Here's what nobody tells you about Romania: it keeps the EU baseline but asks for the chip-before-vaccine order strictly, with no same-day exception like some neighbors quietly allow. Mochi's flat little face has nothing to do with Romania's rules, but the sequencing still trips up people who assume 'before' stays flexible here too.

Bringing a pet to Romania 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 Romania handles your pet

Key points

  • Romania applies the EU pet-travel framework under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131
  • Dogs, cats, and ferrets must pass through a travellers' point of entry designated by Romania for documentary and identity checks
  • Pets failing those checks may be returned to the country of departure, placed in quarantine, or — if neither option is feasible — euthanised
  • Romania also has national legislation (OUG 55/2002) restricting certain dog breeds; owners of breeds classified as dangerous or aggressive should verify current import eligibility with ANSVSA (www.ansvsa.ro) before travelling

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 2026-10-04
Microchip · StandardISO 11784/11785verified 2026-10-04
Microchip · Must be done before vaccination Yesverified 2026-10-04
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Required Yesverified 2026-10-04
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Minimum level iu ml0.5verified 2026-10-04
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Approved laboratory required Yesverified 2026-10-04
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Waiting period after test days90 daysverified 2026-10-04
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Test must follow vaccination days30 daysverified 2026-10-04
Health certificate · Issuerofficial veterinarianverified 2026-10-04
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-10-04
Health certificate · Endorsed bycompetent authorityverified 2026-10-04
Health certificate · Validity days10 daysverified 2026-10-04
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-10-04
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-10-04
Rabies vaccination · Booster required Yesverified 2026-10-04
Rabies vaccination · Waiting period after vaccination21 daysverified 2026-10-04
Rabies vaccination · Min age at vaccination12 weeksverified 2026-10-04
Tapeworm treatment · Required Noverified 2026-10-04

Other rules

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-10-04

Timing chain

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

Conditional requirements

These rules apply only to some travellers — where the pet is departing from, where it has been, or who is travelling with it. Most people can ignore them, but if one applies to you it can change what you need, or mean denied entry if you skip it.

Pet arriving from, or recently in, a third country or territory NOT listed in Annex I or II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636 — If your pet has been in one of 154 higher-risk countries in the last 6 months:

  • Rabies titer (blood) test: Rabies antibody titration test >= 0,5 IU/ml, on a sample taken by an authorised veterinarian at least 30 days after the primary vaccination and not less than 90 days before the animal health certificate is issued, performed in a designated laboratory (Del. Reg. (EU) 2026/131; model certificate Annex III to Impl. Reg. (EU) 2026/705, point II.3.1).
Romania requires that the date the rabies vaccine is given does not come before the date the microchip is identified or read on the animal in question. A vaccine given before the chip does not satisfy this entry rule, even by a single day apart from each other. Get the chip done first, confirm it on record, then schedule the vaccination appointment afterward.
Romania's health certificate is valid for 10 days from the date the official veterinarian issues it, through to the documentary check at the designated entry point. A certificate issued 11 days before that check has already expired for entry purposes by the time you land. Schedule the certificate appointment to land inside that 10-day window before the actual travel date.
Here's what nobody tells you: get the chip-before-vaccine order right for Romania and the rest of the EU paperwork turns out to be routine from there on. Whether a titer test also applies depends on your dog's travel history, not a blanket rule for everyone crossing in. Get a personalized plan from Pawgo to confirm every detail for your specific trip.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Romania →

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.