Publication
Dogs, Cats and Ferrets – Unaccompanied or Commercial Movements – Import or Export
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
If any of the following situations apply to you:
• you are bringing dogs, cats or ferrets to Ireland with the intention of selling/re-homing/gifting them to someone else after arrival, or if any change of ownership is involved after arrival, including delivery of a purchased or rehomed animal
• you are buying a dog, cat or ferret abroad and having it shipped to Ireland, i.e. you are not going to collect it and travel home with it, or
• your pet dog, cat or ferret is in another country and you want to have it shipped to Ireland, i.e. you are not going to collect it and travel home with it
• if you are travelling with more than 5 pet dogs, cats or ferrets (the exception is if you are travelling with >5 animals for a show/competition, and you will need to provide evidence of same to livetrade@agriculture.gov.ie in advance )
the animal may not enter Ireland under pet travel rules. These animals must follow a different set of rules.
For dogs with Cropped Ears, please see link below:
Movement of dogs, cats and ferrets travelling unaccompanied, or traded, within the EU/EEA/EFTA are subject to the following requirements:-
• Come From a Registered Premises
The premises of origin must be registered with the competent authority. The person responsible in the country of origin must contact their competent authority for details.
• They must be microchipped
The microchip must be inserted before the rabies vaccination is administered, and must be readable by a device compatible with ISO standard 11785. If the microchip cannot be read when you enter or return to Ireland, your dog, cat or ferret could be put into quarantine or refused entry. You may carry your own hand-held scanner if the microchip is not readable by a device compatible with ISO standard 11785.
• Have a valid rabies vaccination
The vaccination must be given after the microchip is inserted. The dog, cat or ferret must be at least 12 weeks old before the vaccine is given and it must be given by an authorised veterinary practitioner. Before you can bring the dog, cat or ferret to Ireland, you must wait until the appropriate immunity has developed, as stated by the datasheet of the vaccination given. This must be at least 21 days after the primary vaccination is given.
A rabies vaccination with a 1 year or 3 year validity period is acceptable for entry into Ireland, as long as manufacturers instructions are followed. Booster vaccinations only are exempt from the post vaccine waiting period, if there has been no break in coverage since the primary vaccination(s). This exemption only applies to rabies vaccines given after microchipping. If there has been a break in coverage, the next vaccination will be considered a primary vaccination, and the appropriate waiting period applies.
• Undergo a clinical examination by a vet within 48 hours of departure
A health check on the animal must be carried out by an authorised veterinary practitioner within 48 hours of departure. Please contact the authorities of the country of origin to arrange this.
• Be accompanied by original, signed paperwork
Animals coming from another EU country must be accompanied by a valid pet passport and an Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC) on TRACES.
The TRACES certificate is obtained in the EU country of origin, and completed by an official government vet in the country of origin.
• Tapeworm treatment for dogs
If you are coming from countries other than Finland, Norway, Malta or Northern Ireland, a vet must treat your dog for tapeworm (specifically Echinococcus multilocularis) and record the treatment in the pet passport and official veterinary health certificate.
The treatment must contain praziquantel and must be administered by a veterinarian no less than 24 hours (1 day) and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before the scheduled arrival time of the dog in Ireland. Your dog may be refused entry or put into quarantine if you do not follow this rule.
• Welfare
General conditions on the welfare of animals during transport can be found here, and more detailed information can be found at Transport of Live Animals . DAFMs guidelines for transport of dogs, cats and ferrets specifically can be found here .
Additionally, when animals are transported by air, further information should be sought from the IATA website (IATA Live Animals Regulations) and from the relevant air carrier.
These guidelines include but are not limited to:
• Animals must be fit and healthy enough for the intended journey
• They must be transported in a way so as not to compromise their health or welfare.
• To comply with animal health requirements, it is not possible for dogs, cats and ferrets under 15 weeks old to be shipped to Ireland.
• They must have adequate space so the animals can stand up in a natural position, turn around and lie down.
• Suitable bedding must be supplied as appropriate. In particular young animals unaccompanied by their mother must be provided with adequate quantities of a bedding material appropriate to the species to ensure their thermal comfort and adequately absorb urine and faeces.
• There are specific rules on the sizes and types of containers the animals must be transported in. Please see links above for details.
• Licensed Transporter
Animals must be commercially transported by an approved Type 2 transporter only. This approval may have been granted in Ireland or in another EU Member State. For details on how to become a registered transporter please see Transport of Live Animals . For list of type 2 transporters approved in Ireland, please see here .
For information on bringing a commercial dog into Ireland from all non-EU or non-EEA/EFTA countries, including Great Britain, please see gov.ie - Commercial Dogs, Cats and Ferrets (www.gov.ie) .
Please note, not all Border Control Posts (BCPs) in Ireland may be able to accept consignments of commercial dogs, cats or ferrets. You should enquire from the BCP if they can accept your booking in advance of finalising any travel arrangements.
• Dublin Port BCP can be contacted at (01) 615 7792 or BCP.DubPort@agriculture.gov.ie
• Rosslare Euro Port BCP can be contacted at (053) 911 4157 or RosslareBCP@agriculture.gov.ie
• Dublin Airport BCP can be contacted at (01) 615 7650 or BCP.DublinAirport@agriculture.gov.ie
Export of Commercial Dogs out of Ireland
Movement of dogs, cats and ferrets travelling unaccompanied, or traded, within the EU/EEA/EFTA are subject to the following requirements. Please read the information in full as you will need input from both your own private vet and your government Regional Veterinary Office (RVO).
• Come From a Registered Premises
The premises of origin must be registered with the competent authority. Please see Balai Registration of Dog Premises - Application Form for details.
• They must be microchipped
The microchip must be inserted before the rabies vaccination is administered, and must be readable by a device compatible with ISO standard 11785. You may be able to supply your own hand-held scanner if the microchip is not readable by a device compatible with ISO standard 11785, but you should confirm this in advance if required. Microchips used in Ireland are generally ISO standard 11785 compliant, but if in doubt you should contact the microchip producing company.
• Have a valid rabies vaccination
The vaccination must be given after the microchip is inserted. The animal must be at least 12 weeks old before the vaccine is given and it must be given by an authorised veterinary practitioner. Before you can bring the dog, cat or ferret to Ireland, you must wait until the appropriate immunity has developed, as stated by the datasheet of the vaccination given. This must be at least 21 days after the primary vaccination is given.
Booster vaccinations only are exempt from the post vaccine waiting period, if there has been no break in coverage since the primary vaccination(s). This exemption only applies to rabies vaccines given after microchipping. If there has been a break in coverage, the next vaccination will be considered a primary vaccination, and the appropriate waiting period applies.
• Have a pet passport
Issued by your local vet.
• Undergo a clinical examination by a vet within 48 hours of departure
A health check on the animal must be carried out by an authorised veterinary practitioner within 48 hours of departure . Your private vet will have to record this exam in the appropriate part of the pet passport, and you will then need to present the completed pet passport to your local RVO, along with the operator declaration (see below).
You will need to have contacted your local RVO in advance to ensure they can see you and process the paperwork on your required day. They may require you to submit paperwork in advance to ensure timely service on the day.
• Be accompanied by original, signed paperwork
Animals being traded between EU countries must be accompanied by a valid pet passport and an Intra Trade Animals Health (TRACES NT) Certificate.
The TRACES NT certificate is obtained in the EU country of origin, and completed by an official government vet in the country of origin. You should contact your local RVO in advance to enquire about getting this certificate. Contact details of the RVOs can be found here
Please contact your local RVO in the first instance, but if required, please see attached SOPs on how to get a new account on TRACES NT, how to submit an intra-trade health certificate for certification on TRACES NT and how to put up a new transporter for selection on TRACES NT (please note DAFM will be required to validate the new transporter, but details can be entered by the agent themselves.) If you have any questions about the TRACES system, please contact traces@agriculture.gov.ie
SOP 7 Authority – How to create a transporter type 2
How to put up a new transporter for selection on TRACES NT (please note DAFM will be required to validate the new transporter, but details can be entered by the agent themselves.)
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• Operator Declaration
You must complete the attached operator declaration, and submit it to the RVO at the same time as you are submitting the pet passports to receive your official health certificate
• Welfare
General conditions on the welfare of animals during transport can be found here, and more detailed information can be found at Transport of Live Animals. DAFMs guidelines for transport of dogs, cats and ferrets can be found here .
Additionally , when transported by air, while the guidelines do in general apply, further information should be sought from the IATA website (IATA Live Animals Regulations) and from the relevant air carrier.
Additionally , when transported by air, while the guidelines do in general apply, further information should be sought from the IATA website (IATA Live Animals Regulations) and from the relevant air carrier.
These guidelines include but are not limited to:
• Animals must be fit and healthy enough for the intended journey
• They must be transported in a way so as not to compromise their health or welfare.
• Puppies and kittens less than 8 weeks old should not be transported. To comply with animal health requirements, it is usually not possible for dogs, cats and ferrets under 15 weeks old to be shipped from Ireland, but you should check with the country of destination.
• They must have adequate space so the animals can stand up in a natural position, turn around and lie down .
• Suitable bedding must be supplied as appropriate. In particular young animals unaccompanied by their mother must be provided with adequate quantities of a bedding material appropriate to the species to ensure their thermal comfort and adequately absorb urine and faeces.
• There are specific rules on the sizes and types of containers the animals must be transported in. Please see links above for details.
• Licensed Transporter
Animals must be commercially transported by an approved Type 2 transporter only. This approval may have been granted in Ireland or in another EU Member State. For details on how to become a registered transporter please see Transport of Live Animals . For list of type 2 transporters approved in Ireland, please see here .
For information on exporting a dog to Great Britain after 31st December 2021 please see
How to Create an Export Health Certificate on TRACES NT - SOP 34
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Guidance Note for Exporting Dogs from Ireland to Great Britain
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Download
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To export to other non-EU countries, you should contact the authorities there in good time to find out what the requirements are to enter that country. There may be testing or vaccination requirements, and it may require veterinary certification from your own private vet or from a DAFM vet, or both.
The rules on welfare equally apply to commercial dogs being exported from the EU. General conditions on the welfare of animals during transport can be found here , and more detailed information can be found at Transport of Live Animals . DAFMs guidelines for transport of dogs, cats and ferrets can be found here .
Additionally, when transported by air, while the guidelines do in general apply, further information should be sought from the IATA website (IATA Live Animals Regulations) and from the relevant air carrier.
These guidelines include but are not limited to
• Animals must be fit and healthy enough for the intended journey
• They must be transported in a way so as not to compromise their health or welfare.
• Puppies and kittens less than 8 weeks old should not be transported.
• They must have adequate space so the animals can stand up in a natural position, turn around and lie down .
• Suitable bedding must be supplied as appropriate. In particular young animals unaccompanied by their mother must be provided with adequate quantities of a bedding material appropriate to the species to ensure their thermal comfort and adequately absorb urine and faeces.
• There are specific rules on the sizes and types of containers the animals must be transported in. Please see links above for details.