| | |

Fleeing Ukraine with your pet

VonWelttierschutzgesellschaft e.V.

Many thousands of people are still leaving Ukraine every month to flee the war – and with them many beloved pets. In order to make it easier for these animals to enter the country, Ukraine’s neighbouring countries and some other EU member states had adjusted their regulations on entering the country with pets until 17 July 2023. Since then, the EU’s regular entry regulations for so-called non-listed third countries, including Ukraine, have applied again.

Find out more about the current regulations for entering the EU with animals from Ukraine in this blog.

Background

The entry of pets (specifically: dogs, cats or ferrets) from non-listed third countries such as Ukraine into one of the member states of the European Union is subject to certain rules in accordance with EU Regulation (EU)576/2013 on the non-commercial movement of pet animals and in accordance with implementing Regulation (EU)577/2013 and  (EU)2020/2016 amending Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU)577/2013.

These are the current entry requirements for pets from Ukraine:

The EU has the following regulations that must be observed when travelling with pets (dogs, cats, ferrets). The pets …

  • must be microchipped (in accordance with the technical requirements of Annex II of the EU Animal Health Regulation) or have a clearly legible tattoo, provided this was applied before July 3rd, 2011
  • must be vaccinated against rabies in accordance with Annex III (vaccination protection exists if at least 21 days have elapsed since completion of the vaccination protocol prescribed by the manufacturer for the initial vaccination).
  • must have an EU animal health certificate issued by an official state veterinarian no more than 10 days prior to arrival. This must be accompanied by a declaration that the animal is being moved for non-commercial reasons. Supporting documents such as a vaccination card or proof of the result of the blood test to determine the rabies antibody titre in accordance with Annex IV must also be carried. These must prove that the vaccination was carried out at least 30 days and at least 3 months before entry and only by veterinarians authorised in the respective third country and in a laboratory approved by the European Commission.
  • must travel with the owner or a person authorised by the owner, but can also be transported separately. In the latter case, however, they must be reunited with the owner 5 days after the move. The accompanying person, whether owner or authorised person, must provide a written declaration that the animal is not being moved due to a sale or change of ownership.

In addition, the following rules apply:

  • A maximum of 5 pets per person is permitted. Animals participating in competitions or similar are exempted from this rule. 
  • A document check is carried out on entry. This must be declared to customs in Germany.
  • Young animals can be imported at the earliest at the age of seven months (rabies vaccination after 12 weeks + blood sample 30 days after vaccination + 3-month waiting period).

After decades of fighting the virus, the EU is now considered to be free of terrestrial rabies. Rabies is a life-threatening infectious disease for humans and animals. The virus is transmitted via the saliva of an infected animal and is usually fatal. To date, the most effective means of preventing the outbreak and spread of rabies has been preventative vaccination. Because Ukraine is not considered rabies-free, appropriate requirements must be met for pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) when crossing the border. 

IMPORTANT: This information only applies to travelling with pets for private individuals where there is no change of ownership or sale.

Review: Exemptions applied until July 2023

After the beginning of the war against Ukraine, which resulted in millions of people fleeing within a few weeks, the EU member states agreed on a pragmatic solution in the interests of the fleeing people and animals. In order to facilitate quick and easy border crossings, exemptions for entry with pets applied from March 2022. By overcoming the bureaucratic hurdles when crossing the border, people and animals could be brought to safety more quickly. 

The exemptions have since been ended by the federal government, which is why the original, above-mentioned regulations have been in force again since June or July 2023 (depending on the federal state). 

With open arms and helping hands

Since the beginning of the war, we at Welttierschutzgesellschaft have stood firmly by the side of the animals and their owners to provide help.  Among other things, the organisations we support have ensured that animals from Ukraine are received in the EU, e.g. by chipping and registering animals, vaccinating them against rabies, issuing EU pet passports and ensuring individually necessary quarantine measures. 

Since 2023, we have also been supporting operations in Ukraine itself – in particular the care and evacuation of animals in need from the frontline areas. You can find an overview of our current and previous emergency aid and the opportunity to support this work here (in German): https://welttierschutz.org/nothilfen-ukraine/