What is the EU pet passport and what do you need it for?
This article is part of our guide to Travelling with a dog. If you have a cat, you will find the relevant information on our page about the EU pet passport for cats.
The EU pet passport is a standardised travel document for dogs, cats and ferrets. It was introduced in 2004 and pursues two goals: travel within the EU should become easier, and at the same time rabies should not spread unchecked. A third purpose is to curb the illegal puppy trade, because every animal can be clearly assigned. You can think of the passport as an identity card for your dog.
The passport clearly links the document to your dog and records all the important health details. It is bilingual, usually German and English, so that authorities abroad can read it.
EU pet passport or the yellow vaccination record?
Many owners know the yellow vaccination record. The EU pet passport can do everything the vaccination record can, and more: it additionally proves your dog's identity and is valid abroad. So if you are planning to travel with your dog, you do not need a second document. Have the EU pet passport issued straight away; all vaccinations are recorded in it just the same.
When your dog needs an EU pet passport
You need the passport whenever you cross a national border with your dog, no matter how short the trip. Even for a day trip to a neighbouring country you must have it with you, otherwise you risk trouble during a check. If you stay in Germany with your dog, however, you do not need the passport.
The requirement applies not only in the EU but also to a number of other countries such as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. With the passport, as a private individual you may bring up to five animals. You can read about the additional rules individual countries have in our guide on the entry requirements by country.
Tip: If you are coming back from a holiday outside the EU, you also need the passport for re-entry. From certain third countries an additional blood test for rabies antibodies is required, the so-called titre test. Plan this step early, because it takes time.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
What the EU pet passport contains
The passport bundles together all the details your dog needs for the trip:
- Details about the owner, that is name and contact details.
- A description of the dog with species, breed, sex, date of birth and coat colour.
- The number of the microchip together with the date and place of identification.
- All vaccinations, especially the one against rabies, with date and validity.
- Details of the issuing vet practice.
- Space for further treatments such as a tapeworm treatment or a rabies titre test.
The date of birth is mandatory. If it is not exactly known for an animal from a rescue, the vet estimates the year and usually enters 1 January of that year.
How to recognise a valid passport
A valid passport meets a few formal requirements that you can check yourself. The page with the chip details must be laminated after entry so that nothing can be changed afterwards. All dates must be entered in full with a four-digit year, and for the rabies vaccination the start of effectiveness must be noted. The passport must also be bilingual. If any of this is missing, there can be problems at the border.
Where to get the passport and whether you can buy it online
You can only get the EU pet passport from an authorised vet. Since the end of 2014, blank passports may only be issued to vets, and only they enter the data and hand you the document. If you got your dog from a reputable breeder, you often receive the passport at the handover.
What this means: You cannot simply buy a valid EU pet passport online. Offers that promise this lead nowhere, because only the vet may make the entries legally valid. Good to know: not every practice is automatically authorised to issue it, this is regulated differently depending on the federal state. So give them a quick call beforehand and ask.
Requirements and the correct sequence
Before your dog gets the passport, two things must be in place: a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination. The order is crucial, otherwise the vaccination is not recognised for travel. Here is how it works correctly:
- Step 1: Your dog is identified with a microchip to the ISO standard. This has been mandatory since 2011.
- Step 2: Only afterwards is it vaccinated against rabies, and the vaccination is entered in the passport.
- Step 3: From the first vaccination, a waiting period of 21 days applies before you may travel.
- Step 4: The vet issues the passport and enters the chip, vaccination and your details.
You can read more about the vaccination itself in the guide on rabies vaccination in dogs. With the following check you can quickly see whether your dog's passport is ready to travel:
Puppies, young dogs and animals from abroad
For young dogs, the ability to travel depends on vaccination protection. The first rabies vaccination is possible from twelve weeks at the earliest, followed by a 21-day waiting period. So your puppy is ready to travel at about 15 weeks at the earliest. Before that, it is better to have it looked after at home by someone it knows rather than setting off earlier.
What this means: If you get a puppy abroad, it too must have a valid passport and vaccination protection for the journey home. A reputable breeder hands you the passport at the handover.
For dogs from a rescue or from abroad, the passport from the country of origin remains valid as long as it meets the EU requirements. Whether a German vet issues a new passport depends on the individual case. If the data is unclear, discuss it early with your practice or the veterinary office. By the way: a clearly legible tattoo made before 3 July 2011 still counts as identification. For new entries, however, the microchip is required.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
What the EU pet passport costs
The passport itself is inexpensive. For the document you usually pay between 10 and 30 euros; the exact fees follow the German scale of fees for vets and can vary from practice to practice.
| Item | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| EU pet passport | 10 to 30 euros |
| Microchip, if needed | 30 to 70 euros |
| Rabies vaccination, if needed | 25 to 60 euros |
| Titre test, for certain countries | additional laboratory costs |
It only costs more if the requirements are still missing. If your dog first has to be chipped, that adds about 30 to 70 euros, and a rabies vaccination comes to around 25 to 60 euros. If you also need a titre test for a destination, further laboratory costs arise. It is best to ask your practice in advance for a specific estimate.
Passport lost, changing data or invalid
If you lose the passport, it is not a disaster. Your vet can usually issue a new one quickly, and the cost stays the same as for the first issue. All that matters is that your dog can be clearly identified via the microchip.
You can have changes entered at any time, such as a rabies booster or new owner details after a move. These updates may be made by any vet who is also authorised to issue the passport. A passport becomes invalid mainly through formal errors, for example if the chip page is not laminated, dates are incomplete or the vaccination was not entered correctly. So check this before every trip.
How Dalma protects your dog when travelling
The passport governs entry; your dog's health is covered by pet health insurance. With Dalma's pet health insurance your dog is protected abroad too, worldwide except for the USA, the US territories and Canada, also during a temporary stay abroad of up to five years.
If your dog falls ill or gets injured on the way, the treatment costs are reimbursed within your tariff up to 4 times the GOT rate; you choose 80 or 100 percent and an annual benefit limit from 1,500 euros to unlimited. In the health insurance tariff you can submit the rabies vaccination through the precautionary budget (up to 100 euros a year).
