Relocating from Europe to Canada with a dog or a cat is very doable, but it runs on Canadian federal rules that are stricter about paperwork than they are about quarantine. The good news: Canada does not impose a routine quarantine on healthy personal pets. The catch: your rabies documentation has to be exactly right, and what you need depends heavily on which European country your pet is leaving from — because Canada treats only a handful of European countries as rabies-free. Get the certificate wrong and your pet can be refused, ordered vaccinated at the border, or detained.

This guide is written for an international move between Europe and Canada — shipping your household and travelling with your pet across the Atlantic — not a local hop. It focuses on the rules set by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and enforced by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Freshness note: Pet import rules change, and Canada updates them without much warning (the 2022 commercial-dog changes are a recent example). Everything below reflects official CFIA and CBSA guidance current in 2026, but you must re-verify your pet’s exact requirements in CFIA’s Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) and on the CFIA pets page shortly before you travel. Canada’s rules are also different from the United States’ rules — do not assume a US checklist works for Canada.

Key takeaways

• Canada has no routine quarantine for healthy personal dogs and cats that meet the documentation requirements (CFIA).
• Dogs and cats 3 months of age and older generally need a valid rabies vaccination certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian; under 3 months they are typically exempt (CFIA).
• Canada recognises only nine countries as rabies-free — in Europe these are Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Iceland and the United Kingdom (CFIA rabies-free list).
• Pets from most of continental Europe (France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, etc.) are not treated as rabies-free by Canada and must have a current rabies vaccination certificate (CFIA rabies-free list).
• You must declare your pet to a CBSA officer on arrival; undeclared animals can be refused, detained or confiscated (CBSA).
• The CBSA inspection fee for a dog or cat from outside the US is $36.95 (plus tax) for the first animal and $6.16 for each additional animal (CBSA fees).
• Commercial imports (resale, breeding, adoption, fostering) follow much stricter rules than personal pets, including a 28 September 2022 ban on commercial dogs from high-risk rabies countries (CBSA Customs Notice 22-21).

1. Who sets the rules: CFIA and CBSA

Two federal agencies govern your pet’s arrival. The CFIA establishes the import requirements — vaccinations, certificates, age thresholds — while the CBSA enforces them at the border and collects any inspection fee (CBSA). You are legally obliged to declare all live animals to CBSA on arrival, and an officer will review your documents and take a quick look at your pet before admitting it.

There is no province-level pet import layer that overrides these federal rules for entry — the CFIA requirements are national.

2. The most important question: which country is your pet leaving from?

For a Europe-to-Canada move, this single fact usually determines your paperwork. Canada divides the world into rabies-free countries and everywhere else, and its rabies-free list is short.

Canada currently recognises just nine rabies-free countries: Australia, Fiji, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom (CFIA rabies-free list). In Europe that means only Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Iceland and the UK qualify.

If your pet has lived in one of those countries, you may be able to present a veterinary certificate confirming the animal has resided there — instead of a rabies vaccination. Note that the CFIA rabies-free list page only names the qualifying countries; it does not itself spell out a residency period or the exact certificate wording. Confirm the current residency requirement and the precise certificate details for your origin country with CFIA and in AIRS before you travel.

If your pet is moving from anywhere else in Europe — including major relocation origins like France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Portugal or Switzerland — Canada does not treat it as rabies-free, and a current rabies vaccination certificate is required.

3. Rabies vaccination and certificate rules

For dogs and cats that need it, the rabies certificate must be issued and signed by a licensed veterinarian, be written in English or French (or accompanied by a certified translation), and clearly identify the animal and state that it is currently vaccinated against rabies (CFIA). The certificate should show the vaccination date and the vaccine product so the officer can confirm the vaccination is still valid. Rabies vaccines are commonly labelled valid for a period in the range of one to three years depending on the product — but that is a manufacturer and labelling detail, not a validity window published by CFIA, so confirm your specific vaccine’s validity period with your vet and confirm that it will be accepted with CFIA and in AIRS before you travel.

Animals under 3 months of age are generally exempt from the rabies requirement because they are too young to be vaccinated, but you should be able to verify the animal’s age (CFIA).

4. Dogs vs cats: the differences that matter

Cats and dogs are treated similarly for personal import, with a few practical differences:

Source: CFIA pets page and, for rabies-free-country recognition, the CFIA rabies-free list. The microchip and minimum-age conditions in the table apply to dogs from countries CFIA designates high-risk for canine-variant rabies — a category that covers parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas, and generally not Western or Central Europe. These high-risk conditions (microchip, import permit and a minimum age) are country-specific and are confirmed through AIRS — not the rabies-free list — so verify your origin country’s classification and its exact requirements there.

5. Personal pet vs commercial import — get this right

Canada draws a hard line between a personal pet (your own companion animal, moving with you) and a commercial import (an animal for resale, adoption, fostering, breeding, show or research). The categories carry very different rules.

Since 28 September 2022, Canada prohibits commercial dogs from countries it considers high-risk for dog rabies from entering at all (CBSA Customs Notice 22-21; CFIA notice to industry, June 2022). Separately, commercial dogs under 8 months old imported for breeding or resale face additional vaccination and timing conditions (CFIA news release, 2021). If you are rehoming, rescuing or importing an animal you do not already own, assume the commercial rules apply and check AIRS carefully — these are not the same as bringing your own pet.

6. Use AIRS to confirm your exact requirements

CFIA’s Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) is the authoritative, scenario-specific tool. It walks you through the animal type, age at arrival, country of origin and purpose of import, and returns the precise documentation and conditions for your situation (AIRS). Because it reflects live regulatory decisions, AIRS is the version of the rules to trust over any third-party checklist — including this one. Run it for your exact origin country and travel month before you finalise anything.

7. Fees and the border inspection

On arrival, expect a document check and a visual inspection of your pet. For dogs and cats arriving from outside the United States, the CBSA inspection fee is $36.95 plus tax for the first animal and $6.16 for each additional animal (CBSA fees). If documentation is missing and an officer orders a rabies vaccination at the border, higher fees apply. Have your original signed certificates ready in hand — not buried in checked luggage or cargo.

8. Airline and door-to-door logistics for an overseas move

Rules aside, the physical journey from Europe to Canada is the harder part. Airlines generally carry pets in one of a few ways — in the cabin for small animals under a weight limit, or in a temperature-controlled hold as checked baggage or manifest cargo — each with its own crate, booking and health-timing conditions, and many carriers require an IATA-compliant travel kennel. These are airline and IATA carriage rules rather than CFIA or CBSA import rules, so confirm the exact crate specifications, booking process and health/vaccination timing directly with your chosen airline and against the current IATA Live Animals Regulations. Pet spaces are limited and often can’t be added last-minute, so book early. Build your vaccination timing around the flight date, and keep original certificates in hand with the person or agent accompanying the animal. Confirm the arrival and inspection logistics for your specific airport with the airline and CBSA ahead of travel.

For a full household relocation, the pet moves on a separate track from your furniture. Flyto’s overseas service ships your home door-to-door by sea or air with customs handling — a Platinum-tier service — while your pet travels by air on its own itinerary. Coordinating the two timelines early avoids arriving before either your pet’s paperwork or your belongings are ready.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a quarantine for pets entering Canada?
No routine quarantine applies to healthy personal dogs and cats whose documentation is complete and correct (CFIA). An officer can still detain an animal that appears ill or lacks required paperwork (CBSA).

My pet is moving from Germany / France / Spain — is that rabies-free for Canada?
No. Canada’s rabies-free list includes only Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Iceland and the UK within Europe (CFIA rabies-free list). Pets from other European countries need a valid rabies vaccination certificate.

Do I need an import permit for my dog or cat?
For a personal pet dog or cat, Canada generally does not require an import permit — the rabies documentation is the entry paperwork. Confirm your exact case in AIRS.

Does my cat need a microchip?
Canada does not impose a microchip requirement on cats. Microchips are mandated for dogs arriving from countries CFIA classifies as high-risk for canine-variant rabies; confirm whether your origin country triggers that requirement in AIRS.

Can I bring a puppy or kitten under three months old?
Generally yes, and it is usually exempt from the rabies vaccination requirement, provided you can verify the animal’s age (CFIA). Commercial imports of young dogs face separate, stricter rules.

Are Canada’s rules the same as the United States’?
No. The two countries have different systems and thresholds — do not reuse a US pet-import checklist for Canada. Verify Canadian requirements directly with CFIA.

Planning your move?

If you’re relocating between Europe and Canada, your pet’s paperwork and your household shipment run on separate clocks — and both take planning. Flyto handles the door-to-door overseas move of your belongings by sea or air with full customs handling (our Platinum service), so you can focus on getting your dog or cat’s rabies documentation right and their flight booked. For a tailored estimate on shipping your home to Canada, get a quote here. Always confirm your pet’s current requirements with CFIA and AIRS before you travel.