Finland - Pets

Two useful European Commission links for traveling with pets in the EU:

1. Travelers' Points of Entry if coming from a third country with a dog, cat or ferret – country specific information

2. Animal health requirements applicable to dogs, cats and ferrets moved into EU countries – country specific information

Finland's Rules if coming from an EU country

Dogs and cats must:

• Have a European pet passport.
• Be identified by a microchip or clearly readable tattoo.
• Be vaccinated against rabies with a valid vaccine at the time of travel and included in the passport.

Only dogs require anti-echinococcus treatment which must be administered 1 to 5 days before entering Finland.

Puppies under the age of three months as well as dogs travelling to Finland from e.g. Sweden have to be treated before they enter Finland.

Dogs traveling to Finland directly from Norway, Ireland, or Malta require no anti-echinococcus treatment.

Medication is not required for cats or ferrets.

Finland's Rules if coming from outside the EU

To introduce a pet from a third country, you must enter with your pet through one of the designated Travelers’ Points of Entry and must contact the Customs authority and present the pet's travel documents for inspection.

Pets arriving from Norway and Switzerland require a third country pet passport. Pet passports from other third countries are not accepted as identification documents.

In those cases where there is no European pet passport, the animals must be accompanied by:

• An animal health certificate in accordance with the EU model issued by an official veterinarian.
• The owner’s declaration regarding the non-commercial nature of the movement, and
• The original vaccination documents or certified copies.

Dogs and Cats must:

• Be identified with a microchip, or tattoo.
• Be vaccinated against rabies by an authorized veterinarian (After the anti-rabies vaccination the following has to be adhered to: either a qualifying period of 21 days if the country of origin is listed or your pet must undergo a rabies antibodies test 30 days after the vaccination).

Only dogs require anti-echinococcus treatment which must be administered 1 to 5 days before entering Finland.

More details at the Finnish Food Authority webpage.

Last updated:  May 2023