Bringing Your Pet to Germany 2026: Dogs, Cats, Timeline and Breed Rules
By Marwan · moved to Germany in 2023 · facts verified October 2026
If you have a dog or a cat, the question isn't whether you can bring them, it's how much time you need and whether your pet is allowed in. Three things decide it: the country you're flying from, your dog's breed (cats have no breed rules), and the German state you'll live in.
The short version. From a listed country, which among Arab countries means the UAE and Bahrain, you need weeks. From any other, including Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, plan for at least four months, because of a rabies blood test and a waiting period. And four dog breeds can't come in at all.
Step 1: Is Your Country on the EU List?
This is the question that decides how long everything takes. Since 22 April 2026 the EU keeps two lists of non-EU countries whose pets don't need a rabies antibody test (the titre test): 10 countries and territories in Annex I, and 47 entries in Annex II of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636. If your country is on either list, you skip the test. If it isn't, you can't.
Listed: no titre test
- United Arab Emirates
- Bahrain
Also on the lists: the UK (not Northern Ireland), Switzerland, the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Mexico, Serbia and others, shown in full below.
Not listed: titre test required
Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Turkey, Pakistan, India. If your country isn't in either list, assume you need the test.
See the full official list of countries
Annex I (10): Andorra, Switzerland, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City.
Annex II (47 entries): Ascension Island, United Arab Emirates, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Aruba, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Barbados, Bahrain, Bermuda, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Canada, Chile, Curaçao, Fiji, Falkland Islands, United Kingdom (not Northern Ireland), Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Cayman Islands, Saint Lucia, Montenegro, Montserrat, North Macedonia, Mauritius, Mexico, Malaysia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Serbia, Singapore, Saint Helena, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, United States (including its territories), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, British Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.
Lists change (Montenegro and Serbia were added recently), so check the European Commission's current list before you book anything. One more warning: older blog posts and many pet shipping sites still describe the previous rules, so don't trust a page that doesn't mention the 2026 regulations.
Step 2: The Timeline (This Is Where People Fail)
For an unlisted country the order is everything. A step done out of order or too early can mean starting again, and the waits can't be shortened. Here it is as a picture, then step by step.
Microchip first
The chip goes in before the rabies vaccine. The vaccination date can't be earlier than the microchip date, so if your vet vaccinated first, ask whether it counts or has to be repeated before you start counting days.
Rabies vaccine (pet at least 12 weeks old)
Given by an official or authorised vet. The vaccine only counts as valid 21 days after the primary vaccination is complete. Keep a copy of the vaccination record, it travels with the certificate.
Wait 30 days, then the blood test
An authorised vet takes the blood at least 30 days after the primary vaccination. The sample goes to an EU-designated laboratory, and the result must be 0.5 IU/ml or higher. Ask your vet to confirm the lab is on the Commission's designated list before they send it.
Wait until 90 days after the blood draw
The sample has to be taken at least 90 days before the date the health certificate is issued. This is the long wait, and it's the one people don't plan for. Your pet can't travel before it ends.
Health certificate (valid 10 days)
An official vet issues the EU animal health certificate, your authority endorses it, and you sign a written declaration that the trip isn't commercial. The certificate is valid for 10 days from issue until the checks at the border, so book the flight first and the vet appointment second.
Fly in and land at an entry point
Pets from most non-EU countries have to arrive through a designated travellers' point of entry, where the authorities check the microchip against the papers. Confirm your arrival airport is on the list before you book.
Do the blood test as early as you can
The 90-day wait is counted from the blood sample to the day the certificate is issued, not to your flight. And once the result is satisfactory, you don't have to repeat it as long as every booster is given before the previous vaccination expires. So if you think you might move in the next year, vaccinate and test now, before you have a date. That one decision can save you months.
If your country is listed
Microchip, rabies vaccine at 12 weeks or older, wait 21 days for the vaccine to count, then the health certificate and travel within 10 days. That's weeks, not months. You still need the certificate, the declaration and an entry point, just no blood test.
If you can't travel with your pet
Moving families often send the pet later. That works if someone you authorise travels with the animal and you travel within five days before or after, with a written declaration. If your timing doesn't fit that, the normal entry rules apply. At most 5 animals can travel per person or vehicle on a private trip. If your pet doesn't meet the health requirements at the border, the authorities can send it back, put it in quarantine, and as a last resort euthanise it, so never fly without the paperwork finished. Airlines add their own rules on top (crate, cabin or hold), so ask yours before you book.
Cats: Same Paperwork, No Breed Rules
Cats follow exactly the same EU entry rules as dogs: chip, rabies vaccine, a titre test if you come from an unlisted country, the certificate and an entry point. The good news is that the breed rules I found are all dog laws, so there's nothing to match for a cat in the section below. The one thing that does trip cat owners up is the microchip order and the wait, because it's easy to assume a cat is the "easy" case and start late.
Step 3: Will Germany Let Your Dog In? (Breed and State)
Two layers apply to dogs. First, a federal ban: Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bullterriers and Bullterriers, including crosses with each other or with other dogs, cannot be brought into Germany (§ 2 of the dog import law). Second, each of the 16 states keeps its own list, and a dog presumed dangerous under the law of the state where it will live cannot be brought into that state.
If your dog is one of the four banned breeds
I wish there was a softer answer. For a permanent move, there isn't a route. The exceptions are narrow: a visit of up to 4 weeks with a companion who doesn't live in Germany (with customs papers and official identity documents), service, guide and assistance dogs, rescue dogs, and dogs returning from a short stay abroad (§ 2 of the exceptions ordinance). Crosses are covered by the law, and North Rhine-Westphalia says explicitly that a dog which clearly looks like a listed breed can be treated as one. If your dog is a cross, ask the veterinary office of your destination city in writing before you spend money on the process.
Match your breed
If your dog is one of these, the states listed are where the breed is named. Everywhere else it isn't named on a breed list (any dog can still be classed dangerous by its behaviour).
| Breed | States where it is on the list |
|---|---|
| Rottweiler | Bavaria, Hamburg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia |
| American Bulldog | Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Dogo Argentino | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hamburg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Bullmastiff, Mastiff, Mastín Español, Mastino Napoletano, Fila Brasileiro | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hamburg, North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Tosa Inu | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria (strictest tier), Hamburg, North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Dogue de Bordeaux | Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hamburg |
| Kangal, Caucasian Shepherd (Owtscharka) | Hamburg, Hesse |
| Alano | Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Cane Corso, Perro de Presa Canario, Perro de Presa Mallorquín, Bandog | Bavaria only |
Breeds not in the table (a Labrador, a German Shepherd, a Husky, a Golden, most small dogs) aren't on any state's breed list. The states with no breed list at all are Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia. Category 1 and category 2 mean very different things in practice: in some states a category 2 dog can be cleared with a temperament test or expert report, in others the state's own guidance says passing doesn't remove the label (Hesse), so ask the local office what applies before you rely on it.
Match your state
Baden-WürttembergHas a breed list
BavariaHas a breed list
BerlinHas a breed list
BrandenburgNo breed list
BremenHas a breed list
HamburgHas a breed list
HesseHas a breed list
Lower SaxonyNo breed list
Mecklenburg-VorpommernNo breed list
North Rhine-WestphaliaHas a breed list
Rhineland-PalatinateHas a breed list
SaarlandHas a breed list
SaxonyHas a breed list
Saxony-AnhaltHas a breed list
Schleswig-HolsteinNo breed list
ThuringiaNo breed list
How I checked this: Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia against the state's own regulation or official portal (for example Bavaria's ordinance and NRW's dog law), and Berlin against Berlin's official pages. The rest I matched across two independent July 2026 overviews, which agree. These lists change (Brandenburg dropped its list in 2024), so confirm with the veterinary office of your destination before you commit.
After You Land: Dog Tax, Insurance and Registration
This is the part no pet shipper tells you, because it doesn't help them sell a flight.
Dog tax (Hundesteuer)
Every municipality charges its own dog tax, and you register the dog with your city after you move in. The deadline depends on the city (two weeks to a month is typical, and Karlsruhe, for example, asks for registration within a month). The amount ranges from a few tens of euros a year in small towns to well over a hundred in big cities, and in many cities listed breeds cost several times more. The exact figures sit in your city's Hundesteuersatzung, so look yours up after your Anmeldung.
Liability insurance (Hundehaftpflicht)
Berlin requires liability insurance for every dog, with a minimum cover of one million euros. According to the overviews I checked, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia, Bremen and Saxony-Anhalt do too, while North Rhine-Westphalia requires it for large and dangerous dogs. Even where it isn't mandatory, you are liable for the damage your dog causes (§ 833 BGB), so I'd take a policy anywhere.
Registers and local rules
Berlin also keeps a central dog register, separate from the tax. Some states require a competence test (Sachkundenachweis) for certain dogs or new owners, and leash and muzzle rules vary. Your local Ordnungsamt is the place to ask.
Can a German Landlord Refuse Your Dog or Cat?
Partly, and it's the question that matters most once you've done all the paperwork. In 2013 the Federal Court of Justice ruled that a standard clause saying "no dogs and cats" is invalid because it disadvantages the tenant unreasonably (BGH, 20 March 2013, VIII ZR 168/12). So a blanket ban in a standard contract doesn't hold up.
But the same court said whether you may keep a pet depends on weighing the interests of landlord, tenant and neighbours in the individual case. In plain terms: a landlord can't ban pets in general, but can still say no to your particular dog in your particular flat.
What I would do
Mention the pet in your very first message to a landlord, with your liability policy and your vet papers attached, and get written permission before you sign. A pet you hide and the landlord discovers later is a far worse position than a pet you disclosed. Our housing guide covers how to apply, and the Mietvertrag guide covers what you're signing.
Your Checklist
- Find out whether your country is on the EU list (Step 1)
- Dogs: check the breed against the federal ban and your destination state (Step 3)
- Microchip first, then the rabies vaccine, with both dates written on the paperwork
- Unlisted country: book the blood test as early as possible and count the 90 days to the certificate date
- Book the flight, then the vet appointment for the 10-day certificate
- Confirm your arrival airport is a designated entry point, and ask the airline about crates
- Ask your landlord in writing before you sign, and take out liability insurance
- After arrival: register the dog tax with your city
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to bring a dog or cat to Germany from outside the EU?
Which countries don't need the rabies titre test for entering the EU?
Which dog breeds are banned from entering Germany?
Can I bring my Rottweiler to Germany?
Do cats need the same paperwork as dogs?
Can my landlord in Germany refuse a dog or a cat?
Do I have to register my dog and pay tax in Germany?
Get Your Personalized Checklist
The pet is one item on a long list. Get a checklist built around your country and visa type, in the right order, so the pet timeline fits around your visa, your flat and your flight.
Get Your Personalized ChecklistSources
The figures and requirements on this page are based on the following official sources. Rules change — always confirm with the German embassy or authority responsible for your case.
- European Commission: Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country — microchip, vaccination, titre test, certificate validity, entry points
- European Commission: Listing of territories and non-EU countries — the two lists of countries whose pets skip the titre test
- BMLEH: Travelling with pets: dogs, cats and ferrets — German federal agriculture ministry, on entry rules and consequences
- BMLEH: Rabies antibody titration test — the 90-day rule and the 0.5 IU/ml threshold
- Hundeverbringungs- und -einfuhrbeschränkungsgesetz § 2 — the federal ban on four breeds and crosses, and the state-list rule
- HundVerbrEinfVO § 2: exceptions to the import ban — visits of up to four weeks, service dogs and returning dogs
- Bavarian ordinance on dogs with heightened aggressiveness — Bavaria's two breed categories
- LHundG NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia dog law) — NRW's breed groups under §§ 3 and 10
- BGH, 20 March 2013, VIII ZR 168/12 — the ruling on blanket dog and cat bans in rental contracts
Facts and figures last verified: October 2026
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