Bringing a pet to Italy

• Microchip your pet (ISO 11784/11785)Must be implanted before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccine is not recognised.
• Rabies vaccinationPet must be at least 12 weeks old. Valid 21 days after the primary dose.
• Rabies antibody (titer) test — required from some origin countriesFAVN/RNATT rabies antibody test; the result must be ≥ 0.5 IU/ml. Blood must be drawn at least 30 days after vaccination; the sample must be taken not less than 90 days before the date of issue of the health certificate (the certificate is issued before entry, so counting to entry is the stricter reading). Testing is limited to EU-approved laboratories.
• Official health certificate (EU Animal Health Certificate (new Reg 2026/705 format from 2026-10-01))Endorsed by Competent authority of the country of departure (USDA APHIS for the United States). Enter within 10 days of endorsement.
• Travel through an approved point of entryPets from third countries must enter through points of entry designated by the Italian Ministry of Health: the official list contains 41 airports and 16 ports

1. 1
   Before vaccination
   Microchip

   Implant the ISO microchip first — the rabies vaccine only counts once the pet is chipped.

2. 2
   Day 0
   Rabies vaccination

   Pet must be at least 12 weeks old.

3. 3
   After 21 days
   Rabies vaccine becomes valid

   Earliest eligible entry date for listed / low-risk origin countries.

4. 4
   Unlisted origins only
   Rabies antibody titer test + waiting period

   FAVN/RNATT rabies antibody test; the result must be ≥ 0.5 IU/ml. Blood must be drawn at least 30 days after vaccination; the sample must be taken not less than 90 days before the date of issue of the health certificate (the certificate is issued before entry, so counting to entry is the stricter reading). Testing is limited to EU-approved laboratories.

5. 5
   ≤ 10 days before entry
   Health certificate issued and endorsed

   Endorsed by Competent authority of the country of departure (USDA APHIS for the United States).

6. 6
   Arrival
   Entry checks at an approved point

   No routine quarantine when all requirements are met.

No entry fee for non-commercial movement on the Italy side (listed countries). A separate USDA endorsement fee applies on the US side (amount to be confirmed). Domestic registration: all dogs must be microchipped and registered in the regional dog registry (Anagrafe degli Animali d'Affezione / anagrafe canina regionale).

Italy has no breed-specific dangerous-dog blacklist. A Ministry of Health order of 2009-03-03 (Ordinanza Ministero della Salute, signed by Under-Secretary Francesca Martini) abolished the earlier dangerous-breed list and adopted a deed-not-breed approach (assessing the individual dog's behaviour rather than its breed); the current instrument is the Ordinanza 6 agosto 2013 (Ministry of Health), extended annually, with substance unchanged from 2009. Owner obligations now apply to all dogs: in public places you must carry a lead (no longer than 1.5 metres in public) and a muzzle (to be fitted on request); a dog assessed as risky by the local health authority (ASL) requires behavioural training and civil liability insurance from its owner.