USA to Portugal
Pet Shipping from the USA to Portugal
We provide international pet transport from the USA to Portugal, 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 Portugal with delivery to your new address
Portugal at a glance
Full requirementsPortugal’s veterinary authority, DGAV, checks a pet from outside the EU at a travelers’ point of entry, such as an airport, and certain documents have to be sent there before the pet arrives.
- 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, in the owner’s name
- Before arrival
- Documents sent to the point of entry, as DGAV asks
Pet Shipping from the USA to Portugal
A pet goes to Portugal on the EU’s sequence, first the microchip, the rabies vaccination after it and the EU animal health certificate last, and DGAV checks all three at the airport. 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 Portugal?
A pet from the United States on a non-commercial move lands at a travelers’ point of entry. The list of those points DGAV publishes, read October 29, 2026, has nine airports on it, among them Lisbon, Porto and Faro on the mainland and Funchal and Ponta Delgada on the islands. DGAV gives the hours of the Lisbon and Porto points: Lisbon’s is closed from midnight to 6:00 and Porto’s from 23:00 to 7:00, so the flight is chosen to land when the check can happen. On a commercial move the check happens at a border control post, and the posts DGAV lists, read the same day, take live animals at the Lisbon, Porto and Faro airports.
Route details: USA to Portugal
- Route
- USA to Portugal
- Arrival airports
- With the owner: a DGAV travelers’ point of entry, e.g. Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Funchal, Ponta Delgada. Commercial: Lisbon, Porto or Faro
- How the pet flies
- With the owner on the same flight, or a person they authorize within 5 days of the owner; up to 5 pets. Otherwise commercial
- Advance notice
- The owner, not the airline, sends DGAV’s form to the point of entry as early as possible, at least 48 hours before arrival, DGAV says
- Health certificate
- EU certificate from a USDA-accredited vet, valid 30 days from issue; USDA endorses it through VEHCS within 10 days of arrival in the EU
- Quarantine on arrival
- DGAV vets check the pet at the point of entry, for a fee. If a rule is not met, it is sent back first, euthanasia last; the keeper pays
- 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
Work out your pet’s dates for this route
From official sources, read October 29, 2026: DGAV, Pontos de Entrada dos Viajantes para controlo de animais de companhia sem caráter comercial, PDF; DGAV, Border Control Posts in Portugal, PDF; USDA APHIS, Pet Travel From the United States to Portugal; DGAV, Cães e Gatos: Entrar em Portugal a partir de um país fora da UE; European Commission, Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country; DGAV, Aviso de chegada: Cães e Gatos; USDA APHIS, Non-Commercial Health Certificate for Pet Dogs, Cats, and Ferrets; DGAV, Entrar em Portugal a partir de um país fora da UE; European Commission, Listing of territories and non-EU countries.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to Portugal?
The short answer
Portugal applies the EU’s rules for a listed country such as the United States: the microchip, then the rabies vaccination, and last the EU animal health certificate, which USDA endorses in the 10 days before the pet enters the EU.
Which pets can enter Portugal?
Portugal lets a pet from the United States in on the EU’s terms once its rabies vaccination is valid; a puppy or kitten too young for that cannot come in from outside the EU. For seven breeds it treats as potentially dangerous, and their crosses, DGAV adds a step at the point of entry: the Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Pit Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Tosa Inu are admitted with a signed declaration of responsibility for a stay under four months, or a notification of stay for a longer one, and a dog registered in an officially recognized studbook is exempt with written proof.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for Portugal?
Your 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. DGAV asks for certain documents to be sent to the point of entry before the pet lands, and only the owner’s name goes on the certificate, even when a designated person travels with the pet. Before travel, microchip numbers, dates, names and signatures are checked against each other.
| Requirement | Portugal, 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, in the owner’s name |
| Before arrival | Documents sent to the point of entry, as DGAV asks |
| If the rules are not met | Return to origin first and, as a last resort, euthanasia, at the keeper’s expense, DGAV says |
The export side follows USDA APHIS guidance for US to Portugal travel and the EU entry rules the European Commission’s pages on moving pets. Portugal’s own rules come from DGAV’s pages on entering Portugal from outside the EU, on dogs and cats and on potentially dangerous breeds.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Portugal
By our own estimate, a straightforward Portugal 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, since the 21-day wait restarts. The tight end is the certificate, which USDA endorses within 10 days of your pet’s arrival in the EU, with the documents DGAV wants sent ahead in the same few days.
Planning the budget? See what shipping a pet from the USA to Portugal costs, fee by fee.
Rule change
The EU Rewrote These Rules in 2026
None of this changes what Portugal 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 Portugal: The Short Version
Taking a dog or cat to Portugal is an EU move, which makes it more predictable than a long-haul route into Asia or the Gulf and less forgiving about sequence. Portugal wants the EU health certificate completed by your vet and endorsed by USDA, with the microchip, the rabies vaccination and the certificate in that order and inside their windows, the arrival documents sent ahead, and the pet landing at a point of entry while its check is open. The rest is scheduling, which is what the timeline section above is for.
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 Portugal’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 Portugal
Request a QuoteWhat does it cost to ship a pet from the USA to Portugal?
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 Portugal?
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 Portugal move?
With any part of it, or all of it: the airline booking, the travel crate, the USDA paperwork and the documents DGAV wants ahead of arrival, check-in at the departure airport, and pickup at the Portuguese airport where your pet lands, 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.