Pet travelling to Spain

Each airline has different specifications for animal transport crates so make sure you confirm with them.

The holidays are almost here and if you’ve got a dog or cat on your list to Santa that might mean buying and/or bringing it in from overseas, or perhaps you’re moving to Spain and are bringing your pet too. Here are some guidelines to remember that will help ease the trip for both you and your pet.

The rules and regulations for bringing in a dog and/or cat from outside the European Union differ to those travelling within the Union so make sure the animal has a valid passport and microchip identifying its origin. Also note that a microchip is always required for identification purposes no matter where the animal originates from and no animal under three months of age is allowed to travel.

Critical to starting the process of transport is obtaining a veterinarian certificate of health, from a certified veterinarian you can find through, if not, your local vet, stating the animal is in travelling condition. From this same vet you can obtain the transit form he/she will certify, a passport for the animal and an ISO pet microchip (ISO 11784/11785 compliant) he/she can insert into the animal, usually on the back of the neck and always pain-free. Please note if the chip is not as before-stated compliant, you will be forced to buy your own chip reader to identify the animal. The animal must be vaccinated for rabies and other ailments (your vet will inform you of these which depend on the country of origin), at least 21 days before transport but within a year of travelling. Please note, it is best to have all this done within the same time frame: microchip, vaccinations, certificate of travel and passport as the vaccination date has to follow the microchip insertion.

When buying the transport crate, it is best to confirm the specifications with the airline used for transport. Different airlines have different requirements as far as height and width of crates, usually depending on the size of the animal. Airlines generally require the animal have enough head room to stand within the crate without touching the top of the crate and enough leg room on the front and sides. Labelling the crate repeatedly will also ensure the animal arrives to its proper destination.

Needless to say, the animal should also have enough food and water for the journey ahead. For further information visit Normativa zoosanitaria para introducir en España animales de compañía

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