Cyprus Pet Import Requirements: How to bring a pet to Cyprus in 2026

Everyone needs:
• Microchip
• Rabies vaccination made after the chip is installed or in the same day with it
• Comprehensive vaccination: officially not required for Cyprus/EU
• International veterinary passport, which includes information about the animal and its owner in English, chip number, vaccinations
• Processing from parasites: officially not required for Cyprus, but in your country without it may not issue a certificate for departure
• EuroCertificate (EU Animal Health Certificate)
• Analysis for antibodies to rabies with an excerpt of 3 months from the date of blood sampling.

How to Prepare for Traveling with a Pet. A Complete Guide

The need for a rabies antibody test depends on the original country of departure (the country that issued the European certificate for the animal’s import to Cyprus) and your route.
From 16 September 2024, titers aged 3 months from the date of blood collection are required for travel from Russia and Belarus to the EU.
Some other countries from which the EU/Cyprus also require titers aged 3 months: Armenia, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Serbia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Montenegro.
If the country is not on this list , then when flying from it to Cyprus, a 3-month validity period is required.
If you are flying from a rabies “red” country and you have old valid titers, then the European certificate must indicate ALL rabies vaccinations given after the titer test (including the vaccination for which the titers were given and the vaccination valid at the time of import of the animal to Cyprus).

According to strict rules, without the passed titers, the competent authorities in the country of departure must not issue a Euro certificate (and without a Euro certificate, you will not be allowed to leave the country of departure and/or the transit country). If you manage to get a Euro certificate without passed titers, then upon arrival in Cyprus the animal will have to undergo a paid home quarantine, which lasts 6 months and costs about €300.

To enter Cyprus, the animal must be at least 105 days (taking into account the primary vaccination against rabies, which is carried out not earlier than 12 weeks of age, and the minimum 21-day quarantine after it).

How to bring kittens or puppies read here

At least 2 working days before arrival, it is necessary to send a notification of the animal’s arrival to the Larnaca Veterinary Service at dvs.larnaca@vs.moa.gov.cy.

Please include the following basic information in your letter:
Owner’s name
Arrival date and time
Flight number
Number of pets
Country of origin: (here is the country that issued the EU certificate for importing the animal to Cyprus)

Upon arrival we would like to undergo a veterinary check at the airport.

One person can import no more than 5 animals at a time.

Upon arrival in Cyprus:
After passing passport control and before passing the customs, you need to undergo veterinary control together with the animal (it is mandatory for all animals entering from outside the EU). The vein inspector’s office is located next to the issuance of oversized luggage. We recommend even before receiving the baggage to go to the veterinary control to speed up its passage. If the veterinary inspector is not in place, you can call it by contacting customs officers in the red corridor.
The vetinspector will check the documents and chip of the animal, put a stamp on the Eurocert certificate and the signature on the import of the animal to Cyprus; you will need to pay the fee for inspection control : working hours (Pt.-F.) 07:30–15:00): €42,72
non-working hours (Sub.-Floor 15:00–07:30, weekends and holidays): €59,80
After placing a stamp and signature on the import of an animal to Cyprus on Eurocert for 4 months, you can move around the Eurocertificate within the EU without additional certificates (provided that the rabies vaccination specified in the Eurocert certificate continues to operate).
We recommend that the original Eurocertificate note be kept indefinitely with a mark on the legal importation of an animal to Cyprus and an old veterinary passport with a vaccination history even after receiving a euro passport for a pet in Cyprus. It is worth carrying this old Eurocert and old veterinary passport, among all other veterinary documents, when leaving Cyprus for the “red” for the raging of the country and returning back to Cyprus (it is especially important to have these old veterin documents if the titers were made outside the EU).

It is forbidden to import some breeds of dogs (American pit bull terrier, Tosa-inu, Argentine dog, Brazilian rilka, as well as their mestizos and muclivas) and cats (bengals, savannas, caracals and other hybrids).

Pet Passport:
Mandatory for all imported animals, including rabbits and rodents.

Microchip:
All imported animals must be microchipped.

Quarantine:
Depending on the type of animal, a quarantine period of 21 to 30 days may be required.

Vaccinations:
Rabbits do not generally require rabies vaccination, but may require vaccinations against myxomatosis and VGBK. Rodents may require additional vaccinations and tests.

Special Entry Points:
Animals can only be imported through designated entry points into Cyprus, such as Larnaca and Paphos International Airports, as well as the ports of Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and others.
Special Entry Points:
Animals can only be imported through designated entry points into Cyprus, such as Larnaca and Paphos International Airports, as well as the ports of Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and others.

If you are flying from a country from which titers are not required to enter the European Union, with a transfer in a “red rabies country“, you can prepare a declaration in advance to pass veterinary control in Cyprus stating that your pet has not had contact with infected animals during transit.

Permission for a period of one year
The right to keep a dog in the territory of the Republic of Cyprus is regulated by the Pet Act of 2002 (N 184 (1)/2002). It applies to all breeds of dogs aged three months. According to the law, it is prohibited to maintain a dog without a proper permit.
The owner must be over 16 years of age and not have a criminal record for violation of the Animal Protection Act.
The permit is issued after the submission of the relevant application to the municipality. Three documents must be attached to the application: an animal veterinary book or a certificate of his state of health (issues a licensed veterinarian), a certificate of registration and legal chipping by state veterinary services (issued by the director of the service or another authorized person) and confirmation of payment for the established fees.
The permit is valid for one year from the date of issue. The owner is responsible for its annual extension. The necessary documents are submitted 15 days before the expiration of the permit.
In a special position are breeders, shepherds and blind. Their dogs are registered, the permit is extended, but the fee is not paid.

Owners are also registered
The competent authorities maintain a register of dog owners. It contains the following data: name and surname, identification card number, address, phone number and profession, as well as the dog registration number and its data. In addition, the authorities have the right to inspect the premises in which the dog is held, in order to make sure that the conditions of residence do not pose a danger to the health of the animal and do not affect the safety of people.
The house or room where the dog is held must be equipped with a warning sign: “Careful, dog”
The dog must have a medal-addresser indicating the host contacts

Nuances of content of some breeds
For the maintenance of some fighting dog breeds (American Pit Bull Terrier, or Pitbull, Tosa-Inu, Argentine Dog, Phil Brasiliero) owners need to obtain a special permit. It is issued in the municipality or council of the community at the place of residence of the owner.
The content of hunting dogs is also subject to special requirements. In particular, the law obliges the owner to obtain a special permit for the use of a hunting dog, which is issued by the Hunting Fund.

Reasons for refusal to extend the permit
The authorities have the right to refuse to issue a permit for the maintenance of the dog or its extension (or withdraw it altogether) if it is established that the dog causes inconvenience to others or, being outside the owner’s premises, poses a danger to other animals or people. Another reason for the refusal to issue, renewal or revoke the permit may be the lack of proper room for the maintenance of the dog: it must necessarily correspond to the breed.
It happens that the conditions of the dog are a threat to the life and health of people and other animals, or the owner simply leaves the dog unattended, and as a result – it escapes. Either the dog is kept in a room not belonging to its owner (except when there is written permission of the rightful owner), or is systematically released, leaves everywhere uncleanness and causes inconvenience to its neighbors. At the same time, the owner already has a written warning from the relevant competent authorities, but he ignores it. In such cases, the issuance or extension of the permit is also out of the question. Moreover, the authorities have every right to revoke the existing one.

In what cases is the animal confiscated?
If the owner continues to break the law, the authorities submit a complaint to the District Council on the welfare of animals. If, after the relevant investigation, it is satisfied, the dog will be confiscated. The competent authorities must find for it a new place of residence in the organization for the protection of animals or from another person. If this becomes impossible within 30 days, the dog is transferred to veterinary services for euthranging.

As for cats, they are not required to register.

Amount of fines for violation of the laws of Cyprus on the maintenance of animals
Lack of permission to own a dog (extended every year) – 200 euros
Absence of a microchip in a dog or registration in the register of the veterinary department – 200 euros
The dog is given or sold to another owner, and re-registration in his name is not made – 100 euros
Lack of certificate of death of a dog from a veterinarian (for its registration is given seven days) – 100 euros
The authorities concluded that the dog poses a danger to society – 200 euros
The dog barks for no reason and disturbs public tranquility – 200 euros
The content of the dog in bad conditions that can threaten public health – 200 euros
Not all measures have been taken to ensure that the dog does not run away from its place of residence – 200 euros
The dog is abandoned to the mercy of fate – 200 euros
The dog lives in a house or apartment whose address is not specified in its registration documents – 200 euros
The dog is released for self-blading in public places (streets, roads parks) – 300 euros
The dog was on the territory belonging to other people without their permission – 300 euros
For the dog did not remove the feces during the walk – 300 euros
The maintenance of the dog in public places in multi-apartment buildings and residential complexes – 200 euros
Walk with a dog older than two months without a collar, which indicates the license number for the dog and the phone of the owner – 100 euros
The owner of the dog did not report within 10 days about the change of their contact details or address – 100 euros

Official information on non-commercial movement of pets
Non-commercial movement within the EU
Travelling with pets and other animals in the EU

Entry points for travelers with pets in European countries

In some countries outside the EU, you can import an animal with a European passport (for example, Switzerland, Great Britain). However, in general, to export a pet outside the EU, you must obtain a veterinary certificate from the Cyprus Veterinary Department.

If an animal is exported from Cyprus to another EU country by its owner, a European passport*, a chip and a valid rabies vaccination in it are required (all rabies vaccinations indicated in the European passport must be done in the EU).

The chip is inserted before the rabies vaccination or on the same day.

• Some EU countries (Finland, Ireland, Malta), as well as Northern Ireland and Norway, require mandatory treatment of dogs against echinococcus (i.e. deworming) 24-120 hours before import and a note about it in the European passport, certified by a veterinarian.

• If the animal (up to 5) is accompanied by the owner indicated in the European passport, a clinical examination mark from a veterinary clinic is not required.

• A rabies antibody titer test is not required for travel within the EU.

• Most EU countries do not require prior notification of the import of a pet from another EU country, however, there may be exceptions (e.g. Sweden), so we recommend that you check the requirements of the destination country separately.

A European certificate, with which an animal entered Cyprus from outside the EU, can be traveled within the EU without additional certificates for 120 days from the date of the EU import mark (provided that the rabies vaccination indicated in the European certificate is still valid). After these 120 days, for travel within the EU, it is recommended to obtain a European passport at any private veterinary clinic in Cyprus and get a new rabies vaccination with a note in the European passport.

Rabies vaccination

• Nicosia
LEFKOSIA DISTRICT VETERINARY OFFICE
Tel: +357 22 805241
E-mail: dvs.lefkosia@vs.moa.gov.cy

• Limassol
LEMESOS DISTRICT VETERINARY OFFICE
Tel: +357 25 819512
E-mail: dvs.lemesos@vs.moa.gov.cy

• Larnaca
LARNAKA DISTRICT VETERINARY OFFICE
Tel: +357 24 821275
E-mail: dvs.larnaca@vs.moa.gov.cy

• Paphos
PAFOS DISTRICT VETERINARY OFFICE
Tel: +357 26 821260
E-mail: dvs.paphos@vs.moa.gov.cy

• AMMOCHOSTOS DISTRICT VETERINARY OFFICE
Tel: +357 24 824555
E-mail: dvs.ammochostos@vs.moa.gov.cy

• ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE DIVISION
Tel: +357 22 805253 / 22 805236 / 22 805250
E-mail: animal.health@vs.moa.gov.cy

Official Rules for Non-Commercial Movement of Pets