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Moving to France With Your Pet

(Re-posted with permission of Renestance)

Moving to France with your pet is always a challenge, even as a seasoned expat : paperwork, house hunting, school research if you have kidsโ€ฆ And what about your four-legged friend ?

Itโ€™s easy to feel overwhelmed in front of the endless list of tasks you have to do before you can finally set up home. Hereโ€™s a guide for expat pet pawrents to make your petโ€™s relocation to France as safe and smooth as possible. We will focus on the most common case which is dogs, cats and ferrets.

 

 

First of all, itโ€™s important youย anticipate the process between 4 to 6 months before your planned relocation date. If youโ€™re busy,ย Tout Pour Le Toutou offers an accompaniment service from administrative paperwork to transport so you can save time and energy. Our founder Melanie, lived in the US for years and knows from firsthand experience the difficulties that being an expat pet parent comes with; she and her team of pet lovers offer a wide range of services performed by their network of vetted, insured, and multilingual providers: walks, petsitting, boarding, training, grooming, transportation, personal shopping and theyโ€™ll be more than happy to create a customized service that satisfies your needs!

General Requirements for Your Pet to Enter UE Territory

(if your pet doesnโ€™t have an EU passport)

  1. Pets imported from non-EU countries must beย declaredย andย presented to Customs for document and identity checks.
  2. For a non-commercial import, you can bring up toย 5 animalsย per person (adult).
  3. Each pet must beย at least 4 months oldย and must own aย health certificate.
  4. Category dogs:
    Category 1 dogsย (Staffordshire terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Mastiff and Tosa): without pedigree papers recognised by the French Ministry of Agriculture are banned.

 

If you have a Category 2 dog (pedigreed Staffordshire terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, or Tosa), here are the additional requirements needed to be allowed on the French territory:

  • The dog must beย registered by the SSC (the French Kennel Club) and recognised by the Ministry of Agriculture ;
  • The owner must be at least 18 years old ;
  • Hold aย certificate of qualificationย โ€œAttestation dโ€™aptitudeโ€ (only an authorized French trainer can deliver this certificate after a minimum 7 hours of training)
  • Prove that the dog has undergone aย behavioral evaluationย (only an authorized French veterinarian, registered on a prefectural list in a French department to carry out behavioral evaluations, can deliver this evaluation)
  • Be the holder of aย specific civil liability insuranceย for the damages that the dog is likely to cause in France

๐Ÿ‘‰ If it appears that your dog is a mixed breed with a category 1 dog : ensure that you obtain a statement from your vet confirming the breed and have it translated into French. Afterwards, have a consultation with a French vet to confirm the initial statement.

 

 

Once you have made sure your pet completes these requirements, here are the different steps to bring your pet to France:

๐Ÿ—“๏ธAt least 3 months before travel day:

Microchip your pet

Your pet must have a microchip implanted, for identification purposes. It should be anย ISO-compliant microchip, and it should be readable by a scanner that complies with the ISO standard 11784 or 11785. This chip will allow your pet to be identified by the French and European veterinary authorities, so it is a prerequisite.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Tattoos are accepted only if clearly legible and affixed before July 3, 2011.

 

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ At least 21 days before travel day (and once the ISO microchip implanted):

Update your petโ€™s rabies vaccination

The rabies vaccination should be doneย at least 21 daysย (primary vaccination and booster) before your petโ€™s arrival in France and must have a certificate showing it has been vaccinated against rabies. Make sure that your pet is up-to-date with all its other vaccinations as well.

Tip:ย you can ask your veterinarian to administer a 1-year rabies vaccination (after scanning the microchip) at least 21 days prior to your travel date, but not more than a year before. This approach ensures that you only need to keep track of one vaccination certificate, regardless of your petโ€™s previous vaccination history. Additionally, following this method can expedite the review process at the USDA endorsement office, allowing for a faster return of your endorsed certificate.

 

 

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ At least 30 days after vaccination and 3 months before the travel date:

Have your petโ€™s rabies serology done

(except the USA, Canada, Australia, and the countries considered as โ€œrabies-freeโ€)

To ensure the effectiveness of an anti-rabies vaccination, it is recommended to request a laboratory test that measures the level of rabies antibodies in a blood sample. This test, known as a rabies antibody titration test, should be conducted at aย laboratory authorized by the European Union.

The test result should show a minimum level of 0.5 UI/liter to ensure the vaccination is effective. If the vaccination is kept up-to-date with booster shots administered within the specified time frame, the validity of the test result will extend to the animalโ€™s lifetime.

 

 

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Within 10 days before the travel date:

Get a health certificate for your petย 

To travel with your pet within the EU, you must obtain aย non-commercial EU health certificateย that adheres to the European model established by an official veterinarian in the country of origin. This certificate must contain evidence of the petโ€™s vaccination against rabies. Its validity will extend for four months in the EU territory from the issuance date or until the expiration of the rabies vaccination, whichever date comes first.

โ†’ This certificate is only valid for 10 days, so your pet, therefore your pet must be transported within a period of five days before or after your own travel dates.

 

 

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โœˆ๏ธย Make Travel or Transport Arrangements for Your Petย 

First of all, it is essential that you check carefully the rules of your airline regarding pet transport. In all cases, you will have 3 options:

  • on the plane with you as either in-cabin (for pets weighing less than 6-8kg, depending on the companyโ€™s rules)
  • on the same plane but on cargo
  • on a different flight or with a licensed commercial pet transporter.

In any case, an authorized IATA pet crate will have to be used. (check below)

You should inform the airline if you plan to bring your pet with you, as there may be a limit to the number of pets allowed per flight. Also, remember to contact your airline at least 72 hours prior to your flight to confirm the presence of your animal.

Avoid connecting flights, as they can be stressful for your pet and may complicate the process if you have a layover in a country where rabies is prevalent. If there are no direct flights available from your location, you may want to consider using pet relocation services.

We do not recommend sedatives or tranquilizers, they are unsafe for pets who are traveling by plane. The use of tranquilizers can have negative effects on your petโ€™s health, such as an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, disorientation, and balance problems. These effects can increase the risk of injury and negative health reactions.

 

๐Ÿถ๐Ÿ’• Tips on How to Get Your Pet Accustomed to Its Travel Crate

You can check the dimensionsย here.
We advise you to start acclimatizing your pet to its travel crate a few months before your travel, particularly if your pet has never traveled long distances before. This is how you can proceed for a start:

1๏ธโƒฃ Place the travel crate in an open space, such as the living room, so that your pet can get familiar with it and explore it. This will help your pet understand that the crate is a safe space for it. If your pet is afraid of confined spaces, you can start by setting up only the bottom half of the crate. Gradually add the top half and then the door when your pet becomes more comfortable.

2๏ธโƒฃ Encourage your pet to enter the carrier by playing with them in and around it. You can also place their favorite toys and treats inside the carrier to make it more enticing for them to enter on their own.

๐Ÿ‘‰ To make the carrier comfortable for your pet during travel, itโ€™s important to place something absorbent on the floor of the crate. You can use a thin blanket, plaid, towel, or t-shirt that has a familiar scent from home. You can also add a thin crate pad and a pee-pee pad to make the space more cozy and familiar for your pet.

๐Ÿ›ฌAfter landing in France with your pet

๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€โœˆ๏ธ๐Ÿ“‘ At the airport

Upon arrival in France, you will be required to present the following documents to the customs authorities for inspection:

  • Yourย petโ€™s health certificate
  • Documents related toย your petโ€™s vaccination
  • Theย antibody test resultsย (if you come from a non โ€œrabies-freeโ€ country)

 

๐Ÿ•ฆ Within a week after your arrival in France

After arriving in France, you shouldย register the microchip of your petย with a French veterinarian within the first week. It is mandatory to declare your pet toย ICADย (Identification des Carnivores Domestiques)ย within 8 days to register its identification in the French national file of domestic carnivores. To complete this process, you need to have a provisional identification certificate for import or intra-community exchange form filled out by your French veterinarian and submit it to ICAD along with the necessary supporting documents.

If you plan on traveling inside the EU, you can ask for the EU pet passport EU Pet Passport, which contains official health information for dogs, cats, and ferrets only. This document cannot be acquired outside the EU and serves to simplify travel between EU member states. It will also be more simple to return to France or any EU country once you go back to your country.

As you have seen, bringing your pet to France requires a lot of organization and anticipation. Thatโ€™s why we highly recommend Tout Pour Le Toutouโ€™s pet relocation services which allows expatriatesโ€™ pets to travel with peace of mind and comfort. Donโ€™t hesitate toย contact us!

This article has been written by Tout Pour Le Toutou as part of our partnership for your petsโ€™ move and life in France. You can learn more about them atย https://www.toutpourletoutou.com/

Pet Friend Photos by Barefoot Blogger


Planning the Dream?

Renestance has been helping people (and their pets) realize their French lifestyle dream since 2015. Whether you need accurate information that’s tailored to your situation, hands-on assistance with housing, residency or other matters, referrals to trusted professionals, or connections to a dynamic community, we are here to help.

Contactย Renestance,ย and please tell themย Barefoot Bloggerย sent you!ย 

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