Are you considering moving to Ireland with your pet? Ireland has a set of pet import regulations for dogs and cats entering the country, and your pet will not be allowed to enter Ireland if these requirements are not met.

Irish law requires you to follow specific procedures which involve documentation, health tests and vaccinations. The process changes depending on the animal you are importing and the country you are travelling from.

Know your country category

Category I: If you are travelling to Ireland with your pet from an EU country, or Andorra, Gibraltar, Greenland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and Vatican City, there are no quarantine requirements for your pet as long as all your documentation is correct and all the vaccinations are current. You can enter Ireland from any city if you are travelling from these countries.

Category II: The following countries are included in category II: Ascension Island, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Barbados, Bahrain, Belarus, Bermuda, Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba (the BES Islands), Bosnia and Herzegovina, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Curaçao, Fiji, Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Russia, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Maarten, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Singapore, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, United States of America (including American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.

If you are travelling from any of these countries, your pet dog or cat must be microchipped, have a valid pet passport or an official veterinary certificate in the correct format, and must pass the compliance checks upon entry. Compliance checks must be organised in advance, and your pet can fly in only through Dublin. If your pet passes the compliance test and has all the paperwork and vaccinations in order, he or she will not need to be quarantined.

If these requirements are not met, your pet will be sent into quarantine until the conditions are suitably met. The quarantine centre will administer additional tests and vaccinations, at your expense.

Category III: All countries not in category I and II fall into category III. If your pet is travelling to Ireland from any of these countries, the regulations are slightly different. In addition to the microchip, rabies vaccination, and health certificate, your pet will need a rabies titre test.

The rabies titre test must be performed at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, and the sample has to be sent to an EU approved laboratory for testing. If the results are satisfactory (rabies antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml) your pet will have to wait three months from the date of the test to be able to travel to Ireland.

Dogs and cats from category III can enter Ireland only through Dublin and are subject to compliance tests upon entry. If your pet has all the correct paperwork and is in good health, he or she will not be quarantined. Failure to comply with the regulations will result in quarantine for your pet, and additional tests and vaccinations will be administered at your expense.

Take expert help

Bringing your pet to Ireland is complicated, especially if you are travelling from a non-EU country. The paperwork needs to be accurate, all vaccinations have to be current, and the health certificate or the pet passport must be in the right format. Even a small error will mean your pet has to spend time in quarantine, or worse refused entry and be sent back to their destination at your expense.

An experienced pet relocation service will be able to help you with the process and ensure your pet avoids quarantine. If you are planning to travel or relocate to Ireland with your pet cat or dog, call Petraveller, and we'll draw up detailed travel plan for your pet.