Bringing your dog back to Europe or France after a stay in the US

In short

• Since 22 April 2026, new EU rules apply to pets entering the EU. The United States is on the EU list of countries whose pets do not need a rabies titer test.
• Your dog needs a microchip, a rabies vaccine given at 12 weeks or older and at least 21 days before travel (for a first vaccine), and an EU animal health certificate signed by a USDA-accredited vet and endorsed by USDA.
• The certificate must be issued or endorsed no more than 10 days before entry into the EU.
• An EU-resident dog can sometimes come home on its EU pet passport alone. The UK has separate rules.

Which rules apply

The EU sets one set of rules for pets coming from outside the EU, and every member state, France included, applies it. The main texts are Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, both applying since 22 April 2026. They replace the older Regulation (EU) 576/2013, which many websites still quote.

The good news for travelers from the US: Annex II of Regulation 2026/636 lists the United States, including Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. That listing is what exempts your dog from the rabies titer test.

These rules cover non-commercial moves: your own pet, traveling with you or with someone you authorize, five animals at most.

What your dog needs

1. A microchip, before the vaccine

The dog must be identified by a microchip. The vaccine only counts if it was given after the chip was implanted or read. A clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011 is also accepted. If the chip is not ISO compliant, USDA advises bringing your own scanner or adding a second, ISO-compliant chip.

2. A valid rabies vaccine

• Given when the dog was at least 12 weeks old.
• For a first (primary) vaccination, at least 21 days must have passed before travel. USDA notes that some manufacturers recommend 30 days.
• A booster given before the previous vaccine expired is valid immediately. A gap resets the dog to a first vaccination.

3. No titer test, if you leave from the US

Because the US is listed, no blood test is needed. If your dog also spent time in a country that is not on the EU list on the way, ask your vet: the exemption is tied to the country the dog is moved from.

4. The EU animal health certificate

This is a specific EU form (not a general US health certificate). A USDA-accredited veterinarian fills it in and signs it, then USDA APHIS endorses it. USDA says the vet submits it through its online system, VEHCS. The original endorsed paper travels with your dog. See USDA endorsement for how that works.

USDA states that new EU health certificate models apply to non-commercial moves from 1 October 2026. Make sure your vet uses the current one.

5. A written declaration

You (or the person traveling with the dog) sign a declaration that the move is non-commercial. It is attached to the certificate.

6. Dogs going to Finland, Ireland or Malta

These countries require a tapeworm treatment (against Echinococcus multilocularis) between 24 and 120 hours before the dog enters them. France does not.

On arrival in the EU

• Your dog must enter through a travellers’ point of entry, where border staff check the documents and the microchip. The European Commission page lists only a few nearby countries (Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco and similar) as exempt from this.
• In France, the Ministry of Agriculture asks you to present yourself to customs on arrival and show the documents. Its FAQ also says that a dog imported from a non-EU country must have at least one adult tooth, and that category 1 dogs (attack dog types under French law) are banned, even in transit.
• After entry, the certificate covers travel within the EU for 6 months or until the rabies vaccine expires, whichever comes first.

The EU pet passport: when it is enough

If your dog lives in the EU and has an EU pet passport, the new regulation lets it come back without a health certificate when the passport shows:

• a rabies vaccination given before you left the EU, and
• that this vaccination is still valid on the day you return.

USDA’s France page says the same in short: a pet with a valid EU pet passport “may not need” an export health certificate.

The regulation ties this option to a vaccination documented before the dog left the EU. Our reading: if that vaccine expired during your stay and was renewed in the US, the condition is no longer met, so plan for the EU health certificate. The regulation does not spell out this case, so check with your airline and your EU vet if in doubt.

Traveling with several pets or without the owner

• Five pets at most per non-commercial move. More than five is commercial, unless the animals are over six months old and registered for a competition, show or sporting event, with written proof.
• If someone else travels with your dog, they must fly within 5 days before or after you and carry your signed written authorization.
• A dog flying alone as cargo without you or your authorized person within that window falls under the commercial rules, with a different USDA certificate.

Coming back to the US later

When your dog flies from France or another EU country back to the United States, it needs a new CDC Dog Import Form. EU countries are not on the CDC high-risk list, so a dog that stayed only in low-risk countries needs the short form. See returning US dogs.

The United Kingdom is different

Great Britain is not in the EU and has its own pet travel rules. GOV.UK asks for a microchip before the rabies vaccine, a wait of at least 21 days after a first vaccination, a pet travel document whose type depends on where you travel from, a tapeworm treatment for dogs between 24 hours and 5 days before arrival, and arrival on an approved route. Check GOV.UK: Bring your pet to Great Britain (opens in a new tab) for the US case before you book.