Documents to travel abroad with your pet in 2026: deadlines that count backwards

Taking a dog or a cat abroad is mostly a calendar problem. Every document has a window, and the windows count back from the flight. People who start the week of the trip find out one of the deadlines was months long.

This is not about whether your pet is fit to fly. That is your veterinarian’s call. Rules also change, so always confirm on the official pages of the destination country, your own country’s agriculture authority, and the airline, which has its own rules.

The order matters: chip, then vaccine

Many destinations tie the rabies vaccine to the microchip. The European Union is strict about it:

1. Microchip first. The rabies vaccination date cannot be earlier than the chip
2. The pet must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated
3. The vaccination only counts for travel 21 days after it is completed

For the EU, a vaccine dated before the chip does not count. Finding that out late can move a trip by weeks.

The European Union: the long deadline is the titer test

Pets coming from countries that are not on the EU’s listed-country list also need a rabies antibody titer test:

• The blood sample is taken at least 30 days after vaccination
• The test runs at an EU-approved laboratory and must show at least 0.5 IU/ml
• At least 3 months must pass between the sample and the issue of the health certificate

Pets from listed countries skip the test, so check which list yours is on first.

The EU animal health certificate is valid for 10 days from issue to arrival, with a limit of five pets per non-commercial trip. In 2026 the EU adopted a new pet travel regulation and a new certificate model. According to the European Commission, certificates on the old model stay valid if issued before 1 October 2026. If your trip is close to that date, ask your veterinarian which model applies.

The United States: the CDC form

Every dog entering the US needs to be at least 6 months old, carry a microchip a universal scanner can read, and have a receipt from the CDC Dog Import Form, which is free and online. The receipt is shown to the airline and at the border.

Dogs that have been in a high-risk country for dog rabies in the past 6 months face extra vaccination and paperwork rules, which depend on where the dog was vaccinated. Brazil, Colombia, and Peru are on that list. The CDC’s Dog Importation Navigator walks through each case.

One folder, one timeline

• The microchip number, identical on every paper
• Each rabies vaccine date, with the certificate
• The titer result, with the sample date
• The health certificate and any form receipts
• Your veterinarian’s contact details

Then build the calendar backwards: flight date, certificate window, earliest sample date, earliest vaccine date.

FichaPet keeps each pet’s microchip, dated vaccines, and vet visits on your phone, and opens offline, including at the airport. Pro builds a shareable record to send to the veterinarian filling in the paperwork.

See also: Rabies shot at a low-cost clinic? Keep the certificate and the date and Your pet’s microchip and registration numbers.