Taking your dog to Europe is actually much easier than most people realize. Truly, it just involves a lot of steps and paperwork, so some careful planning can make all the difference. And depending where you live, yes, it can be expensive upfront. But if you travel frequently in and out of the European Union, or you’re planning an extended stay, then it just might be worth it.

These blue booklets actually look quite a lot like actual passports, and while they don’t actually have your dog’s photo, paw prints, or country stamps in them, they are useful for showing at customs in EU countries for immediate entry.

A lot of people have these nightmarish concerns that their pets will be quarantined upon arrival. And if you don’t actually do any of this and just show up in Europe at customs, then that will probably happen. But it’s a nightmare scenario that’s very easy to avoid. (And of course, you need to check with your preferred airline if you can even bring your dog. Most airlines won’t even let you board without showing the required paperwork first.)

To get an EU Pet Passport, it absolutely needs to be issued by a vet in the EU. No exceptions here. Only European vets can hand these out. Vets in countries outside the EU (such as the U.S.) cannot make notes in the EU Pet Passport or it is no longer considered valid.

This guide is going to apply to dogs only as I only have experience traveling with my dog. But the same rules apply for both pets and service animals.

Step 1: Make an appointment with a local USDA-accredited veterinarian
Step 2: Call your airline and confirm your pet is on your reservation
Step 3: Make an appointment with a vet in your destination country for a health exam specifically for the EU Pet Passport
Step 4: Budget all of the costs for the USDA exam
Step 5: Go to the health exam with the USDA-accredited vet and wait for the APHIS-endorsed travel certificate to arrive via Fedex before departure
Step 6: Make copies of all your documents, including vaccination records
Step 7: Go to the airport with your animal, check in at the airline counter, go through security to the gate
Step 8: Be prepared to show your travel certificate at your destination airport in Europe
Step 9: Go to the scheduled appointment with your EU vet for the EU Pet Passport
Step 10: Planning for return trips

Step 1: Make an appointment with a local USDA-accredited veterinarian for obtaining the travel certificate for your destination country

The first step is just planning getting out of the country the first time with your dog. Should everything go smoothly and you obtain the EU Pet Passport, you will need to go through all of this once.

Plan ahead when making the appointment for the travel certificate because all of this paperwork needs to be processed by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) within 10 days before departure. The exam itself can be done within 30 days, and the vet office can hold the paperwork to be sent at the right time. (I’ve been told it just queues in the APHIS system in order anyway, and it usually doesn’t get overloaded, but you don’t want to risk it.)

The 10-day window does sound stressful, but I’ve been through this process twice, and never had an issue. That said, you want to make sure you have that vet appointment scheduled at the right time.

There are also two health requirements that hopefully have already been tackled but just in case:

Microchip: Ensure your dog has a standard ISO 11784/11785 compliant microchip.
Rabies vaccination: Your dog must have a valid rabies vaccination, either the one-year or three-year vaccine. The vaccine should be administered after microchipping.

Both of these are required information that your vet will need to fill in on the travel certificate.

LINK: Find USDA Accredited Veterinarians

Step 2: Call your airline and confirm your pet is on your reservation

You don’t want to show up in a foreign country with your dog without paperwork, and you don’t want to show up even in your own country at the departure airport without confirming you can bring your dog on the plane. You’d be surprised how many people do this and it’s mindboggling.

It would be wise to check these requirements with your chosen airline before booking. But if you already booked a ticket, call your airline’s customer service line. If you have a service animal, they will likely connect you to the Accessibility Desk and go over the appropriate questions with you. If you have a pet, they will need to confirm they have room in the main cabin (there’s usually a limit to how many pets/non-service animals they can have) and to make sure your pet meets the weight restrictions of the main cabin. (I won’t go into cargo because I have no experience there and don’t endorse it.) There’s also usually a fee for pets; service animals always fly free.

LINK: Export Live Animals to European Union (Yes, your pet or service animal is a live animal; that term doesn’t only apply to cattle or livestock.)

Step 3: Make an appointment with a vet in your destination country for a health exam specifically for the EU Pet Passport

Once again, to get an EU Pet Passport, it can only be issued by a vet in the EU. And if you’re only there for a few days or even a week, you don’t want to wait until you get to your destination to make an appointment.

Do research in advance of vets local to where you are staying and call or email them asking if they issue the EU Pet Passport. (Some vets don’t always have the right information, and some might tell you that you need to show proof of European citizenship or proof you’ve lived in the country for three months, but none of that is actually true. You do not need to be a European Union resident or citizen to obtain an EU Pet Passport.)

The fee on this end is usually much less than on the U.S. side, too. You will likely only have to pay for the health exam and a nominal fee for the EU Pet Passport itself. When I had Dash’s exam done in Paris, it was approximate €70 total.

Step 4: Budget all of the costs for the USDA exam

The upfront costs here can also seem daunting and might put some people off the whole process. That’s because while there’s a flat rate for submitting the paperwork to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for processing the initial departure paperwork (so you can easily enter the EU country of choice), the cost for the vet health exam stateside with a USDA-certified vet before departure can vary by the vet practice. For example, in New York City, the rates start at $400 per visit and I’ve seen it as high as $600+. That’s because the vets often upcharge this service from a basic health exam for shots and general wellness. In discussing this with pet owner friends who live in Austin, Texas, the vet exam there is just a fraction of the cost.

But again, if you travel frequently in and out of the EU, or you happen to be going for an extended visit (say several days to even a few months), the costs of going through this paperwork might be a lot less than hiring a dogsitter or paying for boarding for however long you might be gone. (Then there’s also the emotional value of having your dog with you, which is priceless.)

Step 5: Go to the health exam with the USDA vet and wait for the APHIS-endorsed travel certificate to arrive before departure

If your regular vet is not USDA-certified, they should be able to refer you to another practice in the area. But either way, once you’re set up with the right vet for this, they will go through a regular health exam and they will have the paperwork you need and fill it out themselves. You do not need to bring it, nor can you because the vet office itself is responsible for filling it out and sending it directly to your state’s USDA office. (For example, having Dash’s exam done in Manhattan, the paperwork was sent to the USDA office in Albany.)

You will also be asked to pay for the Fedex shipping label fee. You want the express shipping service with delivery confirmation so you can ensure you receive the paperwork back—and you can track it if you’re running close to the departure date.

The paperwork you receive back should be several pages long—each embossed with a USDA stamp, so even if you photocopy this for your own records, there is only one official copy you can present at customs at your destination country. (Immigration usually doesn’t ask for this stuff and doesn’t care. It’s the customs desk after leaving baggage claim but exiting the security zone that matters.)

Step 6: Make copies of all your documents, including vaccination records

While a copy of the USDA certified paperwork isn’t an equal swap for the original, it’s a good idea to have a copy regardless. You should also bring multiple copies of all of your dog’s vaccination records—especially the rabies certificate. This is absolutely necessary for the EU Pet Passport especially because the passport itself is valid for as long as the rabies shot is valid. The European vet will need to see a hard copy of this, and it’s best to have your local vet complete this exam in blue ink to be safe.

For example, if you have your dog on the three-year vaccine, then your EU Pet Passport would be valid just as long. (This will require some planning ahead for renewal because you’ll want to probably renew the vaccine before going back to Europe, or if you have the vaccine done again in the EU, then you want to get there before it expires.)

Step 7: Go to the airport with your animal, check in at the airline counter, go through security to the gate, and relax

Once you have your USDA accredited paperwork in hand (as well as your passport and all the aforementioned vaccination and health exam records), you can check in at your airline counter and they will likely want to see copies of all of this before you can get your boarding pass to proceed through security. Don’t be surprised if the gate agent wants to double check before you board either. Once you’re on the plane, just try to get some sleep.

Step 8: Be prepared to show your travel certificate at your destination airport in Europe

Once you land, you will probably not be stopped for this paperwork until customs. This can also go either way. Most of the time, even with an EU Pet Passport, I’m never flagged or asked to come over. But you don’t want to take chances here—you don’t want that quarantine nightmare to come through. When I first brought Dash to Milan, they just asked me to step aside, they looked at the paperwork, made a photocopy, and that was it. Very easy.

Dash at the veterinarian’s office in Paris.

Step 9: Go to the scheduled appointment with your EU vet for the EU Pet Passport

At this point, everything should be pretty easy and routine. You’ll go to the scheduled appointment. The vet will go over the basic health exam just to make sure your dog is fine, and they will enter into the EU Pet Passport in ink with the rabies vaccination information.

If you’re coming from the U.S., most likely the rabies vaccination your dog already has will be acceptable and there’s no need for further shots. (This was the case for Dash, having been vaccinated in New York.) In other cases, the rabies vaccine might not match whatever is offered/used in the local country, so your dog will need a new shot, but otherwise there shouldn’t be any additional services.

Once you have the EU Pet Passport in hand, it is valid for as long as the rabies vaccination is valid. You can and should make copies of it in case of an emergency, but given this is a booklet, a copy might not help much if you lose it and need it immediately, so treat it like you would treat your own passport.

Step 10: Planning for return trips

If you’re going to the U.S., you don’t need to show the pet passport coming home if you’re a U.S. citizen/permanent resident. Your rabies vaccination certificate should suffice for reentering the U.S.

When returning to the EU, the only step you really should repeat every time is calling the airline to confirm you can bring your pet or service animal with you. You’ll likely be asked by the gate agent to present the EU Pet Passport as proof that you can enter with your dog safely, and the customs process upon arrival should be the same as well.

All in all, it’s a lengthy (and expensive) process up front, but much like getting a human passport, is quite worth it in the end and the benefits last a long time.

How to Get an E.U. Pet Passport for Your Dog