24th May 2022
The regulations in place to bring pets to France differ by type of pet and whether you are travelling from an EU or non-EU country.
Which Animals are considered Pets?
To be classed as a 'pet' you cannot be travelling with more than a total of five animals (unless they are travelling for a competition); you must have the necessary documentation for your pet; and it must be included on the following list of pets:
- Domestic carnivores (cats, dogs and ferrets);
- Reptiles;
- Amphibians;
- Invertebrates (excluding bees and crustaceans);
- Rodents and domestic rabbits;
- Ornamental fish;
- All bird species excluding poultry.
The required documentation depends on whether your pet is classed as either:
- Domestic carnivore;
- Pet bird;
- Other animal.
As far as possible, pets and owners should travel together. If the pet is travelling with someone other than their official owner, proof (in the form of a boarding pass) will be required to attest that the owner will be joining the pet within five days or less. If this is not provided, the animal will not be considered a pet and the journey will be considered commercial in nature.
Domestic Carnivores (cats, dogs and ferrets)
From an EU Country
Under the EU pet travel scheme, a standard model of EU pet passport allows domestic carnivores (cats, dogs and ferrets) to travel between EU countries as long as they are microchipped and have been vaccinated for rabies.
The EU pet passport contains a description of the animal, its tattoo or microchip code, details about ownership, and its rabies vaccination record. The passport remains valid for life as long as the rabies vaccination is kept up to date.
From Outside the EU
Pet passports issued in the following countries are also valid for entering the EU: Andorra, Switzerland, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Vatican City State.
EU pet passports issued in the UK before Brexit are no longer valid, although UK nationals living in France are entitled to a pet passport from France as are UK nationals staying in France temporarily on visa for more than three months.
In respect of UK nationals hold a WARP (Brexit) visa, the French government has stated that: "The veterinarian can only issue a French passport to an animal holding a UK/EU passport issued before January 1st, 2021, after verifying that the animal’s identification number has been registered in the 'Fichier national d’identification des carnivores domestiques (I-CAD)'. If not registered, the veterinarian may proceed to register the animal in ICAD, if the animal’s stay in France is longer than 3 consecutive months.”
The EU has a three-tier system for the movement of pet dogs, cats and ferrets from third countries to Member States: Part 1 listed country, Part 2 listed country and Unlisted.
Being a listed country allows for several exemptions from the requirements for animals travelling from non-EU countries to EU Member States.
For any non-EU country not in the pet passport scheme (including the UK), you will need an EU Animal Health Certificate issued by an official state vet in the country of departure no more than 10 days before arrival in the EU. The vet will need to certify that anti rabies vaccinations and antibody tests have been carried out in line with EU protocols. You can read more at Animal Health Certificates.
Travel cannot take place until at least 21 days have passed since the first rabies vaccination. If you are travelling from an ‘unlisted country’, your animal will also require a rabies antibody test three months before travel to show that vaccination has been successful. This does not apply to domestic carnivores travelling from the UK, which has been granted 'Part 2' listed status.
You should also provide and attach a written declaration, stating that the travel is not for commercial reasons.
The Animal Health Certificate is valid for onward travel within the EU and return travel for four months only (or until the rabies vaccination expires if this occurs before the four-month period). The pet will also need to enter France via a designated ‘Traveller’s Point of Entry’ (this includes all major points of entry to France).
On Arriving in France
If this is a permanent move, you need to register your animal(s) with the ICAD national database within 8 days of their arrival in France. You will need to take your animal to a vet, who can fill in a required ID certificate and send scans of the necessary documents to the authorities. The cost of registering is one animal is €9.23 (not including vet fees).
Category One and Two Dogs
It is forbidden to import dogs into France if they are classed as ‘Category One’, do not have pedigree recognised by the French Ministry of Agriculture, and are recognisable by their morphology as belonging to the following breeds: Staffordshire terrier, American Staffordshire terrier (pitbull), Massif (boerbull) and Tosa. Category two dogs are allowed subject to a number of conditions.
Pet Birds
From EU Member States
There are no standardised EU rules for travel between member states with pets other than cats, dogs and ferrets. When entering France with pet birds, it is recommended to travel with a health certificate issued by a vet less than five days before travel which states that the animal is in good health and is not showing any signs of illness.
You should also check that the species is not protected under the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, as this may imply additional regulations.
From Outside the EU
Birds entering France from outside the EU need to be accompanied by a health certificate signed by a registered vet (which can be found on the French customs website). They will also need to be accompanied by a written declaration, confirming that the journey is not being made with commercial intent.
In addition, due to measures against bird flu, owners need to provide proof that their birds meet at least one of the following conditions:
- Have completed a 30-day quarantine before travel (in an approved country) OR
- Have received a vaccination and at least one booster jab against bird flu H7 and H5, (between six months and 60 days before date of travel) OR
- Have taken a negative PCR test for the H5 and H7 bird flu virus taken during a ten-day isolation period prior to travel (with test taken on the third day of isolation at earliest).
On arrival in France, your bird should be kept in a private residence, and should not be allowed to mix with other birds for at least 30 days.
Birds arriving from: Andorra, Croatia, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland or Vatican City State are exempt from these requirements.
You should consider checking that the species is not protected under the Washington Convention as this may imply additional regulations.
Any Other Animal from the Pet List
From EU Member State
If you are travelling to France from an EU member state with pet reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, rodents, domestic rabbits or fish, it is simply recommended that you travel with a health certificate issued by a vet less than five days before travel which states that the animal is in good health and is not showing any signs of illness.
You should consider checking that the species is not protected under the Washington Convention as this may imply additional regulations.
From Outside EU
If you are travelling from outside the EU with a pet animal which is not a domestic carnivore or a pet bird, you will need to make sure that it is accompanied by the ‘accompanying document’, available on the French customs website, signed by a registered vet.
You should consider checking that the species in question is not protected under the Washington Convention, as this may imply additional regulations.
Horses
We have published a separate Guide to Bringing Horses to France.