Pet vaccinations help save lives and protect your pets from dangerous diseases. Pet diseases such as rabies, leptospirosis, and feline rhinotracheitis can be easily prevented by vaccinating your pets on time and ensuring the vaccinations are up to date.

When pets travel from one country to another, pet vaccinations are an important step in the process. Unvaccinated pets are usually not permitted to travel internationally to protect local animals and pets from introduced diseases.

Poland has a vaccination schedule in place for pets travelling into the country. Unvaccinated pets and pets suffering from diseases will not be allowed entry into Poland. If you plan to travel to Poland with your pet dog or cat, here’s the vaccination schedule before pet travel.

Pet vaccinations before travel

When pets travel from one country to another, they can potentially carry dangerous diseases from the origin to the destination country. Some diseases may be endemic to the country of origin but exotic in the destination country. Pet vaccinations help contain the spread of diseases and keep your pet safe.

Most countries require pets to be vaccinated against rabies and other common pet diseases before travelling.

Pets travelling from EU countries

If your pet dog or cat is flying to Poland from an EU member country or Andorra, Switzerland, Faeroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, and Vatican City State, they need a rabies vaccination before departure.

The rabies vaccine must be administered after the microchip is implanted. The primary vaccination must be a one-year vaccine; Poland accepts the three-year vaccine if used as a booster vaccination before the primary vaccination has expired.

The vaccine should be a WHO-approved inactivated vaccine or a recombinant vaccine. Your pet must receive the vaccination at least 21 days before travel. It is recommended to vaccinate dogs against the following canine diseases before travelling – distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus. Cats must be vaccinated against feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia.

Pets travelling from Annex 2 countries

Countries where rabies is low or absent are categorised under Annex 2 countries. These include the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Australia, Aruba, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Barbados, Bahrain, Bermuda, Belarus, Canada, Chile, Fiji, Falkland Islands, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Japan, Mauritius, Mexico, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Singapore, Taiwan, United States of America.

If your pet dog or cat is travelling to Poland from one of these countries, they will need a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before departure. The vaccine, as mentioned earlier, must be a WHO-approved inactivated or recombinant rabies vaccine.

Pets travelling from non-listed countries

Non-listed countries are countries with a high incidence of rabies. Pet dogs and cats travelling from these countries need an additional rabies antibody titre test after their rabies vaccination. The rabies titre test measures the efficacy of the rabies vaccine by checking your pet’s antibody response.

The sample for the test must be collected at least 30 days after administering the rabies vaccine. The sample must be sent to an EU-approved laboratory for analysis. Your pet can travel to Poland only if the sample has a minimum antibody level of 0.5 IU/ml. There is a waiting period of three months from the date of collection of the sample before your pet can travel to Poland.

Pet dogs and cats need to be vaccinated against other canine and feline diseases as well as rabies. Pet dogs need the following vaccines – distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus, whereas cats must be vaccinated for feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia.

International pet transport to Poland

Pets are important family members, and they travel when the family relocates. Organising a pet’s international travel is not always easy; the rules are many, and the paperwork is immense. It is recommended to partner with an accredited and IATA-member pet travel agency to help with your pet’s international travel.

Petraveller’s unique pet travel process ensures your pet is taken care of and arrives at their destination safely and comfortably. At Petraveller, every dog and cat is treated with exceptional care and personalised service. Reach out to Petraveller for more information on pet travel to Poland and a free pet travel quote.