Germany rewards doing things in the right order. The microchip has to be readable before the rabies vaccination is given, or the vaccination simply does not count, and that costs a repeat jab plus another waiting period. I keep Luna's chip number in the same note as her vaccination date, because the sequence is the first thing anyone at the border reconstructs.

Bringing a pet to Germany requires three documents in the right order: a microchip, a rabies vaccine within the destination's wait window, and a government-endorsed health certificate. The table below lays out exactly what's required, what's not, and where each rule comes from.

How Germany handles your pet

Key points

  • The rules changed on 22 April 2026
  • Germany applies the EU pet-travel regime, and "As of 22 April 2026, new European rules apply regarding private travel with pets such as dogs, cats and ferrets" (Delegated Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/131)
  • One transitional date still matters: "Animal health certificates drawn up under Annex IV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 577/2013 remain valid for bringing pet dogs, cats or ferrets into the EU if issued before 1 October 2026" — a certificate issued on or after that date must use the new model in Annex III to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705
  • Points of entry
  • Pets arriving from outside the EU must clear a designated travellers' point of entry, but there is an exemption list: "The duty to enter via authorised points of entry does not apply when arriving from Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and Vatican City"
  • Banned breeds, and the exceptions
  • Germany's Dog Transfer and Import Restrictions Act (HundVerbrEinfG) bans the import of Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Bull Terrier, and crosses of them
  • Two exceptions are published: "Dangerous dogs accompanying individuals who are not staying in the Federal Republic of Germany for longer than four weeks (particularly intended for tourists)", and "A dog that is classified as dangerous may be imported where it is returning from a period abroad and being transferred back into the Land in which the owner has an authorisation to keep the dog." Service, guide, rescue and civil-protection dogs are also excepted
  • In every case the owner must carry the original documents (pedigree, vaccination record, character-test certificate) and present them on entry
  • Quarantine is a sanction, not a routine step
  • A compliant pet is not quarantined; quarantine only appears if the paperwork fails — "If your pet does not meet the requirements, it may be sent back to the country of departure or placed under quarantine until it meets the EU health provisions"
  • More than five pets
  • The five-animal limit can be exceeded only where "the journey serves to enable participation in training, a competition, a dog / cat exhibition or a sporting event", all animals are older than six months, and the organiser's written confirmation is produced at any control; otherwise the EU commercial trading rules apply instead
  • Where you may land
  • Germany designates 24 travellers' points of entry — 20 airports (including Frankfurt am Main, München, Berlin Brandenburg, Düsseldorf, Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel, Köln and Stuttgart) and 4 seaports (Bremen, Bremerhaven, Hamburg and Rostock)
  • Rostock is the one entry with a narrower scope than its name suggests: "Rostock nur die Kontroll- positionen a) Passagierkai Warne- münde b) Seehafen Rostock mit Warnowkai, den Hafenbecken A,B,C und dem Ölhafen- becken." Opening hours differ by site and several are part-day only, so check the competent authority's hours in the ministry's list before booking an arrival time

Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.

Health & documents

Microchip · Required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Microchip · StandardISO Standard 11784verified 2026-09-02
Microchip · Tattoo accepted Yesverified 2026-09-02
Microchip · Must be done before vaccination Yesverified 2026-09-02
Quarantine · Required Noverified 2026-09-02
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Minimum level iu ml0.5verified 2026-09-02
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Approved laboratory required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Waiting period after test days90 daysverified 2026-09-02
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Test must follow vaccination days30 daysverified 2026-09-02
Import permit · Required Noverified 2026-09-02
Health certificate · Issuerofficial or authorised veterinarianverified 2026-09-02
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Health certificate · Endorsed bycompetent authorityverified 2026-09-02
Health certificate · Validity days10 daysverified 2026-09-02
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-09-02
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Rabies vaccination · Booster required Yesverified 2026-09-02
Rabies vaccination · Waiting period after vaccination21 daysverified 2026-09-02
Rabies vaccination · Max vaccine age at travel3 monthsverified 2026-06-23
Rabies vaccination · Min age at vaccination12 weeksverified 2026-09-02
Tapeworm treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-02
Internal parasite treatment · Required Noverified 2026-09-02

Other rules

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-09-02

Timing chain

Day -90 microchip implant · Day -21 rabies vaccine deadline · Day -10 health certificate issued · Day 0 arrive at customs

Breed restrictions

Banned breeds: Pitbull-Terrier, American Staffordshire-Terrier, Staffordshire-Bullterrier, Bullterrier verified 2026-09-02

Ports of entry (24)

  • Berlin Brandenburg Airport
  • Bremen Airport
  • Bremen Port
  • Bremerhaven Port
  • Dortmund Airport
  • Dresden Airport
  • Düsseldorf Airport
  • Erfurt-Weimar Airport
  • Frankfurt am Main Airport
  • Frankfurt-Hahn Airport
  • Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel Airport
  • Hamburg Port
  • Hannover-Langenhagen Airport
  • Köln Airport
  • Leipzig/Halle Airport
  • München Airport
  • Münster/Osnabrück Airport
  • Nürnberg Airport
  • Paderborn/Lippstadt Airport
  • Rostock Port
  • Rostock-Laage Airport
  • Saarbrücken Airport
  • Stuttgart Airport
  • Weeze Airport

verified 2026-09-02

The microchip must be implanted and readable before the rabies vaccination is administered. A vaccination recorded earlier than the chip is not valid for entry and has to be given again after chipping, which restarts the waiting period. Ask the vet to write the microchip number onto the vaccination record at the time of the injection, so one document proves the order.
Germany bars a defined list of dog types, among them the Pitbull-Terrier, American Staffordshire-Terrier and Staffordshire-Bullterrier. The restriction attaches to the type as assessed on arrival, not to the breed printed on a pedigree. Confirm the breed against the official list before booking, and carry paperwork showing the microchip number beside the breed the vet recorded.
Germany is not a hard entry once the order holds: chip, vaccinate, wait out the immunity period, travel. Most trouble at the border traces back to a sequence problem rather than a missing document. Work the dates backwards from the flight instead of forwards from today, and let the plan carry the arithmetic. Pawgo's personalized plan pins each deadline to your travel date.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Germany →

Glossary

ISO chip
ISO 11784/11785 — the universal microchip standard.
FAVN
Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization — a rabies serology test required by rabies-free destinations.
Brachycephalic
Snub-nosed breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Persians, Himalayans) with restricted airline acceptance due to heat-stress risk.
AVIH
Animal Vehicle In Hold — IATA's term for cargo pet shipment, with fees that vary by carrier and route.