Bringing your pet to Spain in 2022

As a lawyer here in Spain it’s easy for me to take my two pet dogs on holiday within the EU but after Brexit it’s a lot harder for nationals of a third country like the United Kingdom and the United States to move to Spain with their dog or cat.

If you want to bring your pet to Spain, you need to comply with some conditions. First of all, the number of animals transported should not be more than five and their age should be more than 12 weeks, this is due to mandatory rabies vaccination.

No later than 26 days before their entry into Spain, the animal must be chipped and vaccinated, as well as have an international veterinary passport. This document contains basic information about the owner, the animal, his availability of mandatory vaccinations, the date of chipping and the individual microchip number.

The microchip must meet international quality standards ISO 11784/11785. The chip must have then data of all the animals being transferred passed to the International Animal-ID database.

The next step, 21 days after the rabies vaccination and no later than 5 days before expected entry into Spain, is to obtain a veterinary certificate No. 1. This document is issued only at state animal disease control stations with print and signature. It is impossible to obtain this document in private veterinary clinics. The document contains the same information as in the vet passport, but further indicates the region where the animal lives and the well-being of the region regarding particularly dangerous animal diseases.

This document is then changed to the European Animal Health Certificate, which is issued at veterinary control points prior to departure. To do this, at the veterinary checkpoint, you must bring the Form No. 1, a pet for clinical examination and an international vet passport and pay the duty. The certificate will be completed in English and the language of the destination country, in this case Spanish. The validity of the European Certificate is 10 days, during which it is necessary to cross the EU border with your pet. This way, your pet can always be with you.

Marisa Moreno Castillo

Senior lawyer at Just Law Solicitors www.justlawsolicitors.com

Consul for Denmark.

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