Bringing a pet to Netherlands

• 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 a designated Dutch Travellers' Point of Entry and take the red channel at customs (rode uitgang, 'iets om aan te geven') for document and microchip checks

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 Netherlands side (listed countries). A separate USDA endorsement fee applies on the US side (amount to be confirmed). Domestic registration: dogs must be microchipped and registered in a government-designated database within 7 weeks of birth, and the chipper must register with RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency); separately, an EU pet passport is mandatory for dogs born or imported on or after 2021-11-01.

The Netherlands currently has no breed-specific keeping ban. The old RAD breed list (Regeling Agressieve Dieren) was repealed in 2008; in 2017 the Ministry of Agriculture published a list of 20 'high-risk dogs' (hoogrisicohonden), but a subsequent LNV study found no direct link between bite risk and breed, so that list is not a statutory ban, is no longer used by the government, and a deed-not-breed approach applies instead. The Besluit houders van dieren also imposes related restrictions on appearance/breeding (e.g. brachycephalic features).