Travelling from third countries to the Netherlands with your cat or dog

Are you travelling with your cat or dog to the Netherlands from a third country? Then first of all it's important to check whether you are coming from a low risk or a high risk country regarding rabies. That is because the import requirements are different.

What are third countries?

Third countries are countries outside the European Union (EU). Some countries that are not EU member states are also considered as EU member states for travelling with your dog or cat. These countries are Iceland, Norway, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

How can I check if I come from a country with a low or a high risk regarding rabies?

Third countries listed in Listing of territories and non-EU countries (europa.eu) are low risk rabies countries. Third countries not listed in this regulation here are high risk rabies countries. Please take into account that from 16 September 2024 Russia and Belarus will also be high risk countries.

See for more information: EU rules on travelling with pets and other animals in the EU - Your Europe (europa.eu). Here you can find a tool, where the country can be entered.

If it says that a rabies antibody test is required, it concerns a country with a high risk regarding rabies.

What do I need if I come from a country with a low risk regarding rabies?

Are you travelling from a low-risk country regarding rabies? Check if your pet complies with the following and if you have all the necessary documents.

Dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies 21 days prior to entry in the EU. If the previous vaccination is still valid, there is no need to wait 21 days. All valid rabies vaccinations must be stated on the certificate or EU pet passport. Please note that the rabies vaccination is only valid if it is administered after the chip has been applied or read. The placing of the chip and the administration of the rabies vaccination may, in this order, be done on the same day. Also note that dogs and cats under the age of 15 weeks from these low risk rabies countries can therefore not enter the Netherlands, because the animal receives its first vaccination from the age of 12 weeks.

Certificate

In case of non-commercial movement, you need a veterinary certificate issued by an official veterinarian of the authority, or by an authorized veterinarian and subsequently endorsed (on every page) by the competent authority from the country the animal is travelling from. The certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian in the third country until the date of the check at arrival by customs. See note b of the non-commercial certificate. For the purpose of further movement into other member states, this certificate is valid from the date of arrival and check by Customs in the EU for 4 months (or until the date of expiry of the validity of rabies vaccination).

EU Pet passport

An animal can only have an official EU pet passport if it has previously been in the EU, as it can and may only be issued in the EU.
When returning to the EU, the EU pet passport can only be used as an import document when the mandatory rabies vaccination(s) has been given and completed by a veterinarian in the EU. If a vaccine against rabies was administered in a non-EU country, the veterinarian is not allowed to register the rabies vaccination in the EU passport. This vaccination (or vaccines) must be registered on a separate EU health certificate.
The same goes for the blood test if you come back from a high risk rabies country (see What do I need additionally if I travel from a high risk country regarding rabies?). Your vet in the EU must register the result of the blood test in the EU pet passport before you leave the Netherlands.

Owners declaration form

In case of non-commercial movement, you need an owners declaration (only in English is sufficient). This has to be completed by you as the owner and/or the person travelling with the pet. You (as the owner) can authorize someone else to travel with your pet. In this case, you and your pet must make the same travel movement (from and to the same place) within five days. The person who will travel with your pet must carry proof of this (for example a copy of your boarding pass or ticket). You can also authorize the person traveling with your pet by email.

Although Australia and Malaysia are low-risk countries, additional requirements apply for these countries. The import of cats from Australia is prohibited unless the health certificate is supplemented with the following statement: the pets have not resided on a firm/company where cases of Hendra infection have been confirmed in the last 60 days prior to export.

The import of dogs and cats from Malaysia (the peninsula or West Malaysia): is prohibited unless the certificate is supplemented with the following statements:

The pets have not been in contact with pigs in the last 60 days before export;
The pets have not been on a firm/company where cases of Nipah contamination have been confirmed in the last 60 days prior to export;
The pets were subjected with negative result to an indirect sandwich Elisa IgG test in an approved laboratory (no list available) for testing for Nipah virus antibodies using a blood sample taken within the last 10 days prior to export.

What do I need additionally if I travel from a high-risk country regarding rabies?

Are you traveling from a country with a high risk regarding rabies? Then you need to comply with all of the above for low-risk countries, but there are additional requirements.

Your pet must have a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, to establish the amount of rabies antibodies. If your dog or cat already has been vaccinated several times against rabies and the last vaccination is still valid, a blood sample can be drawn immediately.
Your vet must send the sample to an EU approved laboratory.
The result of the rabies antibody level test must be at least 0,5 IU/ml. Take ( a copy of) the report with your during the journey.
You must wait at least 3 calendar months from the date the sample was taken before you travel. This period is to exclude an rabies infection before the rabies vaccination, as rabies has an incubation period of several months.
You do not need to wait 3 months if your pet was vaccinated, blood tested and given a pet passport in the EU before travelling to a country that is not listed. In this case, the rabies vaccination and blood test must be registered by your vet in the EU pet passport before you leave the Netherlands. Only an EU vet is authorized to do this. The rabies vaccination must still be valid when you return to the Netherlands. If a vaccination against rabies was administered in a non EU country, this vaccination must be registered on a separate EU health certificate.
The antibody test does not need to be renewed for a pet animal which has been revaccinated against rabies before the expiry date of the previous vaccination.
The above implies that young cats and dogs are at least 7 months of age before they may travel to the Netherlands: vaccination 12 weeks after birth + 30 days later blood test + 3 calendar months excluding possible presence of rabies.

Arrival in the Netherlands

If you are travelling with your own pet for non-commercial movement, you don’t have to notify the NVWA before arriving in the Netherlands. Upon arrival at the airport or ferry terminal in the Netherlands, you must report your pet to Customs (goods declaration - goods to declare). Customs will verify the chip of your pet, the accompanying health certificate and other documents. If you would like to receive further information about where you can pick up your pet at the airport, we recommend that you to contact your airline, the airport or your pet shipper.

Should the animal be quarantined?

If your pet meets the EU-import requirements, it does not need to be quarantined. If not, Customs will hand over the pet to an official veterinarian of the NVWA. On site the vet will check your pet and the available documentation and make a decision about what to do with your pet. The vet could decide to quarantine the animal or to send it back to its country of origin. Please note that, if your pet needs to be placed in quarantine, as the owner you will be charged with all the costs (like housing, transportation costs, vet costs). Avoid quarantaine at all times. Make sure you start the necessary preparations months before your trip.

What are the conditions for non-commercial movement?

The animals must travel because the owner is traveling and not the other way around.
The owner must make the same travel movement as the animal 5 days prior to or after the animal’s journey.
The movement of the animal is not intended to sell it or to transfer ownership to another owner.
The owner may not travel with more than 5 animals.

Pets for non-commercial movement must enter the EU via these entry points.

Commercial movement

In this case, the animal must be inspected at an inspection centre of a border control post when you enter the EU. In the Netherlands, Schiphol Airport is the only border control post where these dogs or cats can arrive, with two inspection centres: KLM Animal Hotel and Schiphol Animal Centre. For this purpose, it is necessary to arrange a pet shipper, which can be found on the website of the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association. The pet shipper will take care of the pre-notification and will make an appointment at one of the inspection centres. You will need the certificate for commercial transport.

Obligation to register dogs

Are you staying in the Netherlands for more than 3 months? Then after arriving in the Netherlands you, as the owner, have the obligation to have your dog registered in a designated database within 2 weeks of arrival by a veterinarian.

Deworming

If you travel through or to Ireland, Finland, Malta, Norway or the UK the animal must be dewormed against Echinococcus multilocularis.

Assistance and service dogs

Assistance and service dogs such as guide dogs, rescue dogs, medical response dogs and autism assistance dogs, are not exempted from veterinary import requirements. They need to fulfil all import conditions for the non-commercial movement to the EU of pet dogs from non-EU countries.