Turkey rewards patience and then asks for speed at the very end. Tafoukt and I have moved toward the Mediterranean slowly, over weeks, which suits how the rabies work goes here: chip, then vaccine, then a long wait after the titer test. The health certificate is the exception. Everything unhurried happens first, and the last step is the one you run.
Bringing a pet to Turkey 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 Turkey handles your pet
Official sources
- vskn.tarimorman.gov.tr/antalya/Belgeler/YOLCU%20BERABER%C4%B0%20KED%C4%B0%20K%C3%96PEK%20VE%20GEL%C4%B0NC%C4%B0KLER%C4%B0N%20HAREKET%C4%B0NDE%20UYULMASI%20GEREKEN%20%C5%9EARTLAR.pdf The Istanbul Airport border post words the same wait slightly differently — "In the case of the initial titration test, a waiting period of 90 days from the date of the test result must be observed prior to travel
- This waiting period applies solely to the initial test; for subsequent travels, if the rabies vaccination is renewed within its protective validity period, this waiting period shall not be required." — measuring from the result rather than the blood draw
- The exemption in that second sentence matters for repeat travellers: once your pet has an acceptable titre recorded and the rabies vaccination is kept current, you do not repeat the 90-day wait. **The health certificate window is two days, not ten.** "Within 2 days prior to travel, a Veterinary Health Certificate , as stipulated in the annex of the relevant regulation below, must be issued by the competent authority of the exporting country." Most countries allow ten days; Turkey does not
- ( Örneğin, 2 adet kedi veya 1 adet kedi ve 1 adet köpek ) YUKARIDAKİ BELGELER HER HAYVAN İÇİN AYRI OLARAK DÜZENLENMİŞ OLMALIDIR." — the animal passport, the ORIGINAL of the rabies titration test, and the EK-2 veterinary health certificate issued by the official veterinary authority of the country you are leaving; and each animal needs its own set. **Two animals per passenger.** "According to customs regulations, a passenger may travel with a maximum of 2 animals."**Four dog breeds are banned outright.** "Pitbull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and same species of the aforementioned animals are forbidden." **Tick and Echinococcus treatments are optional boxes on the certificate,** headed "VI
- Ekinokok ozis Tedavisi(talep edildiğinde) / EchinococcusTreatment(when required)" — "talep edildiğinde" = when required
- A pet that arrives without an acceptable rabies titre may be held for testing — APHIS reports roughly 21 days — so this is a consequence of non-compliance, not a routine step. **Puppies and kittens under three months.** "lıktan küçük aşılanmamış, kedi-köpek ve gelincik’lerin girişine, hayvanların getirildiği ülkenin kuduz hastal ığına ilişkin hayvan sağlığı durumu göz önüne alınarak Bakanlığımızın belirttiği sağlık şartlarını karşılaması koşulu ile izin verilir." — entry for unvaccinated animals under 3 months is possible but is decided by the Ministry against the rabies status of the country you are coming from
- Do not assume it; ask before booking. **Transit.** "Transit travelers passing through our country en route to another destination shall not be required to fulfill these conditions provided they do not enter our country." **The accredited-laboratory list is the EU's.** Turkey points at food.ec.europa.eu/animals/movement-pets/approved-rabies-serology-laboratories_en — check your laboratory is on it before paying for the test, because a result from an unlisted laboratory is not accepted. **Which laboratory?** Turkey does not keep its own list — it points at the EU's: "List of Accredited Laboratories for Rabies Antibody Titration Test food.ec.europa.eu/animals/movement-pets/approved-rabies-serology-laboratories_en" We deliberately do not store a copy of that list, because a laboratory can be removed from it and a result from an unlisted laboratory is not accepted
- Check yours against the EU page before paying for the test. **Never let the rabies vaccination lapse.** "Rapel aşılama önceki aşılamanın geçerlilik süresi içerisinde yapılmadığı takdirde ‘ilk aşılama’ olarak kabul edilir" — a booster given after the previous vaccination expired counts as a FIRST vaccination, so the clock restarts: new titre, and another three months before your pet may enter
- This is the single most expensive mistake available on a Turkish trip. **Where you may land.** "Türkiye'ye kedi, köpek ve gelinciklerin yolcu beraberinde girişi, ancak Bakanlık tarafından belirlenmiş olan giriş kapılarından gerçekleşebilir." — entry is only through gates the Ministry has designated, and the list of Veterinary Border Control Point Directorates is at vskn.tarimorman.gov.tr. **Crossbreeds are banned too.** "Pitbull Terrier, Japanese Tosa gibi tehlike arz eden hayvanlara, Dogo Argentino, Filo Brasileiro ile bütün bu ırkların melezlerinin girişine izin verilmez." — the ban covers crossbreeds of all four breeds, not only pure-bred animals. **If your microchip is not ISO-compliant, bring a reader.** "Yolculuk eden evcil hayvanda yukarıdaki şartlara uymayan çip bulunması halinde hayvan sahibinin çipin okunmasını sağlayan okuyucuyu (transponder) da beraberinde getirmesi gerekir."**Puppies and kittens under three months.** "Türkiye'ye 3 aylıktan küçük aşılanmamış kedi, köpek ve gelinciklerin girişine, hayvanların getirildiği ülkenin kuduz hastalığına ilişkin hayvan sağlığı durumu göz önüne alınarak Bakanlığın belirlediği sağlık şartlarının karşılanması koşuluyla izin verilebilir." Entry MAY be permitted, judged against the rabies status of the country you are coming from
- Do not assume it — ask before booking. **Coming home to Turkey?** "Türkiye menşeli olan ev ve süs hayvanının, başka bir ülkeye gidip tekrar dönmesi durumunda; Türkiye'den hareketinden önce alınmış ve kabul edilebilir anti-kuduz antikor titresine sahip olduğunu gösterir sonuç raporu varsa, (c) bendinde geçen 3 aylık süre koşulu aranmaz." — a Turkish-origin pet that already had an acceptable titre report before it left does not repeat the three-month wait
Key points
- **The timetable is the hard part, and it is about four months long.** Turkey wants the microchip first, then the rabies vaccination, then a titre at least 30 days later, and then a wait before you may enter
- The Ministry publishes a worked example: "DİKKAT: KUDUZ TİTRASYON TESTİ İÇİN KAN SERUMU ALINMA TARİHİNDEN İTİBAREN EN ERKEN 3 AY SONRA ÜLKEYE GİRİŞ YAPILABİLİR
- SEYAHAT EDECEK HAYVANLAR İÇİN ÖRNEK PROGRAM KUDUZ AŞILAMASI TARİHİ : 01 / 04 / 2020 EN ERKEN KAN ÖRNEĞİ ALINMA TARİHİ : 01 / 05 / 2020 EN ERKEN GİRİŞ TARİHİ : 01 / 08 / 2020" — vaccination 01/04, earliest blood sample 01/05, earliest entry 01/08
- Take the later of the two if your result took time to come back
- Book the official vet appointment accordingly. **What you must physically carry.** "EVCİL HAYVANLARINIZ İLE TÜRKİYE’YE GİRİŞ YAPARKEN AŞAĞIDAKİ BELGELERİ BULUNDURMANIZ GEREKMEKTEDİR 1
- HAYVAN PASAPORTU ( KİMLİK BELGESİ ) 2
- KUDUZ TİTRASYON TESTİNİN ORJİNALİ 3
- VETERİNER SAĞLIK SERTİFİKASI ( GELDİĞİ ÜLKENİN RESMİ VETERİNER OTORİTESİ TARAFINDAN DÜZENLEN EK-2 DE ÖRNEĞİ BULUNAN SERTİFİKA ) MEVZUATLAR GEREĞİ YOLCU BERABERİ OLARAK EN FAZLA 2 (İKİ) ADET HAYVAN GETİRİLEBİLİR
- Kene Enfestasyonu Tedavisi (talep edildiğinde)/ Tick Treatment(when required)" and "VII
- They are not conditions of entry, and the border post's list of conditions omits them. **Arriving without a valid titre.** Turkey quarantines no pet that meets the conditions
- The Turkish Embassy adds that such an animal should travel with its mother, or carry an official declaration that it has had no contact with wild animals
Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.
Health & documents
Other rules
Health & documents
Other rules
Timing chain
Day -90 microchip implant · Day -2 health certificate issued · Day 0 arrive at customs
Breed restrictions
Banned breeds: Pitbull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro verified 2026-10-27
Ports of entry (26)
Ağrı - Gürbulak Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüAnkara Esenboğa Havalimanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüAntalya Havalimanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüArdahan Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüArtvin - Sarp Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüBalıkesir - Bandırma Limanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüEdirne - İpsala Sınır Kapısı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüEdirne - Kapıkule Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüHatay - Cilvegözü Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüHatay - İskenderun Limanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüIğdır Dilucu Sınır Kapısı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası Müdürlüğüİstanbul - Ambarlı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası Müdürlüğüİstanbul - Pendik Limanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası Müdürlüğüİstanbul - Sabiha Gökçen Havalimanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası Müdürlüğüİstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası Müdürlüğüİstanbul Havalimanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası Müdürlüğüİzmir Adnan Menderes Hava Limanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası Müdürlüğüİzmir Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüKocaeli Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüMersin Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüSamsun Limanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüŞırnak - Habur Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüTekirdağ Limanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüTrabzon Limanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüVan Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası MüdürlüğüZonguldak Limanı Veteriner Sınır Kontrol Noktası Müdürlüğü
The microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination is administered. A vaccine given first does not count, and the order cannot be repaired afterwards — the vaccination has to be repeated after the chip, which restarts every waiting period measured from it. Read the chip number and the vaccination date on the same page of the record and confirm the chip date is earlier.
Four types are forbidden entry: Pitbull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro, together with dogs of the same species as those listed. No microchip or certificate changes that, because the refusal rests on type rather than paperwork. Where a dog could be read as one of the four, carry breed documentation from the registry, since the assessment is made at the border.
The veterinary health certificate must be issued within 2 days prior to travel by the competent authority of the exporting country. Two days is not a planning window, it is an appointment. Book the vet and the flight as one decision, and confirm the issuing authority is open on the day required — a weekend inside those 2 days removes the option.
Turkey is a slow country to prepare for and a fast one to enter. The rabies sequence runs for months; the certificate runs for 2 days. Build your plan backwards from that certificate rather than forwards from the vaccine, and the rest arranges itself. Check the titer waiting period against your own origin as well, because it is the step people find too late.
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.