Sint Maarten is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands but runs its own pet-import rules, so the Dutch routine is not the checklist here. Mochi needed an import permit, which costs nothing, and a veterinary health certificate carrying an official veterinarian's endorsement. The Dutch half of the island is covered here; the French side is a separate territory with separate rules.

Pet import to Sint Maarten is overseen by Inspectorate of Economic and Transport Affairs (Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication). Confirmed against an official source so far: a rabies vaccination, a health certificate and an import permit. Anything else — commonly a microchip, rabies vaccination and health certificate — is not yet confirmed for Sint Maarten against an official source, so it's flagged in the table below rather than assumed.

Who sets the rules here

Sint Maarten sets its own pet-import rules. The national rules of the Netherlands do not apply here.

Official source
sintmaartengov.org
Relationship to the Netherlands
sets its own rules

How Sint Maarten handles your pet

Key points

  • Plan the permit around BUSINESS days, not calendar days
  • Sint Maarten asks for the Animal Movement Permit application at least five business days before your pet arrives, which across a weekend or a public holiday is a week or more of real time
  • The permit itself can be issued the same business day once the file is complete, so the deadline is about submitting early rather than waiting long
  • Two things catch people out: an EU Pet Passport alone is not accepted in place of the veterinary health certificate, and up to three animals go on one application — a fourth needs its own

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
Import permit · Cost0verified 2026-09-15
Import permit · Required Yesverified 2026-09-15
Import permit · Issuing authorityInspectorate of Economic and Transport Affairs (Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication)verified 2026-09-15
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-09-15
Health certificate · Endorsed byChief Veterinary Officer of the exporting countryverified 2026-10-04
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-09-15
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-09-15
Rabies vaccination · Booster required Yesverified 2026-09-15
Rabies vaccination · Waiting period after vaccination21 daysverified 2026-10-04

Other rules

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-10-04
Minimum age15 weeksverified 2026-09-15

Service & assistance animals

Import rules modified Noverified 2026-09-15

Timing chain

Day -90 microchip implant · Day -21 rabies vaccine deadline · Day 0 arrive at customs

The veterinary health certificate only counts as endorsed when it is accompanied by the official veterinarian's endorsement, so a certificate signed by a private practitioner alone is not enough. Booking the official endorsement step after the vet visit, and before applying for the import permit, keeps the paperwork complete when the permit application is reviewed.
No cost is associated with the Sint Maarten import permit itself, so the budget sits elsewhere: the veterinary examination, the official endorsement of the health certificate and the flight. Because the permit is free, the only thing a late application costs is time, which is still worth protecting by applying well before the travel date.
Sint Maarten is a light checklist with one step that needs care. Apply for the free import permit early, have the health certificate issued and officially endorsed, and confirm you are arriving on the Dutch side rather than French Saint-Martin, whose rules differ. Mochi's trip was uneventful because the endorsement was never an afterthought. Build the plan around that endorsement.
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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.