CH

Importing Your Pet to Switzerland

Relaxed to import
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Prepared by , International Animal Health Consultant

Switzerland sorts origin countries into three categories on the FSVO’s rabies country list, and your pet’s category decides almost everything else. The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) sets the entry rules for pet dogs, cats and ferrets, and customs questions go to the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS).

There is no quarantine option. At an airport, the border veterinary service refuses entry to pets from third countries that do not comply.

Import Requirements

Every requirement below is taken from an official government page, and each one links to the page it comes from. The rules were last checked on 1 October 2026. They can change, so check the linked page again before you book.

Who is in charge

  • The FSVO (BLV) sets the entry rules for pet dogs, cats and ferrets under the Ordinance on the Import, Transit and Export of Pet Animals (EDAV-Ht, SR 916.443.14); customs questions go to the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS/BAZG).
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026

Where your pet travels from

GroupWhat appliesOrigins
Category 1EU Member States and other European states and territories using approved pet passports; free of urban rabies. Microchip, valid rabies vaccination and recognised pet passport. SourceEU Member States and other European states and territories using approved pet passports (see FSVO list)
Category 2Countries with low risk of rabies. Microchip, rabies vaccination and veterinary certificate; no titre test. Sourceper FSVO list (06.2026); includes United Arab Emirates, United States, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Category 3Rabies risk countries: all states not in Categories 1 and 2. Titre test (at least 0.5 IU/ml, 3-month wait from sampling), no animals under 7 months, and an FSVO import licence (CHF 60, apply 21 days ahead) for direct entry by air. Sourceall other countries; per FSVO list includes South Africa, Turkiye, Israel, India

Import permit

Microchip

  • All animals from third countries must be microchipped before the rabies vaccination. Applies to dogs and cats from third countries.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026

Rabies vaccination

Rabies titre test

  • Animals from rabies risk (Category 3) countries need a rabies antibody titration from an EU-designated laboratory, with long waiting times. Applies to dogs and cats from Category 3 countries.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026
  • Result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml, from an EU-approved laboratory, on blood taken at least 30 days after rabies vaccination. Entry is allowed no earlier than 3 months after the blood sample, for first entry and for animals vaccinated or tested in a third country. Applies to dogs and cats from Category 3 countries.
    Application form for entry or re-entry with a dog, cat or ferret from a rabies risk country (EDAV-Ht Art. 14 para. 4), checked 1 October 2026
  • EDAV-Ht Art. 15: sample taken by an authorised vet at least 30 days after vaccination and three months before import. The 3-month wait does not apply on re-entry if the passport shows a positive titre done before the animal left Switzerland, the EU, Iceland, Norway or Northern Ireland. The titre need not be repeated if boosters are kept up to date. Applies to dogs and cats from Category 3 countries.
    SR 916.443.14 Ordinance on the Import, Transit and Export of Pet Animals (EDAV-Ht), checked 1 October 2026
  • Not required for Category 1 or 2 origins: the FSVO lists the titre test only under additional requirements for rabies risk countries. Animals from Category 1 or 2 transiting a Category 3 country by secure transport or airport (owner declaration) also need no titre (EDAV-Ht Art. 15 para. 4). Applies to dogs and cats from Category 1 and 2 countries.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026

Health certificate

  • Animals that do not already meet Swiss requirements, or are travelling to Switzerland for the first time, need the veterinary certificate issued by the authorities of the exporting country; animals that already comply can use a valid Swiss or EU pet passport. Applies to dogs and cats from third countries.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026
  • EDAV-Ht Art. 10: the certificate is completed by an official vet, or by an authorised vet and endorsed by the competent authority, and includes an owner declaration that the move is not for transfer of ownership. For direct air import it is valid until the check at a national airport, at most 10 days from issue. Applies to dogs and cats from third countries entering by direct flight.
    SR 916.443.14 Ordinance on the Import, Transit and Export of Pet Animals (EDAV-Ht), checked 1 October 2026

Other vaccines and tests

  • Not required: the FSVO states the complete requirements for entry from third countries as microchip, valid rabies vaccination and supporting documents, plus titre for rabies risk countries. No other vaccine or test is listed. Applies to dogs and cats from third countries.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026

Parasite treatment

  • Not required: the FSVO's requirement lists (EU: microchip, rabies vaccination, passport; third countries: microchip, rabies vaccination, documents, titre for risk countries) contain no tapeworm or other parasite treatment, and the EDAV-Ht has no parasite provision.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026

Quarantine

Arrival points and notice

  • Direct air entry (no full veterinary check in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Northern Ireland): accompanied pets via Basel, Geneva or Zurich; unaccompanied (air waybill) via Geneva or Zurich only. Applies to dogs and cats from third countries entering by direct flight.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026
  • From third countries an entry control is always carried out: present the animal at the red customs exit. Applies to dogs and cats from third countries.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026
  • Pets must be imported through a manned customs office during the clearance hours for tourist traffic; not every border crossing accepts every animal.
    Dogs, cats, domestic animals, checked 1 October 2026
  • Not every border crossing accepts every animal, so use a permitted entry point. Apart from the FSVO import licence (applied for 21 days before direct air arrival from Category 3 countries), the FSVO pages describe no separate pre-arrival notice; the animal is declared at the red customs exit on arrival.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026

Minimum age

  • Dogs, cats and ferrets under 7 months may not enter from rabies risk countries. Applies to dogs and cats from Category 3 countries.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026
  • From low rabies risk (Category 2) countries, young animals that have not completed vaccination can enter with a special owner declaration. From the EU, young animals up to 16 weeks that could not complete vaccination need the EU owner declaration. Applies to young dogs and cats from Category 1 and 2 countries.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026

How many pets

  • A maximum of five pets per private vehicle under the pet rules. More are allowed only for competitions, exhibitions, sporting events or training, with proof of registration, animals at least six months old, and FSVO authorisation if from a third country.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026
  • EDAV-Ht Art. 6a: from third countries at most five animals in total under the pet rules; with more, all animals fall under the commercial import ordinance. Applies to dogs and cats from third countries.
    SR 916.443.14 Ordinance on the Import, Transit and Export of Pet Animals (EDAV-Ht), checked 1 October 2026

Banned and restricted breeds

  • Importing dogs with docked ears and/or tails is prohibited. Applies to docked dogs.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026
  • Per BAZG, docked dogs are refused entry at the border. Limited exceptions: owners living abroad on holiday or short stays (declare and pay a deposit), and people relocating to Switzerland who meet the duty-free household effects conditions. Applies to docked dogs.
    Dogs, cats, domestic animals, checked 1 October 2026

How your pet may travel

  • Accompanied pets may fly in the cabin or as excess baggage (Basel, Geneva, Zurich); unaccompanied pets travel with an air waybill (Geneva or Zurich only). An authorised person may move the pet if the owner travels within five days before or after. Applies to dogs and cats travelling by air.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026

Official fees

  • Animals bought abroad and imported are duty-free but subject to 8.1% VAT on their value. Applies to dogs and cats bought abroad.
    Dogs, cats, domestic animals, checked 1 October 2026
  • Any FSVO permit under the EDAV-Ht (including the import licence for Category 3 animals arriving by direct flight and the 07/23 permit) costs CHF 60 (Fee Ordinance FSVO, SR 916.472, status 1 December 2025). Applies to dogs and cats needing an FSVO permit.
    SR 916.472 Fee Ordinance FSVO (status 1 December 2025), checked 1 October 2026
  • Measures ordered by the FSVO under EDAV-Ht Art. 30 (refusal of non-compliant pets at an airport) carry a CHF 120 fee. Applies to non-compliant dogs and cats at airports.
    SR 916.472 Fee Ordinance FSVO (status 1 December 2025), checked 1 October 2026

Other conditions

  • Animals with missing documents are refused entry at the mandatory entry control.
    Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets, checked 1 October 2026
  • Late (retroactive) customs declarations of pets always carry extra costs and may lead to penal proceedings.
    Dogs, cats, domestic animals, checked 1 October 2026
  • Pets must have been personally acquired and kept by the keeper before entry; the pet rules do not cover animals moved for transfer to another person.
    Preparing to travel with pets, checked 1 October 2026

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Switzerland and EU pet rules

Switzerland is not in the EU, but pets from the EU sit in Category 1 alongside other European states using approved pet passports: a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and a recognised pet passport are needed. Category 2 is low rabies risk and includes the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and the UAE: microchip, rabies vaccination and a veterinary certificate, with no titre test. Category 3 is every other country, and that is where the extra steps sit.

Animals from rabies risk (Category 3) countries need a rabies antibody test from an EU-approved laboratory. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml, on blood taken at least 30 days after rabies vaccination, and entry is allowed no earlier than 3 months after the blood sample.

Dogs and cats under 7 months may not enter from these countries. Arriving by direct flight also needs an FSVO import licence, one application per animal, sent at least 21 days before entry. The FSVO fee is CHF 60.

South Africa, Turkiye, Israel and India are all Category 3 on the FSVO list. The FSVO list is the one to check for any other country.

Zürich customs process

Pets travelling with their owner can fly into Basel, Geneva or Zurich, in the cabin or as excess baggage. Pets sent as cargo on an air waybill can arrive only at Geneva or Zurich. From third countries an entry control is always carried out, so present your pet at the red customs exit.

One rule catches people out: importing dogs with docked ears or tails is prohibited, with limited exceptions set by FOCBS for short stays and for people relocating to Switzerland.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, but that is not good news for a pet with paperwork problems. Switzerland has no quarantine option: at the airport, the border veterinary service refuses entry to non-compliant pets from third countries. If they cannot be sent back at once they are isolated at the owner’s risk, and if not re-exported within 10 days they can be seized and killed. Get everything right before you travel.

Only from Category 3 (rabies risk) countries. Pets from Category 1 or 2 countries do not need one. Every pet still needs a microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination, and a valid rabies vaccination.

Yes. The FSVO rules for pet dogs, cats and ferrets are the same: microchip, valid rabies vaccination and the right documents, plus a titre test from rabies risk countries. No tapeworm or other parasite treatment is required.

Pets travelling to Switzerland for the first time, or not yet meeting Swiss requirements, need the veterinary certificate issued by the authorities of the exporting country. It is completed by an official vet, or by an authorised vet and endorsed by the competent authority. For a direct flight it is valid for at most 10 days from issue.

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Switzerland

  • Difficulty: Relaxed
  • Code: CH

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