Bring a pet dog or cat to Germany from the USA: the full official process

Have your pet implanted with an ISO-compliant microchip (ISO 11784/11785), and make sure the chip goes in before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination. The order matters: the EU treats a rabies vaccination given before the microchip as invalid, so a pet chipped after being vaccinated must be re-vaccinated. The rabies shot must be given by an authorised vet when the animal is at least 12 weeks old, and the microchip number must be recorded on the vaccination record. Keep every certificate — the chip number ties all your pet's documents together and must match on the health certificate.

• ISO-compliant microchip (ISO 11784/11785) implanted before or with the rabies vaccination
• A rabies vaccination given before the chip is not valid for EU entry
• Rabies vaccine given only from 12 weeks of age
• Microchip number must appear on the rabies vaccination record

Before booking anything, confirm which EU pathway applies. Because the USA is on the EU's list of approved countries and territories, a pet moving from the USA to Germany is exempt from the rabies antibody titration test that unlisted, higher-rabies-risk countries must pass. This is the single fact that makes the US-to-Germany route short: there is no 30-day-post-vaccination blood draw, no EU-approved-laboratory result to wait on, and no three-month holding period after a titre. Do not let a vet or transporter add a titre test you do not need. The only rabies timing you must respect is the 21-day validity wait after the primary vaccination.

• USA is an EU-listed country — no rabies antibody titration test required
• No post-titre waiting period applies to US-origin pets
• The only rabies wait is 21 days after the primary vaccination
• Do not add a titre test that the listed-country rule removes

The completed EU certificate must be endorsed by USDA APHIS Veterinary Services before you fly. APHIS runs this through the Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS), its secure online platform for creating, issuing, submitting and endorsing export health certificates, and it accepts electronic signatures from USDA-accredited veterinarians for live-animal export certificates regardless of destination. Because the EU certificate is only valid for 10 days from the date of issue to enter the EU, plan the endorsement so the endorsed certificate is in hand and still inside that window when your pet arrives in Germany. The endorsed original travels with your pet.

• APHIS Veterinary Services must endorse the EU certificate before travel
• Endorsement runs through the online VEHCS system
• APHIS accepts electronic signatures from accredited vets for export certificates
• The certificate is valid 10 days from issue to enter the EU — time it carefully

Germany does not run its own separate pet-import scheme — it applies the EU's harmonised non-commercial pet movement rules under Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 and Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013. Those rules split the world into listed and unlisted origins. The USA appears on the EU's list of approved countries and territories in Annex II, Part 2 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013, alongside countries like Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The direct consequence: a US-origin pet is moved into the EU 'without having undergone a rabies antibody titration test'. That is what keeps this route to weeks rather than months. Everything below is the listed-country checklist.

• Germany applies EU rules — Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 and 577/2013
• USA is listed in Annex II, Part 2 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013
• Listed status = no rabies antibody titration test
• Same lighter pathway as Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand

Your pet must carry a valid anti-rabies vaccination. Under the EU rules the animal must have been at least 12 weeks old on the date the vaccine was administered, and for a primary vaccination the validity 'starts not less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol'. In practice that means the earliest a puppy or kitten can enter is about 15 weeks of age (12 weeks at vaccination plus the 21-day wait). A booster given before the previous vaccination lapsed keeps validity running without a fresh 21-day wait, but a lapsed or first-ever course restarts the 21-day clock. The vaccination must still be valid on the day you travel.

• Pet at least 12 weeks old at the date of rabies vaccination
• Primary vaccination valid only from 21 days after the course is completed
• Earliest entry is roughly 15 weeks of age for a young animal
• Vaccination must remain valid on the day of travel

On arrival your pet must pass through a Travellers' Point of Entry designated by the EU country of entry, where the competent authority carries out documentary and identity checks (matching the microchip to the certificate). You should contact that authority as required. For non-commercial movement the maximum number of pet animals that may travel is 5 in a single vehicle; moving more than 5 is only allowed for registered competitions, shows or sporting events, with documentary evidence, and for animals over six months old — otherwise commercial import rules apply. The pet must be accompanied and under the direct responsibility of its owner or an authorised person.

• Enter through a designated Travellers' Point of Entry for document/identity checks
• Maximum of 5 pets for non-commercial movement in a single vehicle
• More than 5 only for registered events, with evidence, animals over 6 months
• The pet must travel with its owner or an authorised person