Traveling abroad with a pet has become more and more common in recent years. People not wanting to leave their felines behind, and easier ways to take a pet in a trip, are among the main reasons for that.
Many countries have established regulations and facilities for people entering and leaving their territories with pets, in order to make traveling safer and more enjoyable. The European Union as well, has established a regulation that sets all rules and conditions for pet owners to enter the territory of its 28 member states.
The first thing that you have to know about the EU rules on the movement of pets is that the country of owner’s residence matters a lot. In fact, the whole requirements that need to be met depend on where you come from.
Flying your dog or cat From Israel into the European union countries , you'll need to start the pre-flight process 4 months in advance, and your pet will need to start a series of vaccinations before the flight.
When traveling to the EU with your pet(s), you will need to meet several conditions prior to the trip. These requirements are:
Pet Documentation / Pet Passport
Also known as, the Common Veterinary Entry Document, a pet passport is required for every pet entering the EU. Any official veterinarian can issue this document following the successful outcome of the identity, documentary and physical checks performed on the pet.
Microchip
Dogs and cats traveling with their owners to the European countries shall be marked by the implantation of a transponder or by a clearly readable tattoo.
Vaccination Against Rabies
Before traveling to Europe, you must vaccinate your pet against rabies by an authorized veterinarian. Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old at the date of vaccination.
The period of validity of the vaccination starts 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol for the primary vaccination.
Rabies Antibody Test
The rabies antibody titration test is mandatory for pet animals entering the EU. An authorized veterinarian must carry out the test at least 30 days after the date of vaccination against rabies.
Moreover, you must wait 3 months from the date the successful blood sample was taken before you can travel.
The test, which should be performed in an approved laboratory, must measure a level of neutralizing antibody to rabies virus in serum equal to or greater than 0.5 IU/ml.
Treatment against Echinococcus multilocularis (tapeworm)
This requirement is only for dogs. You need to make sure your dog is treated for tapeworm 24 to 120 hours (1 to 5 days) before arriving in one of the following countries:
Finland
Republic of Ireland
Malta
UK
A veterinarian must administer the treatment within the period given above. The administering veterinarian in the relevant section of the passport must certify the treatment.
Health Certificate
After you complete all these steps for making your pet medically eligible for the trip, you will need to get a pet health certificate. You can get this certificate from an official veterinarian or by an authorized veterinarian and subsequently endorsed by the competent authority.
The health certificate must contain the following information:
The alpha-numeric code displayed by the transponder or the tattoo.The details of vaccination against rabies.The details of the blood sampling, and where applicable.The details of the treatment against Echinococcus multilocularis.
The health certificate must be valid for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian until the date of the documentary and identity checks at the travelers’ points of entry designated by Member States. A new certificate is required for every trip.
Written Declaration
A written declaration is also required, completed by the owner or an authorized person traveling with the pet stating the non-commercial nature of the trip.
for additional information and pre-flight guidance you can choose your destination
For traveling from Israel To UN with pets, click here.
for traveling for UN to Israel with pets, Click Here.
for information regarding traveling to the UK, Click here