Pet Relocation When Moving to Portugal
Your dog or cat does not go in the household shipment. This guide sets out what Portugal’s veterinary authority, the European Commission and GOV.UK say about a pet coming from Great Britain: the microchip and rabies timing, the health certificate, the airport check and the register to use once you live there. The journey is booked separately.
A few short questions. Nothing is sent until you check and confirm.
What changes when a pet moves to Portugal with you?
A dog or cat travels with you, or with a person you authorise in writing, on its own papers. Portugal adds three points that can shift your dates: a veterinary check at a designated point of entry, an arrival notice that you send ahead, and a fee for the check.
Whoever carries the animal is a separate booking from the removal crew, made with a specialist pet transport provider or by you. Say you have a pet when you enquire, so furniture and animal reach Portugal on days that suit each other. Portuguese customs treatment of your belongings sits in our guide to customs and transfer of residence.
Send the animal’s details through the pet transport request form. Advice that is the same whichever country you head for is in moving abroad with a pet.
What does Portugal ask of a dog or cat from Great Britain?
The Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary Affairs (Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária, DGAV) publishes Portugal’s rules for dogs and cats from outside the EU (opens in a new window), which include the United Kingdom but not Northern Ireland. Up to five animals may travel with the owner, or with a person the owner authorises within five days either side. None may be for sale or a change of owner.
Each animal needs an electronic microchip, and its rabies vaccination cannot be dated before the chip, though the same day is accepted. DGAV counts the vaccine only if the animal was at least twelve weeks old, with at least 21 days after a first vaccination. GOV.UK gives the same order and says to count 21 full days.
A dog or cat under twelve weeks old cannot enter, DGAV says, and neither can one aged twelve to sixteen weeks whose rabies vaccination is under 21 days old. For a puppy or kitten, count back from the landing day before you book anything.
Who signs the health certificate, and how long does it last?
DGAV says the health certificate comes from the official services of the country of origin, not from a clinical vet, and that only the owner’s name goes on it, even when someone else travels with the animal. GOV.UK says to get an animal health certificate from your vet (opens in a new window) and that an official veterinarian must sign it. The wording differs, so ask your vet who signs yours.
On GOV.UK, the certificate allows entry into the EU for ten days, with its issue date as day one, and each trip out of Great Britain needs a fresh one. A single certificate can carry up to five pets. DGAV also asks for proof of identification and of the rabies vaccination, and accepts authenticated copies of the vaccination record.
Is a rabies blood test needed for a UK pet entering Portugal?
DGAV asks for a rabies antibody blood test only for animals from countries with a rabies risk, which it describes as those not on the Commission’s list. The Commission’s listing of territories and non-EU countries (opens in a new window) (no date shown) shows the United Kingdom in Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636 and states that animals from any listed country need no antibody titration test. A footnote there excludes Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom entry.
Put together, the two pages point to no blood test for an animal leaving England, Scotland or Wales. The regulation’s own text would not open for us, so the table is our only evidence; confirm it in the annex if your travel plan depends on it.
A connecting flight through a country with a rabies risk is different. DGAV says the animal must then stay in the airport’s international zone, and the owner must present a written declaration, on a DGAV template, that says so.
How do you arrive with a pet, and what does the check cost?
Pets from outside the EU are checked at designated travellers’ points of entry (Pontos de Entrada dos Viajantes), such as airports. DGAV’s arrival notice page (opens in a new window) says the owner or authorised person, not the airline, must contact the point of entry with its form, as early as possible and at least 48 hours before arrival. Papers sent to any other address are not reviewed in time.
Two DGAV notices on that page, both undated, give opening hours. The Lisbon airport desk does not run the veterinary check between midnight and 06:00, and the Porto airport desk does not between 23:00 and 07:00. Check the hours again when you choose a flight. A marina that is not a point of entry cannot take a pet off a boat.
The check has a fee: 43.17 euros for one animal and 86.34 euros for two or more, subject to update, with no charge for an assistance dog. Beyond five animals, or for a pet travelling alone after the five-day window, DGAV says trade rules apply instead.
How do the pet’s dates fit around your removal dates?
The removal company agrees a collection day with you. The pet’s calendar comes from the vaccine wait, the ten-day certificate and the 48-hour notice. Choose the landing day first, then count back, and use the moving checklist to keep the household tasks in order.
If the pet lands on a different day from you, DGAV allows an authorised person within five days before or after your own journey, with your written authorisation attached to the certificate on DGAV’s template. Keep the originals with the person at the airport desk, not packed in a crate that is going by road.
What happens after your pet arrives in Portugal?
Portugal’s register of pets is the Sistema de Informação de Animais de Companhia (opens in a new window), or SIAC. DGAV says identification means a microchip plus registration there, done once, and that the record is updated when the holder’s address or the animal’s home changes. The page gives no deadline for a pet arriving from abroad, so ask a Portuguese vet.
Under DGAV’s warning, an animal that breaks a rule is returned to where it came from, and euthanasia may be considered as a last resort. The owner pays for this, and fines are possible. DGAV answers questions about a specific animal at [email protected].
Common questions on bringing a dog or cat from the UK to Portugal
How old must a puppy be to enter Portugal?
DGAV does not allow entry under twelve weeks, nor between twelve and sixteen weeks if the rabies vaccination is under 21 days old.
The vaccine itself needs the animal to be at least twelve weeks old.
How long is the health certificate valid for Portugal?
Ten days, according to GOV.UK, counting the day of issue as day one.
A fresh certificate is needed for every journey out of Great Britain.
Will my dog need a rabies antibody test to go to Portugal?
The Commission’s table has the United Kingdom, minus Northern Ireland, in Annex II, and listed countries need no antibody test.
Verify it in the annex text before relying on it.
Do I have to tell anyone before I land with my dog?
Yes.
DGAV says you, not the airline, must send the arrival notice to the point of entry as early as possible and at least 48 hours before arrival.
What does the veterinary check cost at a Portuguese airport?
DGAV lists 43.17 euros for one animal and 86.34 euros for two or more, subject to update.
There is no charge for an assistance dog.
What to tell us about your pet
Give us the species, breed and age, plus the microchip and rabies vaccination dates. Add your UK postcode, the Portuguese town, your moving dates, your preferred airport and who will be with the animal on the day.
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