Microchip first: the order and timing of pet preparation

Key rules

• Order: Microchip first, then rabies vaccine, then the wait and any blood test, then the certificate.
• Rabies wait: Your pet can enter Spain once the primary rabies vaccination is 21 days complete, and only if it was given after the microchip and at 12 weeks old or more.
• Vaccine before chip: A shot given before the chip is invalid, so your pet must be chipped and vaccinated again.
• Unlisted countries: You need a blood test at least 30 days after the vaccine, then a 3-month wait.

The order to follow

Do these steps in this order: microchip, rabies vaccination, waiting period and any test, then the health certificate close to travel. If you swap the first two, the vaccination does not count.

Step 1: microchip

Have your pet fitted with an ISO 11784/11785 chip. Ask the vet to read it before the vaccination, so the chip is confirmed and recorded first.

Step 2: rabies vaccination

Your pet must be 12 weeks old or more for the first rabies shot, and the shot must come after the chip. Your pet can enter Spain once the primary rabies vaccination is 21 days complete. The 21 days start on the date of the injection, following the vaccine maker's protocol.

In practice, the youngest a pet can arrive is about 15 weeks old: 12 weeks plus 21 days. Pets from unlisted countries wait longer because of the blood test.

If the shot was given before the chip, it is not valid for entry. Chip your pet, then vaccinate again. The new shot counts as a primary vaccination, so the 21-day wait starts again.

Boosters

A booster given while the earlier vaccination is still valid carries on without a new wait. Validity is on the vaccine data sheet and in the vaccination record. If the booster comes after validity has lapsed, it counts as a primary vaccination and the 21 days apply again.

Step 3: the wait and any blood test

What you need depends on where your pet comes from:

• EU country: no blood test. The EU pet passport is the only document.
• Listed non-EU country: no blood test. You need an official health certificate.
• Unlisted non-EU country: a rabies antibody blood test, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml. Take the sample at least 30 days after the vaccine. Then wait 3 months before entry.

Ask your vet which list your country is on. Lists and certificate models change, so check them before you book.

Step 4: the certificate, close to travel

From outside the EU, an official vet issues the health certificate no more than 10 days before arrival. The government vet of the country you leave then endorses it. From an EU country, the authorised vet's passport is enough.

Dogs coming from Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway may also need tapeworm treatment.

Step 5: arrival

Enter Spain through a designated travellers' point, where your pet's papers are checked.

Work out your earliest travel date from the planner below before you book flights.

Plan your pet's microchip, vaccination and test dates

• Fix your travel date and note your origin country: before you start; every other date is worked back from it

• Microchip your pet with an ISO chip: first, before any rabies vaccine

• Give the primary rabies vaccine once your pet is 12 weeks old or more: after the chip; allow at least 15 weeks of age in total before entry

• Take the titre blood sample if you come from an unlisted country: at least 30 days after vaccination; the result must reach 0.5 IU/ml

• Work out your earliest travel date: the later of vaccination date plus 21 days, and, for unlisted countries, blood sample date plus 3 months

• Add each appointment to your calendar: as soon as the dates are set; a UK certificate is valid for entry within 10 days of issue and a US or Canada one must be issued or endorsed within 10 days before arrival

Start your pet's travel file: steps, timing and what to do if you start late

• Check your pet's origin category: EU, listed third country or unlisted third country: before you start; it decides which steps apply

• Vaccinate against rabies once your pet is 12 weeks old or more: after the chip is in

• Set your earliest travel date: the later of vaccination plus 21 days and, for unlisted countries, blood sample plus 3 months; vaccine boosters given on time need no new wait

• Collect the documents: EU pet passport from an authorised vet for EU origin; for other countries, the official health certificate completed by an official or accredited vet and endorsed by the authority, plus the vaccination record, plus the lab titre report for unlisted countries; sign the non-commercial declaration yourself: before travel

• Ask the official vet in your country to issue and the government vet to endorse the certificate, and ask which border point to use: book as soon as the dates are set

• If your pet arrives with a step missing or out of order, the border authority can return it, isolate it, or as a last resort euthanise it, all at your cost; correct the documents within the set period or appeal: at the border on arrival

• If you start late, vaccinate early and let your pet follow later with your written authorisation, carried by an agent or accompanying person: from the EU: chip, vaccine, then 21 days; from an unlisted country: at least about 4 months

Documents you need

• EU pet passport, issued by an authorised vet. This is the only document needed if your pet comes from an EU country.

• Official health certificate, issued by an official vet in your country and dated no more than 10 days before arrival. This is needed if your pet comes from a country outside the EU.

• Endorsement of the health certificate by the government vet of the country you leave. This applies to non-EU origins only.

• Result of the rabies antibody blood test showing at least 0.5 IU/ml. This is needed only if your pet comes from an unlisted country.

Checklist

• Microchip your pet first, with an ISO 11784/11785 chip.

• Check that your pet is at least 12 weeks old before the rabies shot.

• Check that the chip is read and recorded before the vaccination date.

• Count 21 days from the primary rabies vaccination before you travel.

• Give any rabies booster within the validity period of the earlier vaccination to avoid a new 21-day wait.

• Book the blood test at least 30 days after the vaccine, then wait 3 months before entry, if you come from an unlisted country.

• Get the health certificate no more than 10 days before arrival, and its endorsement, if you come from outside the EU.

What to watch out for

• Vaccinating before the chip makes the shot invalid: A rabies vaccination given before the microchip was implanted is not valid for entry into Spain. Your pet must then be chipped and revaccinated, and the new shot counts as a primary vaccination with a fresh 21-day wait. Chip first, and ask your vet to read the chip before the vaccination date. If your pet was vaccinated before chipping, chip it and revaccinate as soon as possible.

Frequently asked questions

How old must a puppy or kitten be to travel to Spain?

A puppy or kitten must be about 15 weeks old before it can enter Spain. That is 12 weeks, the earliest age for the rabies shot, plus the 21-day wait after it.

Do I wait another 21 days after a rabies booster?

No, you do not wait again if the booster is given within the validity period of the earlier vaccination, because it continues the same cover. If the earlier vaccination has lapsed, the booster counts as a new primary vaccination and the 21-day wait starts again. Your vet can read the validity from the vaccination record.

Does my dog need tapeworm treatment before entering Spain?

Yes, your dog may need tapeworm treatment if you are coming from Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway. Ask your vet to arrange it as part of the travel file. Other origins do not have this extra step.