials with questions you are interested in, seek help from transportation specialists, especially if you have an exotic animal or a rare breed. Today, traveling with pets is not the easiest task, but not an impossible one. We hope that our material was useful both to beginners and experienced travelers.

Stay in touch!

Useful links:

1. EU countries' specific information: https://food.ec.europa.eu/animals/movement-pets/eu-countries-specific-information_en#globan-dropdown-lmtptfxc75b

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