USA to Germany
Pet Shipping from the USA to Germany
We provide international pet transport from the USA to Germany, planned around the EU’s entry rules, the season and your move date.
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- The travel crate
- The export and import paperwork
- Check-in at your US airport
- Pickup in Germany with delivery to your new address
Germany at a glance
Full requirementsFor Germany the order is fixed: the microchip first, then the rabies vaccination, then the EU health certificate that USDA endorses. The EU lists the United States in Annex II to Regulation 2026/636, and its rules do not require a rabies titer test for a pet coming from a country on that list.
- Microchip
- ISO 11784 and 11785 microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination, or another type with a scanner you bring
- Rabies vaccination
- Given after the chip; 21 days must pass after a first shot, while a booster with no lapse counts at once
- Rabies titer
- Not asked of pets from the United States, which the EU lists in Annex II of Implementing Regulation 2026/636
- Health certificate
- EU animal health certificate, issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian through VEHCS and endorsed by USDA within 10 days of arrival in the EU
- Quarantine
- Germany’s agriculture ministry lists return, quarantine or, as a last resort, euthanasia for a pet that does not meet the rules
Pet Shipping from the USA to Germany
A move to Germany runs on the EU import sequence, and the order is strict: the microchip goes in first, then the rabies vaccination, then a wait of at least 21 days, then the EU health certificate, endorsed by USDA within 10 days of arrival in the EU. If you want the big picture first, read our overview of overseas moves, or see how the US departure side works in our US import guide. Each date is mapped back from the day your pet lands.
Which route does a pet take into Germany?
A pet flying from the United States has to land at one of Germany’s travelers’ points of entry, where officials check its documents and identity. Germany’s agriculture ministry lists them, and the airports on its list include Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Düsseldorf, Berlin Brandenburg and Hamburg, so the airline and the routing are chosen from those around your pet’s size and the season.
Route details: USA to Germany
- Route
- USA to Germany
- Arrival airports
- With the owner: a point of entry on Germany’s list, whose airports include Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin Brandenburg, Hamburg and Düsseldorf
- How the pet flies
- With the owner, or a person they authorize in writing within 5 days before or after the owner, up to 5 pets (EU). Otherwise commercial
- Health certificate
- EU certificate from a USDA-accredited vet, valid 30 days from issue (APHIS); USDA endorses it in ink within 10 days of arrival in the EU
- Quarantine on arrival
- Officials check papers and identity. A failing pet is sent back or quarantined until it complies; euthanasia is the last option (BMLEH)
- Time to get ready
- At least 21 days: microchip, then rabies shot, then the 21-day wait after a first shot; the EU lists the USA as needing no titer test
- Since October 1, 2026
- APHIS uses the new EU non-commercial certificate (the commercial one from October 17, 2026); old models were endorsed up to the day before
From official sources, read October 29, 2026: BMLEH, Einreiseorte; BMLEH, Liste der Einreiseorte in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, PDF; European Commission, Travellers’ points of entry; European Commission, List of points of entry in Germany for the non-commercial movement of pet animals pursuant to Delegated Regulation 2026/131, PDF; European Commission, Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country; European Commission, Dogs, cats and ferrets: FAQs; USDA APHIS, Pet Travel from the United States to Germany; USDA APHIS, Model Animal Health Certificate for Non-Commercial Movements of Pet Dogs, Pet Cats or Pet Ferrets into a Member State from a Third Country or Territory 2026/131), PDF; BMLEH, EU-Tiergesundheitsbescheinigung und Erklärung; BMLEH, Tollwutimpfung; European Commission, Listing of territories and non-EU countries.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to Germany?
The short answer
Germany applies the EU’s entry rules, which list the United States in Annex II: a microchip, then a rabies vaccination, then the EU animal health certificate, which USDA has to endorse within 10 days of your pet’s arrival in the EU. Germany’s agriculture ministry says a pet that does not meet the requirements can be sent back, held in quarantine until it does, or, as a last resort, euthanized.
Which pets can enter Germany?
Germany admits a dog, cat or ferret from the United States unless it is one of four dog types, or their crosses, that German federal law bars, named in the answer on banned breeds below, or too young for its rabies vaccination to be valid: the European Commission keeps such pets out of the EU.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for Germany?
Your pet needs a microchip implanted first, either ISO 11784 and 11785 compliant or read with a scanner you bring, then a rabies vaccination once the chip is in, with a wait of at least 21 days after a first shot, and the EU animal health certificate, issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian through VEHCS and endorsed by USDA within 10 days of your pet’s arrival in the EU. The pet travels with you or with someone you have authorized in writing, and in that case your own journey falls within 5 days before or after the pet’s, as the European Commission, read October 29, 2026, sets it; a pet that travels with neither goes on the EU’s commercial certificate. Every date and number is checked against the certificate before it is submitted.
| Requirement | Germany, from the United States |
|---|---|
| Microchip | ISO 11784 and 11785 microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination, or another type with a scanner you bring |
| Rabies vaccination | Given after the chip; 21 days must pass after a first shot, while a booster with no lapse counts at once |
| Rabies titer | Not asked of pets from the United States, which the EU lists in Annex II of Implementing Regulation 2026/636 |
| Health certificate | EU animal health certificate, issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian through VEHCS and endorsed by USDA within 10 days of arrival in the EU |
| Quarantine | Germany’s agriculture ministry lists return, quarantine or, as a last resort, euthanasia for a pet that does not meet the rules |
| Realistic lead time | About one month to six weeks when the rabies vaccination is already current |
The export side follows USDA APHIS guidance for US to Germany travel, and the EU entry rules follow the European Commission’s pages on moving pets. Germany’s own rules come from its agriculture ministry’s points of entry page, its federal law on bringing dangerous dogs into the country and German customs’ page on dangerous dogs.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Germany
- The microchip goes in first
- The rabies vaccination
- A wait of at least 21 days
- The EU health certificate, endorsed by USDA within 10 days of arrival in the EU
- The final vet visit and the flight into Germany
Plan on roughly a month to six weeks for a straightforward Germany move when the rabies vaccination is already current, and longer if it needs to be redone, since the 21-day wait starts from the new shot. The health certificate is the tight part: it has to be issued and USDA-endorsed inside a 10-day window before arrival, so the final vet visit and the flight into Germany are scheduled together.
Planning the budget? See what shipping a pet from the USA to Germany costs, fee by fee.
Moving to Poland instead? Our Poland page covers the 2026 EU certificate change and the age floor Poland applies to young animals.
Rule change
The EU Rewrote These Rules in 2026
- 21 April 2026Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 and its companion 577/2013 set the rules for moving a pet into the EU until 21 April 2026
- 22 April 2026The framework in force is Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131
- 1 October 2026A certificate on the older Annex IV model stays valid if it was issued before 1 October 2026
None of this changes what Germany asks of your pet. It changes which form your accredited veterinarian completes and which form the APHIS endorsement office will accept, so we confirm the version in force before the vet appointment is booked. APHIS dates the new non-commercial certificate from 1 October 2026 and the new commercial one from 17 October 2026.
Read the full regulation history
Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 and its companion 577/2013 set the rules for moving a pet into the EU until 21 April 2026. Recital 1 of the act now in force records that 576/2013 was repealed in 2021 but that Article 277 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 kept it applying to non-commercial pet movements until that date. The framework in force is Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131, with the country lists in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636 and the document models in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705, both applying from 22 April 2026.
Two consequences matter to a move booked now. The animal health certificate model is now Part 1 of Annex III to 2026/705. The European Commission says a certificate on the older Annex IV model stays valid if it was issued before 1 October 2026, but APHIS stopped endorsing the old non-commercial form after 30 September 2026, so a pet leaving the United States now travels on the new certificate; both pages were read October 29, 2026. And once your pet has been checked at the point of entry, the same certificate covers onward movement inside the EU for up to six months, or until the rabies vaccination expires if that comes sooner.
Every Pet Travels
Differently
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.
Destination-Focused Planning
We use Germany’s official EU import guidance as the baseline, then turn it into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
Smart Routing and Logistics
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Personalized Support
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Questions about moving a pet to Germany
Request a QuoteWhat does it cost to ship a pet from the USA to Germany?
It depends on your pet’s size and crate, the airline, the season and which parts of the move you book. Our full cost breakdown for this route lists every government fee with the authority that publishes it, and a quote gives the figure for your move.
What crate does my pet need to fly to Germany?
The airline sets the crate rules, building on IATA’s container standard, and your pet has to be able to stand, turn round and lie down in it. Our crate size calculator works out IATA’s minimum inside size from four measurements of your pet.
How can Pet Travel Advisors help with a USA to Germany move?
With any part of it, or all of it: the airline booking, the travel crate, the USDA paperwork, check-in at the departure airport, and pickup at the German airport with delivery to the new address. Learn more about our services or contact us.
Are any dog breeds banned from Germany?
Yes. Germany’s federal law on bringing dangerous dogs into the country bars the Pitbull-Terrier, American Staffordshire-Terrier, Staffordshire-Bullterrier and Bullterrier, together with crosses between them or with any other dog, and makes bringing one in punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine. German customs lists the exceptions: a dog traveling with someone who stays in Germany no longer than four weeks, a dog returning to the state where its owner is authorized to keep it, and service, guide, assistance and rescue dogs. A dog moving to Germany with its family for the first time is not among them.
A second layer sits underneath: a dog of any further breed presumed dangerous under the law of the German state where it will live may not be brought into that state, and each state keeps its own list. So the answer depends on the city as well as the breed. Our guide to banned and restricted dog breeds by country sets out both layers.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.