For the safe, hassle-free, and legal transport of dogs and cats within the European Union and upon entry to Malta, several veterinary and administrative conditions must be met.
The following requirements are mandatory for every transported pet traveling with us:
Minimum age of the animal – 15 weeks
The pet can only travel after reaching the age of
15 weeks.
The reason is the mandatory rabies vaccination:
- it can be administered at the earliest at the age of 12 weeks
- then 21 days must pass for the vaccination to be valid.
Microchip – mandatory identification of the animal
Every pet must be identified with a
microchip compliant with the ISO standard.
The microchip must be applied
before the rabies vaccination, or on the same day.
EU Pet Passport
A
valid EU Pet Passport is required for travel, which includes:
- the animal’s identification details
- the microchip number
- a valid rabies vaccination
- other necessary veterinary records.
Valid rabies vaccination
A valid vaccination must be recorded in the passport. Conditions:
- the vaccination must be administered after the microchip application,
- the vaccination date must not be earlier than the microchip date
- 21 days must pass from the primary vaccination for it to be valid
Tapeworm (Echinococcus) treatment (if required by the country)
Some EU countries mandate treatment against the
Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm.
It is particularly required when entering:
- Ireland,
- Northern Ireland,
- Finland,
- Malta.
The treatment must be administered 24 hours before the journey and must be properly recorded in the pet passport. The validity of the treatment is within an interval of 24 to 120 hours prior to entering Ireland.
TRACES is required for the commercial transport of pets
When TRACES (TRACES NT) is required – commercial transport
TRACES NT is the European Union’s electronic system used for the
commercial transport of animals.
Within commercial transport, the issuance of an
Intra Trade Health Certificate by an official veterinarian is also mandatory.
TRACES is required if:
- the animal is traveling without its owner
- the owner is not traveling within an interval of ± 5 days
- the animal is changing owners (sale, adoption, transfer between shelters or breeders)
- the transport is carried out by a company without the accompaniment of the owner or their authorized person
- 6 or more animals are being transported at once.
In these situations, the transport is automatically considered
commercial.
When TRACES is not required – non-commercial transport
For standard private travel of pets,
TRACES is not required.
TRACES is not required if:
- the dog or cat is traveling with the owner or their authorized person
- the owner travels no later than 5 days before or after the animal
- the animal is not changing owners,
- a maximum of 5 animals are being transported,
- it is a private (non-commercial) transport.
