USA to Ireland
Pet Shipping from the USA to Ireland
We provide international pet transport from the USA to Ireland, 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 Ireland with delivery to your new address
Ireland at a glance
Full requirementsIreland’s Department of Agriculture wants advance notice of your pet’s arrival through its online portal, and a compliance check when you land.
- Microchip
- ISO 11784 and 11785, fitted before the rabies vaccination, or another type with a scanner you bring
- Rabies vaccination
- After the chip; a first shot needs 21 days, a booster with no lapse none
- Rabies titer
- Not asked of pets from the United States, an Annex II country under Implementing Regulation 2026/636
- Health certificate
- Endorsed by USDA within 10 days of arrival in the EU on a non-commercial move
- Tapeworm treatment
- Dogs only. From an accredited vet 24 to 120 hours before the scheduled arrival on a non-commercial move, entered in Part II
Pet Shipping from the USA to Ireland
A pet goes to Ireland on the EU’s sequence, first the microchip, the rabies vaccination after it and the EU animal health certificate last, and a dog adds a tapeworm treatment in the final days. For a plain overview of international moves first, start with our international pet relocation page, and for a pet coming the other way, into the United States, see our US import guide.
Which route does a pet take into Ireland?
Ireland’s Department of Agriculture lets pets from the United States in only through Cork Airport, Dublin Airport, Dublin Port, Shannon Airport, the Port of Cork at Ringaskiddy or Rosslare Europort, with a compliance check on arrival. For a flight that means Dublin, Cork or Shannon, and the routing is chosen so a dog lands inside its tapeworm window.
Route details: USA to Ireland
- Route
- USA to Ireland
- Arrival airports
- Dublin, Cork or Shannon Airport, Ireland’s Department of Agriculture says; at Dublin it checks pets arriving in the cabin, as baggage or as cargo
- How the pet flies
- With the owner, or a person they authorize within 5 days of the owner’s trip, 5 pets at most. An unaccompanied pet travels under commercial rules
- Advance notice
- Tell Ireland’s Department of Agriculture ahead and book the arrival check on its Advance Notice Portal
- Health certificate
- EU certificate endorsed by USDA APHIS within 10 days of arrival in the EU. An unaccompanied pet needs a vet inspection within 48 hours of departure
- Quarantine on arrival
- None when the rules are met, Ireland’s Department of Agriculture says; a pet that fails its arrival check may be refused entry or quarantined
- Time to get ready
- At least 21 days: the microchip first, then the rabies shot, then 21 days before travel. The EU asks no titer test of a pet from the USA
Work out your pet’s dates for this route
From official sources, read October 29, 2026: Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, pets from outside the EU; USDA APHIS, pet travel to Ireland; European Commission, bringing a pet into the EU; European Commission, Ireland’s points of entry.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to Ireland?
The short answer
For a pet from the United States, Ireland applies the EU’s requirements for a listed country, among them the tapeworm treatment for dogs that the European Commission requires before entry into Ireland, Finland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway. When the pet travels with its owner, the EU’s list is a microchip, a rabies vaccination given after it, that treatment between 24 and 120 hours before arrival, and last the EU animal health certificate, which USDA endorses no more than 10 days ahead of the pet’s arrival in the EU.
Which pets can enter Ireland?
Dogs, cats and ferrets from the United States can enter Ireland on the EU’s terms. For a dog traveling with its owner, APHIS gives the tapeworm window as 24 to 120 hours before the scheduled arrival, so a delayed or rebooked flight can push the dog outside it and mean treating it again.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for Ireland?
Every pet needs a microchip fitted before the rabies vaccination, ISO 11784 and 11785 compliant or read with a scanner you bring, a rabies vaccination that has had 21 days to take effect if it is a first shot, and the EU animal health certificate, issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian, valid for 30 days, and endorsed by USDA within 10 days of your pet’s arrival in the EU. A dog also needs a tapeworm treatment against Echinococcus multilocularis from an accredited veterinarian 24 to 120 hours before the pet lands, recorded in Part II of the certificate; Ireland’s Department of Agriculture says the treatment must contain praziquantel, and APHIS says it can be given before or after the USDA endorsement. Those windows apply to a non-commercial move, which the Department defines as the pet arriving with its owner, or with a person the owner authorizes in writing when the owner’s own journey is within 5 days. If not, or if more than 5 pets travel outside a show or competition, or if the pet changes owner, the move is commercial and APHIS sets other windows: a USDA-accredited veterinarian inspects the pet within 48 hours of its departure from the United States, and a dog’s tapeworm treatment falls 24 to 48 hours before that departure.
| Requirement | Ireland, from the United States |
|---|---|
| Microchip | ISO 11784 and 11785, fitted before the rabies vaccination, or another type with a scanner you bring |
| Rabies vaccination | After the chip; a first shot needs 21 days, a booster with no lapse none |
| Rabies titer | Not asked of pets from the United States, an Annex II country under Implementing Regulation 2026/636 |
| Health certificate | Endorsed by USDA within 10 days of arrival in the EU on a non-commercial move |
| Tapeworm treatment | Dogs only. From an accredited vet 24 to 120 hours before the scheduled arrival on a non-commercial move, entered in Part II |
| Before and on arrival | Advance notice through the Department’s portal, then a compliance check at the point of entry |
The export side follows USDA APHIS guidance for US to Ireland travel and the EU entry rules the European Commission’s pages on moving pets. Ireland’s own rules come from the Department of Agriculture’s pet travel page, last updated August 5, 2026.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Ireland
A straightforward Ireland move takes about a month to six weeks once the chip and the rabies shot are current; a shot that has to be redone adds three weeks while its 21-day wait runs again. On a non-commercial move the last week carries three deadlines at once for a dog: the tapeworm treatment inside its 24 to 120 hours, the USDA endorsement inside 10 days of arrival, and the advance notice to the Department, so the three are booked together with the flight.
Moving elsewhere in Europe? We also cover Poland and Norway.
Planning the budget? See what shipping a pet from the USA to Ireland costs, fee by fee.
Rule change
The EU Rewrote These Rules in 2026
None of this changes what Ireland 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, and a certificate on the older Annex IV model counts as compliant only if it was issued before 1 October 2026, and then only for a transitional period ending 31 March 2027. 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.
Taking a Dog or Cat to Ireland: How the Move Actually Runs
A search for taking a dog to Ireland and a search for pet shipping to Ireland end at the same set of steps, so here is the shape of them. Ireland applies the EU entry rules, with a microchip read before the rabies vaccination is given, a tapeworm treatment for dogs inside a fixed window before arrival, notice to the Department of Agriculture before you fly and a compliance check when you land. Your vet does the clinical work, USDA endorses the certificate, and the airline decides how your pet flies. The order matters more than any single document.
Every Pet Travels
Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because timelines, airline rules, and Ireland’s entry requirements can vary, we build a plan that fits your pet and your move date.
Destination-Focused Planning
We use Ireland’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 Ireland
Request a QuoteWhat does it cost to ship a pet from the USA to Ireland?
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 the government fees with the authority that publishes each, and a quote gives the figure for your move.
What crate does my pet need to fly to Ireland?
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 Ireland move?
With any part of it, or all of it: the airline booking, the travel crate, the USDA paperwork and the dog’s tapeworm timing, check-in at the departure airport, and pickup at the Irish airport with delivery to the new address. Learn more about our services or contact us.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.