🇳🇱Country requirements

Netherlands pet travel requirements

The Netherlands applies the EU rules for dogs, cats and ferrets; on arrival you take the red exit ('Goods to declare') and customs checks the chip and papers, with no advance notice or appointment. Dogs and cats from low-risk countries must be at least 15 weeks old (from high-risk countries at least 7 months). Rabbits follow Dutch national rules: a vet health certificate no older than 10 days and a non-commercial declaration. Keeping Scottish Fold and hairless cats is banned (cats chipped before 1 January 2026 may enter with proof).

Latest check recorded: Nov 12, 2026Source: European Commission (DG SANTE) By the CollarPass team
Pet

Browse destination requirements by pet. Conditions can differ by origin, travel history and entry option.

This free guide includes the checked information and official links we have for this pet. Personal travel reports are available for dogs and cats only.

Pet travel at a glance — free

Start with the destination's requirements for this pet. Documents and preparation vary by origin and other conditions; read the full guidance and any unverified details below.

Which pets can enter

  • Dog: Depends on the conditions below
  • Cat: Depends on the conditions below
  • Rabbit: Requirements listed below
  • Ferret: Requirements listed below
Read species and route restrictions

Entering the Netherlands

Reference requirements for this pet. Read each item's conditions: different origins, histories and entry options can require different steps. Each item links to its official source and check date.

Before you travel

1

Vet health certificate for a rabbit, no older than 10 days

Any vet (your own vet is fine) writes a health certificate stating the species, sex, colour, age and identifying marks, that the rabbit is clinically healthy and fit to travel, and the owner's and vet's names and contact details. It must be no older than 10 days when the rabbit arrives in the Netherlands, and in English, Dutch, German or French. Add a written declaration that it's a companion animal moving non-commercially, and bring the rabbit through a travellers' point of entry to declare it to customs.

Rabbits · Except when all of these apply: (Departure countries/regions: AT, BE, BG, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GR, HR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK)

The non-EU guidance requires a health certificate and a non-commercial declaration; it does not impose the dog/cat rabies-document procedure on rabbits.

If the first EU entry is in another Member State, check that Member State’s national rabbit rules too.

Source: Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

2

EU-origin rabbit: no Dutch health certificate or pet travel document

For a non-commercial rabbit journey within the EU to the Netherlands, NVWA says no animal health certificate or other travel document is needed. The journey must not transfer ownership and the rabbit must not be intended for food production. Use a safe, ventilated travel box and check any additional rules of countries crossed en route.

Rabbits · Departure countries/regions: AT, BE, BG, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GR, HR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK

Source: Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) · Checked Nov 12, 2026

How many pets can you bring?

Caps recorded for the Netherlands can depend on the species, origin and entry conditions. Your airline can set a lower limit.

No pet cap recorded

We have not recorded a per-person or per-entry pet cap for the Netherlands. Check the official sources before booking.

Official forms and documents

Links go to the issuing authority. We do not sell, fill in or issue official documents.

No stand-alone form is recorded for this destination. The steps above name the documents to carry.

Open the official page to download or complete the form. Requirements can change; confirm with the authority before you travel.

Official sources

Every rule above is checked against these pages. Dates show our last check, not the page's own update.

Recent rule changes

Sourced entries that affect this country.

Second data batch: entry rules for Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the six EU countries Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands (the EU six extend the shared EU base); US and China exit coverage for these routes; new airlines Condor, Aer Lingus, ITA Airways, Iberia, TAP, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand; and new/updated transit files for Munich, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Lisbon, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland.

All rule updates

Checked Great Britain export guidance for seven EU destinations and the USA: added AHC issuance and declarations, state-specific US certificate checks, and explicit rabbit/ferret paperwork gaps.

All rule updates

Expanded destination-specific pet requirements, including origin-country branches, young-animal exemptions, official documents and entry options. Known unverified details remain clearly marked; free country summaries and personal trip reports use the same rules.

All rule updates

Checked current official guidance on CDC digital and wet signatures and seals, Japanese export-inspection appointments and a future application-deadline notice. Verified the live Dutch US private-pet result: route-specific instructions still require NVWA confirmation. This records library verification, not a claim that the law changed on this date; remaining authority and case-specific checks stay visible.

All rule updates