Bringing a pet to Portugal

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

• You are moving to Portugal with a dog, cat, or ferret, up to five animals per traveller.
• Your animal is coming from another EU country, or from the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Brazil, or elsewhere.
• Your pet is already here and needs registering in the national pet database.

Not for you if: Your animal is a bird, rabbit, rodent, reptile, or fish; none of these twelve guides covers them, so check the national veterinary authority's rules for other species.

Updated September 2026. The EU replaced its pet travel rules on 22 April 2026 (Regulation 576/2013 is gone; Delegated Regulation 2026/131 and its companions now apply). The main practical changes: the animal health certificate is now good for six months of onward EU travel instead of four, new certificate forms arrive on 1 October 2026, and an EU pet passport can only be issued in the country where the owner actually lives. Brazil is confirmed as an unlisted country (titre test needed). Portugal's airport inspection fee and entry-point contacts are also updated below.

Bringing a dog, cat, or ferret to Portugal is a paperwork exercise with a fixed order: microchip, then rabies vaccine, then a 21-day wait, then the travel document. Done in the right sequence, it is routine. Out of order, your animal can be held at the airport or sent back. From the EU you travel on the pet passport. From the UK, US, or another listed country, allow six to eight weeks if the chip and vaccine are in place, three months if not. From an unlisted country such as Brazil, allow six months.

This guide covers three things: getting your animal into Portugal (EU rules, applied here by the Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária, DGAV, the national food and veterinary authority), clearing the airport, and the Portugal-only step most people miss, registering the animal in the national pet database, SIAC. It ends with the specific steps for readers coming from the United Kingdom and the United States, and with what daily life with a pet looks like once you are here.

The rules in one paragraph

Microchip first. Rabies vaccine after the chip, at 12 weeks of age or older. Wait 21 days after that first vaccine. If you are coming from another EU country, travel on the animal's EU pet passport. If you are coming from outside the EU (including Great Britain), get an EU animal health certificate signed by an official vet in the 10 days before you arrive, email DGAV's entry point at your arrival airport at least 48 hours before landing, and go through the veterinary check at the airport. Then, once you are settled, have a Portuguese vet register the animal in SIAC.

Who the rules apply to

• Up to five dogs, cats, or ferrets per traveller. More than five is treated as a commercial movement with different rules, unless the animals are over six months old and travelling for a show, competition, or sporting event with written proof.
• The animal must travel with you, or with a person you have authorised in writing who travels within five days of you.
• Owners moving from another EU country or from Northern Ireland use the EU pet passport route. Owners from anywhere else, including England, Scotland, and Wales, use the third-country route.

Before you start: the three fixed steps everyone needs

1. Microchip

The chip must meet ISO standards 11784 and 11785 (a 15-digit number). Almost every chip implanted in the EU, the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia in the last decade is ISO compliant. Older US chips (AVID 9-digit, some 10-digit "Eurochip" formats) are not. If your animal carries one of those, either have a second ISO chip implanted before travel and have both numbers written on the health certificate, or bring your own reader, because the airport check uses ISO readers only.

A legible tattoo applied before 3 July 2011 still counts as identification, but very few animals still qualify.

2. Rabies vaccination, after the chip

The vaccine only counts if it was given after the chip was implanted (same day is fine if the vet scanned the chip first). The animal must be at least 12 weeks old at vaccination. A first vaccination becomes valid for travel 21 days after the date it was given.

Boosters given before the previous vaccine expired keep the animal valid with no new wait. If a booster is given even one day late, it is treated as a new first vaccination and the 21-day clock restarts. This is the most common reason families with several animals end up rebooking flights.

3. Age

Because the vaccine cannot be given before 12 weeks and must then wait 21 days, the practical minimum age for arriving from outside the EU is 15 weeks. DGAV states that dogs and cats under 12 weeks, or between 12 and 16 weeks without the 21 days elapsed, are not admitted from non-EU countries. Do not plan around an exception; Portugal does not grant one.

Arriving from another EU country: the pet passport route

If you already live in an EU country and your animal has an EU pet passport (the small blue booklet) with a chip number and a current rabies entry, that is all you need. There is no titre test, no waiting period if the vaccination is current, no arrival notice, and no airport veterinary check. Cross the border, keep the passport with you.

Portugal does not require tapeworm treatment on entry (only Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway, and Northern Ireland do).

One change since April 2026: a pet passport is only valid if it was issued in the EU country where the owner habitually lives. Passports obtained by non-EU residents from EU vets on holiday are no longer accepted. Passports issued under the old rules to genuine EU residents stay valid.

Arriving from outside the EU: the third-country route

This is the route for the UK (except Northern Ireland), the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and everywhere else outside the EU.

Step by step

1. Check the chip and vaccination using the rules above. Do this at least three months before travel so there is time to fix anything.
2. Check whether your country is "listed." The EU keeps a list of countries with reliable rabies control (Annex II of Implementing Regulation 2026/636). From a listed country, the vaccine alone is enough. From an unlisted country, your animal also needs a rabies antibody titre test (see below). Listed: the United States, the United Kingdom (excluding Northern Ireland, which is treated as EU), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and about forty others. Not listed: Brazil, South Africa, India, Turkey, Morocco, Ukraine, and most of Africa and Asia.
3. Titre test (unlisted countries only). A blood sample is drawn at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination and tested at an EU-approved laboratory. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml. The animal may then enter the EU 90 days after the date of the blood draw. That wait cannot be shortened. From an unlisted country, budget at least six months from microchip to arrival.
4. Get the EU animal health certificate in the 10 days before you arrive in the EU. An accredited vet completes it and the official veterinary authority of your country endorses it (APHA in Great Britain, USDA APHIS in the US, CFIA in Canada, MAPA in Brazil). For sea journeys the 10 days are extended by the length of the crossing. Only the owner's name goes on it. Attach the rabies certificate and, where relevant, the titre result.
5. Sign the written declaration on the last page of the certificate confirming the movement is non-commercial. If someone else is bringing the animal, or if you transit through an unlisted country, extra declarations are needed (the animal must stay in the airport transit zone in that case).
6. Send the Aviso de Chegada (notice of arrival) to DGAV at least 48 hours before landing, and as early as you can. Use the DGAV form (there is an English version, "Form for dogs and cats") and email it to the Ponto de Entrada de Viajantes (travellers' entry point) for your arrival airport. It asks for arrival date and time, flight number, species, breed, age, chip number of each animal, and your contact details. DGAV says clearly that the owner, not the airline, must send it, that forms sent to any other address will not be processed in time, and that failing to notify can mean refusal of entry.
7. Book a flight that lands when the entry point is staffed. Lisbon's entry point is closed from 00:00 to 06:00; Porto's is closed from 23:00 to 07:00. Faro has more limited coverage; confirm by email before booking a weekend or late arrival.
8. At the airport, go to the veterinary check before customs. The DGAV vet scans the chip, checks the certificate against the animal, and stamps the certificate. From the date of that check the certificate is valid for six months of travel within the EU (or until the rabies vaccine expires, whichever is first).

Entry points (Pontos de Entrada de Viajantes)

The ports of Lisbon and Porto and the Cascais marina are also entry points, using the Lisbon and Porto airport contacts. DGAV publishes the full list as a PDF ("Pontos de entrada dos viajantes"), updated March 2026; check it before you email in case an address has changed.

Arriving by road through Spain

An animal already inside the EU on a valid passport needs no check at the Portuguese land border. A non-EU animal that lands in Spain and continues by car must clear its EU entry check at the Spanish airport of arrival, not in Portugal.

The inspection fee

DGAV charges €43.17 for the veterinary check of one animal and €86.34 for two or more. Assistance dogs for people with disabilities are exempt.

After you arrive: SIAC registration

The Sistema de Informação de Animais de Companhia (SIAC, the national pet database) is the Portugal-specific step, created by Decreto-Lei n.º 82/2019. Every dog, cat, and ferret in Portugal must be chipped and registered in it. For animals born here the deadline is 120 days after birth. For animals arriving from abroad, registration is compulsory if the animal stays in Portugal for 120 days or more. If you are moving here, that is you.

Do not wait for the deadline. Registration is quick, and the SIAC record is what reunites you with a lost animal and what landlords, insurers, and dog parks ask for.

How to register

1. Book an appointment with any Portuguese vet. Bring the animal, its passport or stamped health certificate, your NIF, an ID document, and proof of your Portuguese address.
2. The vet scans the existing chip (no new chip is needed if it is ISO compliant) and enters the animal and your details in the SIAC portal. If the chip is alphanumeric or otherwise unreadable by Portuguese readers, SIAC recommends implanting a second numeric chip.
3. You receive the Documento de Identificação do Animal de Companhia (DIAC, the animal's identification document), on paper or by email. Keep it; it must accompany the animal.
4. Set up your own access at siac.pt with your Chave Móvel Digital or citizen card reader so you can update your details later.

You must tell SIAC within 15 days of any change of address, phone number, email, ownership, or the animal's death. A stale phone number is the usual reason a chipped dog ends up in the municipal kennel with nobody called.

The municipal dog licence still exists

Separately from SIAC, dogs still need an annual licence from the Junta de Freguesia (parish council) of your address, first taken out between three and six months of age (or on arrival for an adult dog). The fee is set locally, usually a few euros, and many parishes waive it for sterilised or assistance dogs. Bring the DIAC and the rabies vaccination record. Cats do not need a parish licence.

Fines

Under Decreto-Lei n.º 82/2019, an unregistered animal exposes an individual to a fine of €50 to €3,740. Businesses (kennels, breeders, short-let operators with animals on the premises) face up to €44,890, which is where the "€45,000 fine" headline comes from. In practice unregistered animals are caught at the vet, at the kennel, in a lost-dog incident, or in a neighbour complaint, not by inspectors patrolling streets. The fine is real when it lands.

Getting an EU pet passport in Portugal

Once you are resident in Portugal, ask your vet to issue an EU pet passport. It replaces the health certificate for all future travel inside the EU and lasts the animal's lifetime provided the rabies vaccination is kept current. Bring the original health certificate and vaccination records so the vet can copy the history across. Under the April 2026 rules the passport can only be issued in the country where you habitually live, so this is a step for residents, not visitors. Get it done before the health certificate's six months run out if you plan to drive to Spain or France.

Costs and timing

Portuguese vet prices vary by region; Lisbon and Porto run higher than the North outside Porto and the interior.

Timing: from a listed country, allow six to eight weeks if the chip and vaccine are already in place, three months if they are not. From an unlisted country, allow six months.

Common problems

• Vaccine dated before the chip. The vaccine is invalid. The animal is held until it is revaccinated and 21 days have passed, or returned.
• Lapsed booster. Treated as a first vaccine. The 21-day wait restarts.
• Wrong form. US vets sometimes issue the old USDA Form 7001. Only the EU animal health certificate is accepted. Note that new EU certificate forms take effect on 1 October 2026; certificates on the old (577/2013) model issued before that date remain valid until 31 March 2027.
• Endorsement outside the 10-day window. Older endorsements are rejected.
• No notice of arrival, or sent to the wrong address. The single most common operational error at Portuguese entry points.
• Non-ISO chip and no reader. The airport cannot confirm identity.
• Landing when the entry point is closed. Your animal waits in airport kennels until the vet is back on duty, at your cost.
• Snub-nosed breeds in the hold. Bulldogs, pugs, French bulldogs, Persians, and similar breeds are restricted or banned in the hold by many airlines. Check before buying any ticket.
• Wrong airline. Ryanair carries no pets. easyJet carries no pets other than recognised assistance dogs. British Airways carries pets only as cargo through IAG Cargo. TAP, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, United, and Air Canada carry small animals in the cabin (TAP's limit is 8 kg including the carrier) and larger ones in the hold.

If an entry decision is disputed, the first contact is the DGAV regional veterinary service for the entry point you used, then DGAV head office in Lisbon.

If you are coming from the United Kingdom

Since Brexit, England, Scotland, and Wales are a listed third country. Northern Ireland follows EU rules, so an NI-issued pet passport still works.

1. ISO microchip, then rabies vaccine at 12 weeks or older, then 21 days.
2. An Animal Health Certificate (AHC) from an Official Veterinarian, issued in the 10 days before you arrive in Portugal. It is valid for a single EU entry, then for six months of travel within the EU and for return to Great Britain within the same six months.
3. Pet passports issued in Great Britain before 2021 are not valid. Since 22 April 2026, neither are EU passports obtained by GB residents from EU vets. Each trip from the UK needs a fresh AHC unless you become a Portuguese resident and get a Portuguese-issued passport.
4. Send the DGAV notice of arrival 48 hours ahead and clear the airport veterinary check.
5. No tapeworm treatment is needed to enter Portugal. Going back to Great Britain, dogs must be treated for tapeworm by a vet 24 to 120 hours before arrival, and you must use an approved route (Eurotunnel, approved ferries, or approved air carriers). The DEFRA approved-routes rule applies to entering GB, not to leaving it.

Driving via France and Spain is the usual choice for large dogs; the EU entry check then happens at the French port, and there is no further check at the Portuguese border.

If you are coming from the United States

The US is a listed country, so no titre test.

1. ISO microchip (HomeAgain, 24Petwatch, and most US chips are ISO; AVID often is not), then rabies vaccine, then 21 days. Under EU rules the first US vaccine is valid for one year even if a three-year product was used; later boosters follow the product label.
2. Your USDA-accredited vet completes the EU non-commercial health certificate for Portugal and submits it through APHIS's VEHCS portal for digital endorsement in the 10 days before arrival. Do not accept a Form 7001. APHIS has published new EU certificate forms for use from 1 October 2026 (non-commercial) and 17 October 2026 (commercial).
3. If you cannot fly with the animal, or you are shipping six or more, the commercial certificate applies instead, with inspection within 48 hours of departure.
4. Send the DGAV notice of arrival 48 hours ahead, land during entry-point hours (most US flights arrive at Lisbon in the morning, which works), pay the inspection fee, and clear the check.
5. For the return trip, the CDC's rules since August 2024 require dogs entering the US to be at least six months old, microchipped, and covered by a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. Portugal is a low-risk country, so no US health certificate is needed.

Coming from Canada, Australia, or Brazil

Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are listed; certificates are endorsed by CFIA in Canada and the national veterinary authority elsewhere. Brazil is not listed, so a titre test and the 90-day wait are required, and MAPA endorses the certificate. Older Brazilian chips are sometimes non-ISO; check the number format on the implantation card.

Living with your pet in Portugal

Dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs

Decreto-Lei n.º 315/2009 (amended by Lei n.º 46/2013 and Lei n.º 110/2015) regulates seven breeds and their crosses as cães potencialmente perigosos (potentially dangerous dogs): Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Pit Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Tosa Inu. None of this stops the dog entering Portugal, but once here the owner must hold a special licence from the Junta de Freguesia. The application needs the SIAC record, an up-to-date rabies vaccination, a criminal record certificate with no violent-crime convictions, civil liability insurance with at least €50,000 cover, proof of sterilisation (unless the dog is registered in an official breed book), a training certificate for the owner, and a signed responsibility statement. The dog must be muzzled and on a lead of one metre or less in public and may never be out alone. Start the application as soon as the animal is registered in SIAC. Non-compliance carries fines and can lead to the dog being seized.

How many animals

Decreto-Lei n.º 314/2003 limits an urban dwelling to three dogs or four cats, with a maximum of four animals in total, unless the municipal veterinarian authorises more (up to six). Condominium rules can set lower limits, and landlords can include a no-pets clause in a lease. Raise pets before signing anything; a landlord who discovers a dog later is a bigger problem than one who says no at the start.

Vet care

Care is good and cheaper than in the UK or US: a routine consultation is roughly €25 to €40, vaccinations €15 to €35, and neutering €150 to €300. Twenty-four-hour emergency clinics exist in the main cities. English-speaking vets are easy to find in Lisbon, Porto, and the Algarve, and most vets in Braga, Guimarães, and other northern towns manage in English.

Two risks new arrivals underestimate. Leishmaniose (canine leishmaniasis) is spread by sandflies and is endemic across much of Portugal; ask your vet about a repellent collar or spot-on treatment, an annual test, and whether vaccination makes sense for your dog. The processionary caterpillar (lagarta do pinheiro) appears in pine areas from roughly January to May, and its hairs can cause severe reactions in dogs that sniff or mouth them. Keep dogs on the path in pine woods during that season.

Pet insurance is optional. Policies from Fidelidade, Tranquilidade, Ageas, and specialist providers typically cost €15 to €40 a month for a healthy young dog or cat and usually combine vet-bill cover with third-party liability.

Getting around

Small animals in carriers travel free on Metro do Porto, Metro de Lisboa, STCP, Carris, and CP trains. Larger dogs on a lead and muzzle are allowed on most CP services and on metro systems outside peak hours; check the operator's rules for your route. Long-distance coaches generally take small animals in carriers only. Taxi and TVDE drivers may refuse animals; Bolt and Uber offer a pet option in the larger cities.

Beaches and restaurants

Most bathing beaches exclude dogs during the bathing season (roughly June to September, with dates set per beach). The Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente publishes an annual list of praias para cães (dog beaches) where dogs are welcome all year. Outside the season, and on non-bathing stretches, dogs are generally tolerated. Dogs are widely accepted on café and restaurant terraces; ask before bringing one indoors.

Arrival checklist

• [ ] ISO microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccine
• [ ] Rabies vaccine at 12 weeks or older, at least 21 days before travel, boosters never lapsed
• [ ] Titre test and 90-day wait (unlisted countries only)
• [ ] EU pet passport (EU residents) or EU animal health certificate endorsed in the 10 days before arrival, with the owner's declaration signed
• [ ] Notice of arrival emailed to the correct DGAV entry point at least 48 hours before landing, on a flight that lands while the entry point is open
• [ ] Airline confirmed it carries your animal and breed
• [ ] SIAC registration and DIAC issued, then the parish dog licence
• [ ] Portuguese-issued EU pet passport before the first onward EU trip
• [ ] Dangerous-breed licence and insurance, if applicable
• [ ] Rabies booster date in the calendar

Sources

• DGAV, Entering Portugal from a non-EU country with dogs and cats: https://www.dgav.pt/vaiviajar/conteudo/conteudo-animais-de-companhia/entrar-em-portugal-a-partir-de-um-pais-fora-da-ue-inclui-o-reino-unido-exceto-a-irlanda-do-norte/caes-e-gatos/ (identification, vaccination, titre test, certificate models, minimum age, inspection fee)
• DGAV, Aviso de chegada for dogs and cats: https://www.dgav.pt/vaiviajar/conteudo/conteudo-animais-de-companhia/entrar-em-portugal-a-partir-de-um-pais-fora-da-ue-inclui-o-reino-unido-exceto-a-irlanda-do-norte/caes-e-gatos/aviso-de-chegada-como-fazer/ (48-hour notice, form, entry-point hours)
• DGAV, Pontos de entrada dos viajantes (March 2026 PDF): https://www.dgav.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PONTOS-DE-ENTRADA-DOS-VIAJANTES-marco-2026.pdf (entry-point contacts)
• DGAV, Identificação de cães e gatos: https://www.dgav.pt/animais/conteudo/identificacao-e-registo-animal/animais-de-companhia/caes-e-gatos/identificacao/ (SIAC obligation and deadlines)
• SIAC, Perguntas frequentes: https://siac.pt/pt/faq (120-day rule for animals from abroad, DIAC, 15-day update rule, alphanumeric chips)
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2026/131/oj/eng (application from 22 April 2026, chip, vaccination, titre, passport residence rule, six-month certificate validity, tapeworm)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/705/oj/eng (new passport and certificate models, repeal of 577/2013, transitional validity)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/636/oj (lists of third countries)
• European Commission, Travelling with your pets in Europe: https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/travelling-your-pets-europe-2025-08-06_en (five-animal limit, tapeworm countries, GB passports)
• Decreto-Lei n.º 82/2019: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/82-2019-122714480 (SIAC, deadlines, fines)
• Decreto-Lei n.º 315/2009 (consolidated): https://pgdlisboa.pt/leis/lei_mostra_articulado.php?nid=1310&tabela=leis (dangerous dogs regime)
• Decreto-Lei n.º 314/2003: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/314-2003-435530 (animals per dwelling, parish licence)
• GOV.UK, Taking your pet abroad, travelling to an EU country: https://www.gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad/travelling-to-an-eu-country-or-northern-ireland (AHC rules)
• USDA APHIS, Pet travel from the US to Portugal: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/us-to-another-country-export/pet-travel-us-portugal (US certificate, VEHCS, October 2026 forms)
• CDC, Bringing a dog into the US from a low-risk country: https://www.cdc.gov/importation/dogs/rabies-free-low-risk-countries.html (return rules)

Last verified September 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.