France welcomes American pets with no quarantine and no titer test when the EU paperwork is right: an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old, and an EU animal health certificate issued within 10 days of arrival and endorsed by the USDA through VEHCS. The rules are exact about sequence and timing, and that is the part we take off your hands.
One coordinator manages the whole journey from your American home to France: the EU certificate, the USDA endorsement, the crate, and the routing.
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because timelines, airline rules, and the EU’s entry requirements can vary, we build a plan that fits your pet and your move date.
We use France’s official EU import guidance as the baseline, then turn it into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Moving a pet to France follows the EU sequence, and order matters: the ISO microchip comes before the rabies vaccination, the vaccination at least 21 days before travel, and the EU animal health certificate is issued within 10 days of arrival and then endorsed by the USDA. Here is what we lock in for every France move:
To keep everything clear, we break the process into steps:
We confirm what rules apply based on your pet and travel details.
We map out what happens when, so steps are completed in the right order.
We help keep appointments and timing aligned with what’s required.
We check the details that cause delays (microchip digits, dates, names, signatures).
We help align crate setup and routing with airline handling expectations.
We guide you on travel-day handoff and what to expect on arrival.
We keep your checklist aligned with the official rules. For the US export side, we follow USDA APHIS guidance for US to France travel. For EU entry rules, we follow the European Commission guidance on moving pets.
Most France moves fly into Paris Charles de Gaulle, with direct cargo routings from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Atlanta. Arrival clearance happens at the CDG animal station before your pet continues home by road, whether that is Paris, Lyon, or the south.
Pets from the United States enter France without quarantine once the EU paperwork is complete. The US is an EU listed country, so no rabies titer test is needed for direct arrivals.
France classifies certain dogs as category 1 or category 2 with strict conditions, so we confirm your dog is unaffected before anything is booked.
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what applies to your pet against the current EU entry rules and with the USDA, so nothing in your plan is based on outdated summaries.
Your pet needs an ISO microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old on arrival, and an EU animal health certificate issued within 10 days of arrival and endorsed by the USDA through VEHCS. Up to five pets can travel non commercially with an owner; larger moves follow commercial rules, which we also handle.
Plan for 4 to 6 weeks for a straightforward move when the microchip and rabies vaccination are already current, or about 7 weeks if the vaccination needs to be redone, since the 21 day immunity wait and the 10 day certificate window both have to line up with the flight.
New York JFK, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Atlanta all offer strong routings to Paris, and we arrange ground transport to the departure airport from any other US city.
A USDA endorsed EU animal health certificate issued within 10 days of arrival, submitted through VEHCS, with the microchip, rabies vaccination, and exam records all matching the chip number. We prepare the file so the dates line up.
An ISO microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old on arrival, and the EU health certificate. No quarantine and no titer test for direct arrivals from the United States.
France classifies a small set of dogs as category 1 or category 2, which brings strict conditions rather than a simple ban. We confirm how the rules apply to your dog before booking.
A dog or cat moving on this route typically runs $1,500 to $4,200 all in, depending on your pet’s crate size and the season.
Every quote is built for your pet and route. The main components are the EU certificate and USDA endorsement, airline cargo to Paris, the travel crate, and door to door ground service on both ends. Request a quote and we price the full journey up front.
For the itemised breakdown, with every government fee linked to the authority that publishes it, see our full cost breakdown for this route.
One coordinator owns your file from the first call to delivery: vet scheduling, the EU certificate, USDA endorsement, crate sizing, flight booking, CDG clearance, and delivery to your door.
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