- Startsida
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Swedish Board of Agriculture
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Animals
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Import
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Dogs and cats
- From other EU countries
Bringing dogs and cats from EU countries and from countries with EU conditions
The following rules apply:
The animals need to be identified
The animal must be identified by a clearly legible, permanent tattoo or by a microchip of ISO standard 11784 or 11785. The tattoo or microchip is to be applied by a veterinarian. The identity number must be included in all documents and in the pet passport.
From 3 July 2011, microchipping will be the only valid way to identify animals that travel within the EU. Tattoos will still be a valid identification method for animals that are to remain in Sweden.
The animals must be vaccinated against rabies and have an approved antibody count
Both dogs and cats need to be vaccinated against rabies. The basic vaccination can be carried out once the animal has been identity marked and has reached the age of at least three months. If you have the vaccination made before that, it is not valid for travel. After the vaccination, you also need to make sure that the animal has produced enough antibodies against rabies.
More information about rabies vaccination and antibody check
The animals need to be dewormed against tapeworm
Before bringing a dog or a cat to Sweden you need to make sure than a veterinarian deworms the animal against the tapeworm Echinococcus using an approved preparation that contains praziquantel or epsiprantel. The veterinarian shall note in the pet passport (see below) that the animal has been dewormed. Dogs or cats imported directly from Finland, Ireland, Malta or the UK do not need to be dewormed against Echinococcus.
More information about deworming
The animals need a pet passport
Your veterinarian will provide you with a pet passport.
In the passport, the veterinarian notes all relevant vaccinations and treatments carried out on the animal. You must not enter any information yourself in the passport, but you can show old vaccination certificates to your veterinarian so that he or she can note them in the passport.
The passport is a valuable document. If you lose it or it gets destroyed you need to get a new one.
Cargo and trade animals need a health check before departure
Animals that are transported as cargo, i.e. not inside the cabin or as excess weight luggage, as well as animals that are to be sold after being imported into Sweden, count as trade animals. The same applies if you bring more than five animals. Trade animals must be inspected by an official veterinarian or an export veterinarian before being brought into Sweden. This health check shall take place no more than 24 hours before departure.
The veterinarian shall make a note in the pet passport that the health check has been carried out. Please contact the veterinary authority in the country you are in, in order to find a suitable official veterinarian.
If you travel with many animals and want to avoid classifying them as trade animals, you can let another person act as your representative. In this case, you will divide the animals between you so that there are no more than five animals per person. For instance, if you have eight animals in a car, you need to bring at least one other person. If you are travelling in different cars, you need to split up the animals so that there are no more than five animals in a car with only one person.
You have to report to customs
Exactly how you are to report to customs depend on where you pass the border. For more information, please consult the Swedish Customs' website.
Dogs need to be registered
Dogs brought permanently to Sweden need to be registered in the central dog register. Please contact our Customer Service for more information.
