Pet Transport When Moving to France

A vet may not vaccinate a dog, cat or ferret under 12 weeks old. With the 21-day wait on top, that fits Service-Public’s minimum age of 15 weeks (opens in a new window) for a dog or cat entering France. The same page says a dog may enter only if it has at least one adult tooth. For the British end, GOV.UK has a step-by-step pet travel guide (opens in a new window).

The animal health certificate (opens in a new window) has to be signed by an official vet, and a fresh one is needed for each separate trip out of Great Britain. French customs says it is valid for 10 days from the date of issue, and the agriculture ministry’s FAQ adds that the 10 days are extended by the length of a sea crossing. The FAQ says a traveller must always be able to produce the original documents, so take the original certificate and the rabies vaccination proof.

Two items you may expect are not required. French customs says pets from the UK don’t need the rabies antibody blood test (titrage sérique) that some other origins need. France is also not among the countries for which GOV.UK lists a tapeworm treatment (opens in a new window) before arrival, which are Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway and Northern Ireland. The ministry’s FAQ says France issues no import permit in advance, and you shouldn’t send documents or book a customs appointment beforehand.

A pet passport won’t help if you live in England, Scotland or Wales. GOV.UK says it can’t be used to enter the EU even if it was issued in an EU country, and French customs says the same for owners resident in Great Britain. GOV.UK says Northern Ireland residents keep the option of an EU pet passport. The ministry’s FAQ on importing pets from third countries (opens in a new window), dated 11 June 2025, adds that the certificate and papers must be in French or bilingual, or translated by a sworn translator, so ask your vet which language version is issued.

The agriculture ministry’s page on category 1 and 2 dogs (opens in a new window) (dated 23 July 2026) says importing or introducing a category 1 dog is punishable by six months in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros. “Type” means a dog that resembles the breed in its physical characteristics without being entered in a recognised stud book. The ban reaches a family driving through France on the way to another country, because the ministry says it applies even to a journey of passage.

Staffordshire Bull Terriers (“Staffies”) are named on that page as a different breed and not a category dog. American Staffordshire Terriers are different: a pedigree one is category 2, and one without a pedigree that looks like the type is category 1. Resemblance alone doesn’t decide it, and the FAQ says only a vet’s assessment can say whether a dog belongs to a category.

For a dog with no pedigree that could be taken for a category 1 type, the ministry puts the burden on the owner. Before arrival, a vet must sign a statement, translated into French where needed, that the dog doesn’t belong to the categories listed in the order of 27 April 1999. You must be able to show it to French police on request. If an expert second opinion contradicts it, you face criminal penalties, up to confiscation of the dog.

Category 2 covers pedigree American Staffordshire Terriers, Rottweilers and Tosas, plus Rottweiler-type dogs without a pedigree. Entry is allowed, but living in France with one is regulated: the ministry says the holder needs a permit from the town hall of the commune of residence, which depends on a seven-hour training course, a vet’s behavioural assessment, identification, rabies proof and liability insurance. Holding one without a permit risks three months in prison and a 3,750 euro fine.

The ministry’s FAQ allows a pet to travel up to five days before or after you, or with a person you name, as long as you give them a written authorisation and the declaration in the ministry’s information note. Anything outside that is handled under the rules for commercial imports. A non-commercial movement is also capped at five animals in all, and above that the FAQ describes extra formalities: a freight forwarder, prior authorisation, a veterinary check at a border control post and sometimes quarantine.

Papers belong in the hand luggage of whoever escorts the animal, never in a box on the lorry. The French customs page tells you to show the health certificate and vaccination proof to the transport company at check-in at the latest, to let it scan the microchip, and then to declare and present the animal to customs on landing.

From a third country other than Great Britain, the animal needs the official vet’s certificate and, unless the country is on the EU’s exempt list, a rabies antibody blood test taken at least 30 days after the vaccination and three months before arrival, at an EU-approved laboratory. The ministry’s FAQ lists Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United States among the exempt countries, and says the list can change, so check it for your country before you plan the dates.

Other pets follow different rules. The FAQ says rabbits, rodents, reptiles, amphibians and ornamental fish need a document signed by a vet, birds need an isolation period, a PCR test or a vaccination against avian flu, and poultry such as hens don’t count as pets at all. It also says pedigree proof is needed for a Bengal or Savannah cat, because without it the animal is treated as a hybrid, and early-generation Savannahs need a CITES permit.