What your pet needs to enter Spain

Key rules

• Chip before vaccine: The microchip goes in before the rabies vaccine or on the same day, otherwise the vaccination does not count.
• Origin decides the document: EU origin needs a pet passport; listed and unlisted third countries need an EU-model health certificate.
• Blood test: Only pets from unlisted countries need the titre test, taken at least 3 months before entry.
• Non-ISO chip: If the chip is not ISO, bring your own reader.

The short version

Spain applies the EU rules for pets travelling with their owner. Every pet needs an ISO microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and the right travel document for where it is coming from. The document changes with your origin. A pet passport and a health certificate are different documents, and you need one or the other, not both.

Which animals are covered

These rules cover dogs, cats and ferrets, up to five animals per traveller. More than five needs extra conditions. Birds, rabbits, reptiles and other species fall under different rules, so check them separately with the Spanish authorities before you travel.

What every pet needs

• Microchip. It must be ISO 11784/11785 compliant (15 digits). If the chip is not ISO, you must bring your own reader so it can be scanned at entry. A tattoo is accepted only if it is clearly legible and was applied before 3 July 2011.
• Rabies vaccination. It must be given by an authorised vet, after the microchip or on the same day, and when your pet is at least 12 weeks old. Your pet can enter once the primary vaccination is 21 days complete. Booster doses given within the previous validity period count immediately.
• Vaccination record. It must show the chip number, vaccination date, validity period, vaccine product and batch, and the vet's signature.
• Owner's declaration. You sign a non-commercial declaration, saying the pet travels with you and is not for sale.

Pet passport or health certificate

A pet passport is a booklet issued by an authorised vet in the EU. It records the microchip and the rabies vaccination, and you reuse it for later trips. A health certificate is a one-trip document in the EU model. An official or accredited vet completes it, and the competent authority in the origin country endorses it. Who may endorse varies by country, so ask your vet or the authority there.

A passport from a non-EU country is not accepted unless it is an approved type.

What changes by where you come from

Spain sorts origins into three groups.

1. EU countries. You need the EU pet passport, with the chip and a valid rabies vaccination recorded in it. Northern Ireland and associated countries such as Andorra, Iceland, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, the Vatican and Monaco use EU-style passports too.
2. Listed third countries. These are low-rabies-risk countries, such as the UK, the US and Canada. You need an official health certificate in the EU model, plus the chip and rabies vaccination. No blood test is needed.
3. Unlisted third countries. These are high-risk countries. You need the same health certificate, plus a rabies antibody blood test (titre test). It must be taken at least 30 days after vaccination and at least 3 months before entry, at an EU-approved laboratory. Keep the report.

Country lists change. Confirm your origin country's status with the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture or the Sanidad Exterior office before you book anything.

Order of steps

Chip first (or the same day as the vaccine), then the rabies vaccination, then the waiting period. If you come from an unlisted country, add the blood test after that. Get the passport or certificate last, close to travel. The timeline, document list and checklist below give the detail.

Choosing between options

Which set of entry rules applies to your pet?

• Health certificate, no blood test: You travel from a listed third country such as the UK, US or Canada.

• Health certificate plus blood test: You travel from an unlisted, high-risk country. You need the same documents plus a rabies blood test report from an EU-approved laboratory.

Your origin country decides: EU-style passport countries use the passport, listed third countries use the health certificate, and unlisted countries also need the blood test.

Timeline and deadlines

• Have the microchip implanted, before or on the same day as the rabies vaccine: before the rabies vaccination

• Wait before travelling after the primary vaccination: 21 days after the vaccination is complete

• Enter Spain with your pet from an unlisted country: at least 3 months after the blood test

Documents your pet needs by country of origin

• From another EU country: an EU pet passport issued by an authorised vet, or an official EU health certificate.

• From another EU country: proof of an ISO-compliant microchip and a valid rabies vaccination recorded in the passport. Tapeworm treatment is not required for Spain.

• From Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales): an Animal Health Certificate issued by an official vet or an Official Veterinarian. Passports issued in Great Britain have not been valid for entering the EU since 1 January 2021.

• From Great Britain: proof of a compliant microchip and a valid rabies vaccination. A passport issued in Northern Ireland is still accepted.

• From the US or Canada: a bilingual EU health certificate for non-commercial movement of pets, completed by an official or accredited vet and endorsed by the national authority (USDA APHIS in the US, CFIA in Canada).

• From the US or Canada: proof of an ISO microchip and a valid rabies vaccination. No titre (rabies blood) test is needed.

• From the US or Canada: a signed owner declaration.

• From an unlisted country: the EU animal health certificate for non-commercial movement, completed and endorsed by an official vet of the origin country.

• From an unlisted country: proof of the microchip and proof of a valid rabies vaccination given after the microchip.

• From an unlisted country: the laboratory report for the rabies titre test showing a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml.

• From an unlisted country, if you do not travel with the pet: a written authorisation for the person who does.

• From an unlisted country: the pet must enter through a designated traveller's point of entry, where it is checked on arrival.

Checklist

• Check that your pet has an ISO 11784/11785 microchip, or bring your own reader if the chip is not ISO.

• Confirm the chip was implanted before, or on the same day as, the rabies vaccination.

• Find out whether your origin country is in the EU, on the list of low-risk third countries, or unlisted.

• Get an EU pet passport from an authorised vet if you travel from the EU.

• Ask an official or accredited vet for an EU-model health certificate, endorsed by the competent authority, if you travel from a listed non-EU country.

• Book the blood test at an EU-approved laboratory and keep the report if you travel from an unlisted country.

• Sign the owner's non-commercial declaration.

Frequently asked questions

Can I bring a rabbit or a bird to Spain under the same pet rules?

No, the pet rules cover only dogs, cats and ferrets. Birds, rabbits, reptiles and other species fall under different rules, so ask the Spanish animal health office before you travel.

Can I use a non-ISO microchip for my pet?

Yes, a non-ISO chip is accepted if you bring your own reader so staff can scan it at entry.

Can I use my pet's passport from a non-EU country?

No, a third-country passport is not accepted unless it is of an approved type. Pets from listed non-EU countries such as the UK, US or Canada usually travel with an official health certificate in the EU model instead.

What must the rabies vaccination record show?

The record must show the chip number, vaccination date, validity period, vaccine product and batch, and the vet's signature. An authorised vet must give the vaccine.