Movement of dogs, cats and ferrets from EU countries and from Andorra, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Northern Ireland, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and the Vatican City
The following rules apply if you have been travelling abroad with your dog, cat or ferret and are returning to Sweden, if you buy a dog, cat or ferret for yourself abroad or if you buy a dog, cat or ferret abroad and intend to sell the animal in Sweden.
The rules for the movement of dogs, cats and ferrets into Sweden differ depending on which country the animals come from. The rabies situation in the country governs which rules apply. The countries on this page have effective routines to detect rabies.
These are the EU countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Estonia, Finland (including Åland), France (including French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Corsica, Martinique and Reunion), Greece, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal (including Azores and Madeira), Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (including Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and Ceuta and Melilla), Sweden, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Austria.
The rules on this page also apply to dogs, cats and ferrets from Andorra, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Northern Ireland, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and the Vatican City.
Your animal could be euthanized if the requirements are not fulfilled
If your animal travels with incorrect or incomplete documentation, the animal can be denied entry into Sweden or in the worst case euthanized. In some cases, the animal can be quarantined and the owner liable for the cost.
It is always your responsibility as a pet owner or importer to ensure that all requirements are met. Therefore, it is important that you find out what requirements you need to fulfil well before the trip.
Rules for all dogs, cats and ferrets
This applies to all dogs, cats and ferrets brought into Sweden from a country in this group. You can read about what applies to animals from Norway further down the page.
The animal must be ID-marked
Your animal must be ID-marked with a chip.
Your animal must be microchipped before, or at the same time as, their rabies vaccination. If your animal is microchipped after, they will need to be vaccinated again.
Microchipping must be done by a veterinarian or by a person who holds approval to microchip animals.
The date for ID marking or reading of ID marking and the ID number must be in the animal's pet passport.
If the animal has been re-microchipped and therefore has two ID numbers, both must be entered in the passport.
If the animal is checked at the border and the microchip is not legible, the animal can be sent back to the country from which it came, possibly quarantined or in the worst case euthanized. As there is always a risk that the chip is not legible, you can bring your own chip reader for safety.
If your animal has a legible tattoo that according to a certificate was made before 3 July 2011, your animal does not need to be microchipped.
The animal must have a valid vaccination against rabies
The animal must be vaccinated against rabies. The first vaccination that builds up the protection, also called primary vaccination, can consist of one or two doses. The vaccine must be approved in the country where the vaccination takes place.
The animal must be microchipped and at least 12 weeks old to receive the primary vaccination. The animal must be microchipped before the rabies vaccination in order for the vaccination to be valid. If the animal is already microchipped, the microchip must be read before the vaccine is given.
The details of the vaccination must be entered into the animal’s passport or health certificate and it must be stated that the microchip has been implanted and/or read no later than the same day as the vaccine is given.
After the primary vaccination, you must wait 21 days before travelling with the animal.
Example 1: Vaccination with one dose given on 1 January = travel no earlier than 22 January.
Example 2: Vaccination with two does on 1 January and 1 February = travel no earlier than 22 February.
Revaccination
The validity of the vaccine may vary from country to country.
When the animal is vaccinated, the veterinarian will specify the validity of the vaccine in the animal’s passport in accordance with the rules in the country where the animal is located. If you want to continue travelling with your animal, you must ensure that the animal is revaccinated no later than the expiration date written by the veterinarian.
If the animal has been revaccinated within the specified period of validity, no waiting period of 21 days is required before you can travel with it.
Delayed re-vaccination
If an animal is revaccinated after the specified period of validity, in other words the previous vaccination has expired, the revaccination is counted as the new primary vaccination. Then a new waiting time of 21 days is also required before the animal can travel again.
The animal must have a pet passport
An animal that is brought into Sweden from another EU country must have an EU passport for pets. The EU passport must be issued by a veterinarian.
Only certain countries outside the EU may issue passports that the animal can travel with. This applies to Andorra, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Northern Ireland, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and the Vatican City State. These passports look like EU passports for pets but may have a different colour and the country's national emblem on the front instead of the EU flag. However, not all of these countries issue such pet passports. In these cases, the animal needs to travel with a health certificate for pets instead (form E9.207). Passports from other countries outside the EU are not valid for travel – instead the animal must have a health certificate.
If the country from which your animal is travelling does not accept other countries forms, the country can create its own health certificate based on the template found in Annex IV Part 1 of the EU´s Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 577/2013.
You can order the health certificate E9.207 from the Swedish Board of Agriculture before leaving Sweden. We will send the health certificate by post to your home address in Sweden within about a week. Take the form with you on the trip so that an official veterinarian in the country outside the EU can fill it in.
The passport must, among other things, include information about:
- The animal's ID number and the date for ID-marking. The ID number must match the microchip number. If the animal has been re-marked and therefore has two ID numbers, both must be entered in the passport.
- Rabies vaccination.
- Animal species, sex and date of birth of the animal.
- Name of pet owner. If a breeder is to sell a puppy to a foreign owner, it is the breeder who is the owner until the animal is delivered. Therefore, remember to enter your information in the passport when the animal is handed over to you. It is always the person last entered into the passport who is considered the current owner.
- Signature of the pet owner or owners. In order for the passport to be valid, the pet owner or owners must sign the last line under the telephone number before the veterinarian issues the passport.
Only designated veterinarians with EU credentials may issue EU passports or enter information in them.
You must always give Swedish Customs notification of the arrival of your animal
If you are travelling from another EU country and have an animal with a European pet passport with you, you can give Swedish Customs notification of dogs and cats via the internet.
This does not apply for dogs from Norway.
When you arrive in Sweden, you can choose the green lane (“Nothing to declare”) in the surveillance area. If a customs officer asks, you must be able to present your notification number and the animal’s European pet passport.
You do not have to “denotify” (i.e. “notify the return of”) your dog or cat.
Read more on the Swedish Customs' website. If the animal is not reported to customs, it may be denied entry into Sweden.
If the animal travels within 5 days before or after its owner
If you and your pet are going to travel to the same place but cannot go together, you should book the animal's trip within 5 days before or after your own trip. The animal must then, in addition to a pet passport or health certificate, have these documents with them:
- A pet owner declaration for pets stating that your pet (ID number and passport number) may be transported by the agent or shipping company you are to hire and that the pet is not to be sold. Remember to fill in the box for power of attorney at the bottom of the form.
- Copies of your own ticket or booking, so you can see when you go and where.
If the animal travels more than 5 days before or after your own journey, or your animal does not travel the same route as you, you should read more under the heading “Animals that will change owners, travel without their owner or travel in a group of more than 5 animals”.
If the animal travels by air
If your animal is to travel by air, the airlines may have their own rules for the flight, which must also be fulfilled. Contact the airline for information on what rules apply for your trip.
You can also read on the International Air Transport Association's website (IATA). IATA is a trade association of the world's airlines and often formulates industry policy and standards for airlines rules. Among other things, IATA has rules on cage dimensions.
If the animal travels in a group of more than 5 animals that will compete or train
When you travel with a group of more than 5 animals who are to participate in an exhibition or competition, or are to be trained before such an event they may be moved under the same conditions as animals travelling with their owner or within 5 days of their owner’s trip. This applies if
- the animals are over the age of 6 months
- the animals are travelling with their owner or with an authorised person within 5 days of the owner’s trip and
- you bring with you a written proof that the animals have been registered with ID number to participate in the event or that they are registered in an organization that organizes such events.
If you travel in a group with more than 5 animals that are not to participate in any event, other rules apply that you can read about under the heading More rules for animals that are to change owners, travel without their owner or travel in a group of more than 5 animals, further down the page. The rules also apply to the animals in the group that are younger than 6 months.
If not all animals in the group are yours, the animal owners also need to travel within 5 days before or after the animals. Then you need to meet the same requirements as stated under the heading If the animal travels within 5 days before or after its owner. If the animal's owner does not travel at all, all animals need to meet the requirements under the heading More rules for animals that are to change owners, travel without their owner or travel in a group of more than 5 animals, further down the page.
Examples of valid documents are the current exhibition or competition catalogue or pedigrees certificate from, for example, the Swedish Kennel Club, provided that the animals' ID numbers are included.
If the animal travels with its owner from Andorra, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland and the Vatican City State, it also needs a pet owner declaration for pets
If you are travelling with your pet from Andorra, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland or the Vatican City, you must have a pet owner declaration for pets that you have completed. You must use the pet owner declaration form for pets, E9.204. Through the pet owner's declaration, you certify that the animal is yours and that it is not travelling to be sold.
If your pet is travelling with you, you do not need to fill in the power of attorney box at the bottom of the form. But if your pet travels with an authorised person, you must also fill in the box for a power of attorney at the bottom of the form.
Remember that if you travel more than 5 days before or after your pet and the authorised person, you also need to follow the rules for animals travelling without their owner.
If the animal travels through a country where the rabies situation is not under control, it also needs a pet owner's declaration for transit
An animal travelling from an EU country, another country as noted on this page or a country where the rabies situation is documented and monitored, and travelling through a country where the rabies situation is not under control, does not have to meet the requirement for blood tests showing antibodies to rabies (titre test) provided that it also fulfils the following conditions.
The animal must have a pet owner's declaration for transit, and the pet owner, authorised person or transport company must certify that the animal has not left the means of transport or the airport during the journey. Transit is defined here as a direct transit without any pause in the country other than at the airport while waiting for further travel.
A transit is only possible for animals that are not to change owners, do not travel in a group of more than 5 without competing or training and that travel within 5 days of their owner's journey. These animals need to have a blood titre test for rabies antibodies.
More rules for dogs, cats and ferrets that will change owners, travel without their owner or travel in a group of more than 5 animals
Remember to also read the rules that apply to all animals further up the page
There you can read about ID marking, vaccination against rabies and passports for pets for example.
The rules in this paragraph apply in these cases:
- You or someone else will travel with an animal that will change owner, for example if an animal is going to be rehomed, given away, adopted or sold. As long as the animal is moved to get to its new owner, the rules apply, regardless of whether the purchase has been formally completed.
- The animal travels without the owner. This applies regardless of whether the animal travels with an authorised person or as freight.
- More than 5 animals travel in groups with their owner. Exceptions are made for animals that are to participate in an exhibition or competition, or are trained for such an event, provided that the animals are older than 6 months.
If you are not going to travel with your animal, but travel the same way within 5 days before or after the animal, you should instead read under the heading If the animal travels within 5 days before or after its owner.
The animal must come from a registered or approved establishment
An animal that you are to rehome from an owner in another EU country must come from a registered or approved establishment. The establishment must be registered or approved by the competent authority of the country of dispatch. The establishment must be free from infection of rabies virus, and infection of rabies virus has not been reported in the 30days before the animals leaves the establishment, nor can there have occurred any abnormal mortality at the establishment.
This is certified by the official veterinarian in the Traces certificate. Check with the seller that the establishment is registered or approved in the country of dispatch. If the establishment is not registered, the veterinarian in the country of dispatch will not be able to issue the Traces certificate.
Keep in mind that even a registration of your establishment where you receive animals may be required. If registration is required you will need to register your establishment before the veterinarian in the country of dispatch will be able to issue the Traces certificate. Read more about which establishments need to be registered under the link.
If the country or veterinarian in the country of dispatch requires that the establishment is listed in Traces, you must answer yes to any of the questions about movement across borders in the e-service, even if it does not describe your situation.
Some establishments need approval, such as animal shelters and assembly centres whereas others only require registration such as a breeder or owner’s home. The registration or approval needs to have been confirmed or approved by the competent authority of the country of dispatch in the Traces system so that it
can be certified by the official veterinarian in the Traces certificate. If this confirmation is not in the Traces system, the veterinarian cannot issue the certificate.
The animal must be examined and have a health certificate
The animal must be examined by an official veterinarian within 48 hours prior to departure to Sweden. The veterinarian must write in the passport and health certificate that the examination has been made.
The official veterinarian must also check that the animal complies with the rules by checking the animal's ID number and the information in the passport.
The veterinarian then enters the data into a database for reporting international trade in animals. The database is called Traces. You will receive a printout of the CANIS-FELIS-FERRETS-INTRA certificate which the official veterinarian needs to stamp and sign, thereby showing that the animal has been examined and complies with the rules. The certificate may also be issued electronically, provided that it is issued and transmitted via the Traces system. In this case, however, the veterinarian needs to be able to stamp and sign the certificate electronically.
An official veterinarian may have different titles in different countries. When booking your appointment, make sure that the official veterinarian has access to the Traces database.
The Traces certificate must be presented together with the animal's passport when you bring the animal into Sweden. It is valid for 10 days for transport to Sweden from the date it was issued.
The transporter must be registered
The person who transports dogs, cats or ferrets across borders must register if the purpose is for the animals to change owners or if the animals are transported in connection with economic activities.
If you are transporting an animal from another country to Sweden, the sending country may require that the animal be transported by a registered transporter in order for them to release it.
Therefore, it is important that you contact the authorities in the country of dispatch to find out what requirements the dispatch country requires.
Keep in mind that registration of transporters is not the same as a transporter authorisation to transport animals that are part of your economic activity. If you move animals as part of your economic activity you therefore need to register both for moving animals between countries and have a transport authorisation.
Make sure you have all the necessary documents
If you are buying an animal that has been imported from a country listed on this page, these documents must accompany the animal:
- pet passport
- certificates needed if the animal is travelling without its owner or if the animal is travelling in a group with more than 5 animals.
You must receive the original documents from the seller as you take over the responsibility for the animal. You must write your details into the passport under owner information. This is important, to show that the animal has been brought in according to the rules that apply.
If you buy an animal abroad and make the entire journey home with the animal
If you are going abroad to buy an animal for yourself and then travel home with your animal, these extra rules do not apply. You should instead follow the rules under the heading of what applies to all animals brought into Sweden further up on this page. However, if you do not make the entire trip with the animal, these extra rules apply. For example, the rules apply if you are going to buy an animal from Spain, but the seller meets you in Denmark to give you the animal.
Remember to enter your information in the EU passport when the animal is handed over to you.
Fewer rules for dogs, cats and ferrets from Norway
Animals from Norway must be ID-marked and have a passport when they are admitted to Sweden, but they are exempt from the rules regarding rabies vaccination. Therefore, it is also possible to bring in puppies from Norway as long as they meet the requirements for ID marking and passports.
If your animal is transported by an authorised person or a shipping company, the authorised person or shipping company needs to report the animal to customs. If you travel with your own animal from Norway, you do not need to report the animal to customs as the requirement for ID marking and passport is met.
Keep in mind, however, that if you have bought or taken over a dog or a cat in some other way in Norway and bring it to Sweden, you usually have to submit an import declaration and pay VAT. This is because Norway is not part of the EU. In that case, you need to stop at customs and report this. You can read more on the Swedish Customs Administration's website.
There are more rules you need to follow if, for example, it is a animal that has to change owners, travels more than 5 days before or after the owner or travels in a group of at least 6 animals. Then the same rules apply as for EU countries under the heading More rules for animals that have to change owners, travel without their owner or travel in a group of more than 5 animals.
Registration in the Swedish dog register
All dogs in Sweden need to be registered. If you rehome, buy or adopt a dog from another country, you must register the dog in the Swedish dog register no later than 4 weeks after arrival in Sweden.
Contact
If you have any questions you are welcome to contact Customer service by phone or e-mail.
Legislation
Söker efter grundforeskrifter:
2021:13
- Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 on the non-commercial movement of pet animals n the non-commercial movement of pet animals and repealing Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 (eur‑lex.europa.eu)
- Regulation (EU) No 577/2013 on the model identification documents for the non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets, the establishment of lists of territories and third countries and the format, layout and language requirements of the declarations attesting compliance with certain conditions provided for in Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (eur‑lex.europa.eu)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/429 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) (eur‑lex.europa.eu)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 as regards rules for establishments keeping terrestrial animals and hatcheries, and the traceability of certain kept terrestrial animals and hatching eggs (eur‑lex.europa.eu)
- Regulation (EU) 2020/688 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 as regards animal health requirements for movements within the Union of terrestrial animals and hatching eggs (eur‑lex.europa.eu)
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/403 laying down rules for the application of Regulations (EU) 2016/429 and (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards model animal health certificates and model animal health/official certificates, for the entry into the Union and movements between Member States of consignments of certain categories of terrestrial animals and germinal products thereof, official certification regarding such certificates and repealing Decision 2010/470/EU (eur-lex.europa.eu)
