Entering Estonia with a cat, dog, or ferret from other Member States*

  • Microchip or clearly legible tattoo made before 3 July 2011
  • Correctly filled in EU pet passport
  • Valid rabies vaccination, administered not later than 21 days before entering Estonia, taking into consideration the fact that:
    • The animal must be at least 12 weeks old on the vaccination day
    • Repeat vaccination will be considered primary if it was not done during the validity period of the previous vaccine.
  • * Separately located territories of the Member States are considered Member States:

  • Denmark: Greenland, Faroe Islands
  • Spain: Canary Islands
  • France: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion
  • Gibraltar
  • Portugal: Azores, Madeira
  • Additionally, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, and Vatican.

Entering Estonia from EU countries

Valid for cats, dogs, and ferrets.

Animal must be accompanied by:

  • Microchip/ Transponder or clearly legible tattoo made before 3 July 2011;
  • Correctly filled in EU pet passport;
  • Valid rabies vaccination, administered not later than 21 days before entering Estonia, taking into consideration the fact that:
    • The animal must be at least 12 weeks old on the vaccination day;
    • Repeat vaccination will be considered primary if it was not done during the validity period of the previous vaccine.

Separately located territories of the Member States are considered Member States:

  • Greenland, Faroe Islands, Canary Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, Gibraltar, Azores, Madeira, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, and Vatican.  

Entering Estonia with young pets

Valid for kittens, puppies, and baby ferrets.

It is allowed to enter Estonia from other EU countries and states with satisfactory rabies status without a valid rabies vaccine if:

  • Unvaccinated pet animals are younger than 12 weeks or vaccinated pet animals are 12–16 weeks old, but anti-rabies vaccine is not valid yet;
  • The animals are microchipped;
  • The animals must be accompanied by an identification document (pet passport), however:
    • the animal entering Estonia from a third country must be accompanied by an official veterinary certificate (issued by a local veterinary centre) and declaration confirming that the movement is non-commercial.
  • Young pet animals are accompanied by their mother, on whom they still depend, in this case:
    • The mother must possess an identification document, from which it should be established that, before their birth, the mother received an anti-rabies vaccination which complied with the validity requirements.
  • Young pet animals are transported without mother; their identification certificate should be accompanied by the declaration confirming that from birth until the time of the non-commercial movement the pet animals have had no contact with wild animals of species susceptible to rabies.

Entering Estonia from non-EU countries

Valid for cats, dogs, and ferrets.

Animal must be accompanied by:

  • Microchip or clearly legible tattoo made before 3 July 2011;
  • Official veterinary certificate, containing information about the owner and the animal, tattoo or microchip number, anti-rabies vaccination date, the vaccine used and its validity period. The certificate is issued and signed by the veterinary official (the document can be obtained from the local veterinary centre); the certificate is valid for 10 days;
  • Declaration confirming that the movement is non-commercial signed by the owner or authorised person
  • EU pet passport.

About vaccination

Rabies status of non-EU countries has to be satisfactory and all the same vaccination requirements apply to all cats, dogs, and ferrets entering Estonia from those countries as to the animals travelling within EU.

  • Vaccination date and validity is confirmed by the veterinarian’s signature on the official veterinary certificate.
  • When entering Estonia from the third countries, rabies antibody titre is required in addition to valid vaccination. Antibody titre must be obtained 30 days after vaccination (the required titre is 0.5 or more units per ml). It is required to wait at least three months after antibody titre test and before entering EU.
    • Since 2013, Veterinary and Food Laboratory no longer performs rabies antibody titre tests. Those can be made, for example, by German laboratory Laboklin.
    • Antibody titre test results must be listed on the veterinary certificate, and original document from the laboratory confirming the performance of antibody titre must be attached. 
    • A EU (including Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, and Vatican) animal re-entering the EU from a third country must be accompanied by EU pet passport instead of the certificate, where rabies antibody titre test result must be listed (IV part of the passport) valid before leaving the EU or any of the above mentioned countries. The original document from the laboratory confirming the performance of antibody titre must be attached to the passport.
  •  Rabies antibody titre test is not required for the animals entering from the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Ascension Island, Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Bermuda, the BES Islands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), Bosnia and Herzegovina, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Curaçao, Falkland Islands, Fiji, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Russia, Sint Maarten, Singapore, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, USA (as well as American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands), Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.
  • After transit through a third country other than listed above the owner or authorised person must provide a signed transit declaration confirming that the animal had no contact with animals of species susceptible to rabies and did not leave the transporter or international airport territory.

Important links

More information about travelling with pets can be found at the webpage of Veterinary and Food Board – https://pta.agri.ee/en/animals/travelling-pet

Travelling to Finland – https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/en/private-persons/travellers/pets/

NB! Before the trip, it is essential to check all the requirements related to travelling with the pet to this specific country.