Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret into Ireland from another EU country or certain listed countries, including Northern Ireland

PLEASE NOTE THE BELOW POINTS BEFORE PROCEEDING:

• To be considered a non-Commercial movement; The pet must arrive in Ireland with their owner.
• If the owner cannot travel with the pet directly, an authorised person may travel with the pet, provided the owner’s journey is within 5 days and the pet is accompanied by written permission from the owner.
  • If the animal is not travelling to Ireland within 5 days of its owner, it is considered unaccompanied and is subject to the rules regarding UNACCOMPANIED OR COMMERCIAL MOVEMENTS
• All pets must be accompanied by original paperwork, not copies.
• It is important to note that entry requirements to Ireland are set based on where the Animal is travelling from, not the country that it was born or usually resides in. (e.g. If an Irish pet goes with its owners on holidays to Brazil and then tries to re-enter Ireland, it must follow the rules below on entry from Brazil)
• If you are importing a pet from outside the EU, you will be required to declare its value and may be liable for import duties and VAT on the purchase price. However, if you are relocating permanently, you can apply for Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief to avoid these import charges.  See Revenue Customs Clearance  for full details.

If any of the following situations apply to you:

• You are buying a dog, cat or ferret abroad and having it shipped to Ireland, that is, you are not going to collect it and travel home with it, or
• Your pet is in another country and you want to have it shipped to Ireland, that is, you are not going to collect it and travel home with it
• You are travelling to Ireland to buy, sell or gift a dog, cat or ferret, or if any change of ownership is involved after arrival, including delivery of a purchased or re-homed animal
• If you are travelling with more than 5 pets. (the exception is if you are travelling for a show/competition, and you will need to provide written confirmation livetrade@agriculture.gov.ie

then your pet may not enter Ireland under Non-Commercial pet travel rules. Your animals must travel under the rules for UNACCOMPANIED OR COMMERCIAL MOVEMENTS.

Please read through the information below carefully. If you have any questions on pet travel after reading, please contact: livetrade@agriculture.gov.ie

• telephone from within Ireland: 01 607 2827
• telephone from outside of Ireland: 00353 1 6072827

Coming from an EU Member State or One of the Countries/Territories Listed Below:

,

1. Been Microchipped.
2. A Valid Rabies Vaccination.
3. Is Accompanied by a Valid EU Pet Passport (if you are an EU Resident), or EU Health Certificate (if you are a non-EU resident).
4. Tapeworm treatment (if a dog).
5. Compliance Checks

1. Been Microchipped

The microchip must be inserted before the rabies vaccination is administered and must be readable by a device compatible with ISO standard 11785. If your microchip is not readable with this standard, you may bring your own microchip scanner with you.

 If the microchip cannot be read when you enter Ireland, your pet may be required to be quarantined or refused entry.

2. A Valid Rabies Vaccination

• The vaccination must be given after the microchip is inserted.
• The pet must be at least 12 weeks old before the vaccination is given, and
• It must be given by a vet authorised by the government authorities of your country.
• A rabies vaccination with a 1 or 3-year validity period is acceptable for entry into Ireland.

3. Is Accompanied by a Valid EU Pet Passport (if you are an EU Resident), or EU Animal Health Certificate (if you are a Non-EU Resident)

Valid EU Pet Passport (if you are an EU Resident)

Ireland accepts pet passports from all EU countries, Northern Ireland and from the following European countries/territories: Andorra; Gibraltar; Greenland and the Faroe Islands; Iceland; Liechtenstein; Monaco; Norway; San Marino; Switzerland; Vatican City State.

A valid passport is a passport issued by an EU country or territory listed above, which certifies that the rabies vaccine given is valid.

Vets in non-EU countries (apart from the European countries/territories listed above) may not complete, sign or stamp the section on rabies vaccination or the rabies serological test in the passport. If they were to do so, this would make the pet passport invalid for travel.

EU pet passports must be properly and fully completed to be valid for travel. Simply having one does not allow your pet automatic entry into Ireland, they must still abide by the rules below.

EU Animal Health Certificate (if you are a non-EU Resident)

If your pet dog, cat or ferret does not have a pet passport, issued by one of the countries or territories listed above (point 3), it must be accompanied by a valid EU Animal Health certificate, before entering an EU country, including Ireland.

An EU Animal Health certificate must be:

• Completed by your veterinary practitioner, AND
• Signed and endorsed by an Official (State) Veterinarian of the country of departure, within 10 days of pets arrival into the EU, AND
• Immediately upon arriving into the EU, signed and endorsed by the EU country which performed the compliance checks

An Official State Veterinarian is a veterinarian directly employed by the government in the country of departure.

If the pet is travelling by sea, the validity is extended by the number of days of travel by sea.

The endorsed certificate is valid for travel between EU Member States for up to 6 months, or until the anti-rabies vaccination expires, whichever is the earliest. Please note this is between EU Member States only, and not to travel out of the EU and back in again. If the pet leaves the EU at any stage, then a new health certificate signed by an official vet within the last ten days is required to re-enter the EU, and all the other rules re vaccination and tapeworm etc will apply.

4. Tapeworm Treatment for Dogs

If your dog is entering Ireland from any country apart from Finland, Malta, Norway or Northern Ireland, a vet must treat your dog for tapeworm (specifically Echinococcus multilocularis) and record the treatment in the pet passport or EU health certificate before each time you intend to travel to Ireland.

The treatment must contain praziquantel and must be administered by a veterinarian no less than 24 hours (1 day) and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before the scheduled arrival time of the dog in Ireland. Your dog may be refused entry into Ireland or quarantined under official control if it has not been correctly treated against Echinococcus multilocularis before entry into Ireland.

5.  Compliance Checks

You do not have to books a compliance check in advance. However, you may be subject to spot checks. So please keep your documents on your person at all times when travelling.

6. Pets Failing Compliance Checks

If you do not follow these rules, or your pet fails the compliance checks, it may be refused entry into Ireland or may be placed into quarantine under official control for the necessary tests or vaccinations.

PLEASE NOTE: That pursuant to Reg. 12 (7) of SI 141/2020: All costs incurred in relation seizure and quarantine of your animal will be payable by the person who has possession or control of the animal concerned. Failure to do so may result in the permanent seizure of your animal.

Please ask for details of our quarantine facility and make contact with the quarantine facility immediately to make arrangements for your pet and to ensure that you are fully aware of the costs and requirements associated with this process.