In co-operation with Auto Europe
Are you planning to travel with your dog, cat or other pet? What happens when you fly and how does it work when travelling by camper van? And if you want to travel outside Europe, what happens? We've received a lot of questions about this, especially when it comes to travelling with dogs in a motorhome outside Europe.
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Share
ShareIn this post, we try to clarify the rules as much as possible. In addition, we showcase an informative and entertaining infographic from Auto Europe, which offers car hire in Europe.
Table of contents
Travelling with a dog or cat in the EU
If you want to take your dog or cat with you on holiday in the EU, there are some things to consider. Here is a short checklist:
- The animal must be ID-labelled with an ISO microchip, except in exceptional cases where a tattoo is sufficient.
- The animal must have a valid vaccination against rabies. To travel, the animal must receive a basic vaccine (one or two shots when the animal is at least 12 weeks old) and then wait at least 21 days. The vaccine does not last a lifetime and the animal may need to be re-vaccinated for subsequent trips - how often varies depending on the vaccine and the country you are visiting.
- Dogs travelling to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland and Malta must be deworming against fox dwarf tapeworm. The treatment must be carried out within a period not exceeding 120 hours and at least 24 hours before the planned journey.
- The animal must have EU passport for pets. In the passport, the veterinarian records the treatments performed.
Special rules apply to animals travelling without their owners or if there are more than five animals in a group. You can find more information on the Swedish Board of Agriculture's website.
Travelling with your dog or cat outside the EU
If you want to take your dog or cat outside the EU, things are a bit more complicated. According to the Swedish Board of Agriculture, there are no uniform rules, so you need to contact the veterinary authority in the country concerned to find out what applies. For example, if you want to take your dog to Norway, you need to deworm it against dwarf tapeworm.
Bringing a dog or cat on a flight
Some airlines and routes allow dogs and cats to travel with their owners inside the cabin, and the rule seems to be that the animal + bag/cage must not weigh more than 8 kg together. You need to check the rules of the airline you plan to fly with. If the dog is too big to be in the cabin, it can be transported in the hold, where the air pressure and temperature are the same as in the cabin.
Taking a dog or cat in your car or camper van
Many people choose to travel by car or camper van just to be able to take their dog or cat with them. Care must be taken to ensure that the animal is transported safely, for example by considering ventilation, temperature, and that the animal does not get hurt when braking. You can usually take your dog with you on the ferry, but you may need to book it in advance and there may be specific rules about where it can be kept on the ship.
When renting a car or motorhome, pets are not always allowed. Whether it is allowed depends entirely on the rental company and even if it is allowed, there may be restrictions on the size of the animal.
Bringing a dog or cat to a hotel
It varies whether hotels allow dogs, cats or other pets, so you should always check with the hotel. For example, Best Western seems to be a dog-friendly chain, but check first! Keep in mind that an additional fee may apply.
Taking your dog or cat camping
Many campsites and pitches allow dogs and cats, but not all, so you should check with the campsite in advance. For example, if you search for campsites on Eurocampings.se, you can set your search to look only for campsites that accept dogs. Note that some campsites charge extra for the dog.
Travelling with other pets
Maybe you want to bring your rabbit, guinea pig or canary on your trip? According to the Swedish Board of Agriculture, each country has its own rules on importing other pets, so you should contact the veterinary authority of the country you want to visit or its embassy.
If you are travelling with a pet by car, you must ensure that the animal is transported safely. To ensure that the animal is safe when braking, it should be kept in a secure transport cage.
Have you travelled abroad with pets?
Have you travelled abroad with pets and what are your experiences? Easy or complicated? Did you encounter unexpected difficulties or have only positive experiences? And if you have travelled with pets outside the EU, how did it work?
You might also like:
English (UK) 
Svenska 
Deutsch 
Suomi 
Polski
Lennart says:
We have a dog in the front window that is quiet and friendly!
14 March 2017 - 7:33
Helena says:
It seems easy to maintain! 😉
14 March 2017 - 11:00
Motorhome Helge says:
In the motorhome, our Chivas (Bischon Havanais) can sit in the passenger seat with a specially purchased seat belt for him that attaches to the regular seat belt. He can then move around on the couch and even look out the window. But most of the time he is asleep when we are travelling.
Norvegian, which flies from Gothenburg, takes 4 dogs per flight. Here, Chivas has been able to follow in the hold (4 times) and has managed the flights without problems. The check-in staff is very careful to check that the cage is not too small and that it should be approved according to IAT (something).
14 March 2017 - 8:23
Helena says:
Seems like a smart and practical seat belt!
14 March 2017 - 11:01
Mr Frank Olsen says:
10 years ago, I brought a cat with me on the plane to Crete.
I flew with KLM from Stavanger via Amsterdam to Athens where I changed to Aegean. In Athens I had to take out my luggage and check it in again with Aegean. With KLM, the poor kitty had to be in the cargo hold, but when I was going to check her in at the airport in Athens, I was told by the lady behind the counter that she should be with me in the cabin of the plane 🙂.
So the happy kitty got to sit on my lap, albeit in the cage, for the short flight from Athens to Chania.
14 March 2017 - 8:54
Helena says:
Not so easy when there are different airlines.... Guess the dog prefers to sit in the cabin with its owner even if it has to be caged...
14 March 2017 - 11:27
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:
We are travelling with dogs. Have been in 13 countries. you have to read up on what applies to the Swedish Board of Agriculture. Most recently it was Norway and Finland when we had papers from a veterinarian. Once to Norway, we stopped in the Arvika area and sought out a veterinarian. High fines if you are caught and do not have the papers in order.
14 March 2017 - 9:07
Helena says:
Berest dog! 🙂 Yes, you have to know what is going on!
14 March 2017 - 11:28
Mr Steve says:
Sigge and Osborne follow their master's lead and stay at Getingstorp except for short car journeys with mum in the Jeep.
I have never travelled with a dog or cat outside Sweden as I did not have any pets during my travelling career.
Great post as it is important that everything is in order to avoid problems.
14 March 2017 - 9:29
Helena says:
We are travelling more and more as Swedes, and many want to bring all family members with them 🙂.
14 March 2017 - 11:29
Ama de casa says:
I love animals and would love to have a dog (not a cat, even though I love them too, but it would probably fall from the terrace here at home - terrible thought!) But we have opted out of animals at the moment precisely because we are travelling so much. Becomes a lot of hassle.
The only animal I have travelled with is Bruce (the little evil Christmas goat). He got to come to the US and visit Ruth in Virginia 😀.
14 March 2017 - 10:04
Helena says:
I also like animals, but I don't want animals either because we travel so much. In the past in my life I have had aquarium fish, guinea pigs, rabbits and a whole bunch of domestic rats 🙂 I hope Bruce coped well with air travel 😉.
14 March 2017 - 12:47
Ruth in Virginia says:
Yes, it was fun: and Bruce had the opportunity to meet the
Uncle Sam! :).
For Your Information - We have this "winter's" first SNOW,
14 March! Poor all the flowering trees and bulbous flowers,
that came out too early. The "Cherry Blossom" festival has had to...
change the date. Angela Merkel would come to greet Mr Trump
today; even that has been changed to Friday. We are very bad at
dealing with snow, even in small amounts, as is the case right now.
14 March 2017 - 14:38
Helena says:
Confusing with the snow now ... And of course you get worse at dealing with snow if it doesn't come so often ...
19 March 2017 - 8:56
Goatfish says:
Great post, as so many people have pets and are travelling with them. It is usually fine to have them in a caravan/car.
We had a cat in our caravan, but it was a hassle, she didn't like travelling by car.
I'm a big cat lover, but have opted out of pets, because I want to feel free when I'm out and about 😀.
14 March 2017 - 10:50
Helena says:
We have chosen not to use animals for the same reason as you. Otherwise, I like animals 🙂
14 March 2017 - 12:48
Cattis says:
Very interesting information for a cat owner like me who hasn't tried travelling with animals yet. However, I have photographed many dogs for their passports!:)
14 March 2017 - 14:04
Helena says:
It sounds like an interesting job, being a passport photographer for dogs 🙂 .
14 March 2017 - 19:28
Ingrid says:
Hi, we have 2 very busy little doggies, before they were 3, both in the hottest sun and coldest winter -30 they have travelled, they adapt perfectly. Right now we are skiing and they are doing very well in the motorhome which is a flatbed, rigged for winter. In the evening we go to a restaurant or cook in the car - everything goes perfectly. The most difficult thing is heavy rain and wet weather.
They are out a lot in short passes and air themselves with walks both winter and summer. There are not many motorhomes we have seen, maybe 2 from south to north in Sweden on this trip ... but oh so nice caravans and spike tents.
14 March 2017 - 14:13
Helena says:
Tough and well-travelled dogs! Where do you go skiing?
14 March 2017 - 19:29
Biggeros says:
I have been considering for a long time whether to get a dog or a cat. Love animals!!! The problem is that we have lived abroad and are still travelling frequently so unfortunately I don't see any possibility of getting a pet at this point. Most hotel chains in Spain do not accept animals. When we lived in Moscow we bought two gerbils and hid them every day in the wardrobe when the maid came. Of course, they were always alert on the wheel. When we returned home, we gave the gerbils and all the accessories back to the pet shop???
14 March 2017 - 18:32
Helena says:
Maybe it could be animals later in life? I also feel that we travel too often (and in too mixed ways) to have animals. It was probably best that the gerbils were left behind, I think... 😉.
14 March 2017 - 19:32
Matts Torebring says:
I am a lion! I had to search long and hard to find an animal that would fit in the campervan. Jokes aside... First trip to the North Cape with a Schabrador and a motorhome, yes! Next trip around southern Sweden, with the same dog, yes! Out in Europe, no! Not for us, we did not want to expose our dog to the hot climate in Italy, which we travelled to then. Then she lived with our son some distance away. As soon as she had the opportunity, she went home and lay down on the stairs.
It would have been more fun to accompany Husse & Matte.
The first trip to the North Cape, our dog stood in the cockpit between the front seats, all the way up to Kiruna. Then she said, "Now I'm tired Husse and I'm going to lie down!". Then she put her head down, with hard pressure on her right foot and the accelerator.
14 March 2017 - 20:34
Helena says:
Oh help! The accelerator pedal is perhaps not the most optimal place to fall asleep... Guess you solved the situation, but maybe with some adrenaline 😉.
15 March 2017 - 13:33
BP says:
For anyone who has a dog and/or cat, this is an incredibly useful post. Since I have neither, but love turtles (grew up with these wonderful animals that do not bark, drool, lose hair and more), I comment on your header image. Love it:-)
14 March 2017 - 20:57
Helena says:
I don't have much experience with turtles, but they are nice. My own favourite pets are domestic rats - personable, smart, affectionate and entertaining 🙂.
15 March 2017 - 13:35
Jannice says:
hello
Anyone who has been to Albania recently and can tell us what it was like and what to think about or fix before travelling besides the obligatory things we already have?
15 March 2017 - 9:52
Jannice says:
By dog I mean ?
15 March 2017 - 9:53
Helena says:
I also hope that someone will answer this question!!!
15 March 2017 - 13:36
Elisabeth says:
Our dog goes to France at least twice a year and I have only good experiences. The Stena ferry between Gbg and Kiel has nice dog cabins and in the hotels along the way through Europe she is always welcome. Most restaurants welcome her too. Now she is not a very big dog - I can imagine that it is a bit more difficult if the dog is bigger. We have flown with her once and she was fine, even though she weighs just a little too much to go in the cabin. But for her mum and dad, it wasn't much fun to leave her at check-in. Now the madam is 13 years old and despite the good experiences, I do not think there will be another dog, because after all, it is a little extra hassle to have the dog travelling when we travel as often as we do.
18 March 2017 - 18:49
Helena says:
Good to hear that you have such positive experiences! But it will certainly be a little extra work. We ourselves also feel that we travel a little too often to have animals with us.
19 March 2017 - 8:55
Ewa says:
I will be travelling with my dog to Portugal via Germany, France, Spain. Will be away about 6 months. The return journey to Sweden may be another route, possibly Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. Have googled, visited the countries' embassy websites, also called them, asked several veterinarians, called the Swedish Board of Agriculture but have not received an answer as to whether any of these countries require the dog to be dewormed against dwarf tapeworm by a veterinarian. "Dogs travelling to the UK, Ireland, Finland and Malta must be dewormed against fox dwarf tapeworm" I read above. Does this mean that other countries do not require veterinary deworming? Then I can deworm the dog myself every 4 weeks because I don't want him to get sick.
02 August 2017 - 15:50
Helena says:
I have obtained the information from the Swedish Board of Agriculture and cannot respond beyond that. But that should be what it means. Here is more about this: http://www.jordbruksverket.se/amnesomraden/djur/resorochtransporter/hundarkatterochillrar/hundarkatterochillrarutforselochexport/utforselavhundarkatterochillrartillannateuland.4.3d562bc1346a4603d78000337.html
02 August 2017 - 17:10
Ewa says:
Thank you Helena
Yes, now that I see it written like that, I think it is just these four countries where deworming is required by a veterinarian. Then it is only vaccination against sand flea I will give him (not required but do not want to expose my dog to the risk of getting sick from these). Now I feel that I understand. Thank you again Helena.
02 August 2017 - 21:27
Anki says:
For those of you with cats who have travelled abroad in motorhomes/caravans with your furballs: please join the Facebook group "Cats in motorhomes and caravans" and share your experiences there.
Thank you and welcome!
23 January 2019 - 15:53
Anna-Carin says:
Have travelled to Spain several times by plane and had our dog in the cabin, very smoothly, also taken the boat to Tallinn with her and it worked very well, now we will take the ferry to Poland and hope everything goes just as smoothly there.
03 July 2019 - 6:47