For safe, trouble-free and legal transport of dogs and cats within the European Union and when entering Ireland, several veterinary and administrative requirements must be met.
The following requirements are mandatory for every animal transported with us:
Minimum age of the animal – 15 weeks
An animal may travel only after reaching
15 weeks of age.
The reason is the mandatory rabies vaccination:
- rabies vaccination may be administered no earlier than at 12 weeks of age
- afterwards, 21 days must pass for the vaccination to become valid.
Microchip – mandatory animal identification
Every animal must be identified with an
ISO-compliant microchip.
The microchip must be implanted
before rabies vaccination or on the same day.
EU Pet Passport
A
valid EU Pet Passport is required for travel and must contain:
- animal identification details
- microchip number
- valid rabies vaccination
- other required veterinary records.
Valid rabies vaccination
The passport must show a valid rabies vaccination. Conditions:
- the vaccination must be carried out after microchipping,
- the vaccination date must not be earlier than the microchip implantation date
- 21 days must pass after the first vaccination for it to be valid
Treatment against Echinococcus (if required by the destination country)
Some EU countries require mandatory treatment against the tapeworm
Echinococcus multilocularis.
This is required in particular when entering:
- Ireland,
- Northern Ireland,
- Finland,
- Malta.
The treatment must be administered within 24 hours before travel and must be properly recorded in the animal’s passport. The treatment is valid within a time window of 24 to 120 hours before entry into Ireland.
TRACES is required for commercial animal transport
When TRACES (TRACES NT) is required – commercial transport
TRACES NT is an electronic European Union system used for
commercial transport of animals.
In Ireland, TRACES is used under the name BALAI.
In commercial transport, it is also mandatory to obtain an
Intra Trade Health Certificate (BALAI certificate) issued by an official veterinarian.
TRACES / BALAI is required if:
- the animal travels without its owner
- the owner does not travel within ± 5 days
- the animal changes ownership (sale, adoption, transfer between shelters or breeders)
- transport is carried out by a company without the presence of the owner or their authorised person
- 6 or more animals are transported at the same time.
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:
- a dog or cat travels with its owner or an authorised person
- the owner travels no later than 5 days before or after the animal
- the animal does not change ownership,
- a maximum of 5 animals are transported
- it is a private (non-commercial) transport.
