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Moving to France For Members

Paperwork and shots: How to bring a pet to France from the USA

The Local France
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Paperwork and shots: How to bring a pet to France from the USA
Your pet will need his or her paperwork in order to travel to France. Photo: Thomas Coex/AFP

Animal-loving Americans may wonder if they can bring their beloved pets with them when they travel to France - whether to live permanently or to stay for an extended period.

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The short answer is: Yes, you can.

The longer answer is: Yes, you can - but there’s rules and paperwork. 

Anyone bringing an animal into France from outside the EU faces paperwork and veterinary checks - travel within the Bloc is much simpler thanks to the EU Pet Passport scheme - but the exact rules vary from country to country.

Here are the requirements if you're bringing an animal from the USA. 

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What animals are allowed

First of all there’s the question of what a pet actually is. 

The USDA and EU authorities, including France, define a pet as a privately-owned companion animal not intended for research or resale and includes the following animal groups only: dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, rodents, hedgehog/tenrecs, reptiles, amphibians and pet birds (non-poultry). 

If your animal is not one of the types listed above or considered poultry, it does not qualify as a pet, and is subject to different rules

Meanwhile, the following breeds of dog are forbidden for travel into France unless they are registered by the American Kennel Club under special rules: Staffordshire terrier, American Staffordshire terrier (pitbulls), mastiff (boerbulls), rottweilers, and tosa.

The rules

The following requirements are necessary for travel into France with your pet (up to a maximum of five animals per family):

  • The animal must be at least 12 weeks old
  • Your pet must be identified by a microchip (standard ISO 11784 or annex A ISO standard 11785) or a tattoo. In case of identification with a tattoo, the tattoo must be clearly readable and applied before July 2011
  • Your pet must have a valid rabies vaccination. If it is a first vaccination against the virus, you must wait 21 days between the last shot of the vaccination and departure.
  • You must get a health certificate from your veterinarian and endorsed by USDA;
  • The official health certificate will be issued by an USDA accredited veterinarian and endorsed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
  • You can find a State-by-State list of USDA offices here
  • USDA endorsement is required for all certificates except those issued by military veterinarians for dogs, cats and ferrets.

How long is the certificate valid?

The official health certificate will be valid for 10 days, from the date of endorsement until the date of arrival in France - or any EU port of entry. For maritime travel, the 10-day window is extended for a period equal to the duration of the voyage. 

This certificate continues to be valid for the purpose of further movements within the EU for up to four months from its date of issue.

Quarantine 

Pets do not need to be quarantined as long as all entry requirements are met.

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The paperwork

The application form required for entry into France with a domestic pet, is available here as a pdf document.

Heading back to America

Remember, too, if your stay in France has a definitive end date, you’ll need to take your pet back to the US from France - and there’s rules and paperwork involved there, too.

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