TR

Importing Your Pet to Turkey

Moderate to import
Verification date not recorded. Confirm current requirements with the destination authority.
Prepared by , International Animal Health Consultant

Turkey has its own pet import requirements. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry controls the entry of pet cats, dogs and ferrets through its Veterinary Border Control Points (VSKN), and the Istanbul Airport VSKN publishes the entry conditions. They are one list, applied to every origin country.

Your pet needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination given after the chip, a rabies antibody titre test and a veterinary health certificate issued within 2 days before travel. No import permit is required. Under customs rules a passenger may travel with at most 2 animals.

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 2 October 2026. They can change, so check the linked page again before you book.

Who is in charge

Where your pet travels from

GroupWhat appliesOrigins
All originsOne set of conditions for every origin: microchip, rabies vaccination, titre test with 90-day wait after a first result, veterinary health certificate issued within 2 days before travel, maximum 2 animals per passenger. SourceAll countries
  • Not applicable: the VSKN entry conditions are one list applied to all pets travelling with passengers to Turkiye, with no grouping by origin country. (The only origin-based variation is the Ministry's discretion on unvaccinated animals under 3 months; see minimum_age.)
    Kedi-Köpek-Gelincik Seyahati, checked 2 October 2026

Import permit

  • Not required: the VSKN list of conditions for pets travelling with passengers (ID document, microchip, rabies vaccination, titre test and wait, veterinary health certificate, 2-animal limit) contains no import permit.
    Kedi-Köpek-Gelincik Seyahati, checked 2 October 2026

Microchip

Rabies vaccination

Rabies titre test

  • A rabies antibody titre test is required at least 30 days after rabies vaccination, at an accredited (EU-approved) laboratory, with a result above 0.5 IU.
    Kedi-Köpek-Gelincik Seyahati, checked 2 October 2026
  • After a first titre test, wait 90 days from the date of the test result before travelling. Later trips do not need the wait if the rabies vaccination has been renewed within its validity.
    Kedi-Köpek-Gelincik Seyahati, checked 2 October 2026
    Official sources differThe 2011 regulation (https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2011/12/20111205-3.htm, Art. 10(1)(c)) says the blood sample must be taken 3 months before movement and at least 30 days after the last rabies vaccination ("Hareketlerinden 3 ay önce ve son kuduz aşılamasından en az 30 gün sonra"). Both are Ministry sources; the VSKN page is the current operational guidance and counting 90 days from the result always satisfies the regulation's 3 months from sampling, so the VSKN rule is recorded.
  • The titre test is not required again for animals whose passport shows an acceptable result and whose rabies vaccinations have been kept up to date. (Regulation on animal health conditions for non-commercial movements of pets, Official Gazette 28133 of 5 December 2011.)
    Ev ve Süs Hayvanlarının Ticari Olmayan Hareketlerinde Uygulanacak Hayvan Sağlığı Şartlarına Dair Yönetmelik (5 December 2011), checked 2 October 2026

Health certificate

  • A veterinary health certificate on the model in the regulation annex must be issued by the competent authority of the sending country within 2 days before travel.
    Kedi-Köpek-Gelincik Seyahati, checked 2 October 2026
  • The annex model certificate is valid for four months after signature by the official veterinarian or endorsement by the competent authority (or until rabies vaccination expiry if earlier). This is the validity period; issue must still fall within 2 days before travel per the VSKN page. A certificate signed by an authorised (non-official) vet must be endorsed by the competent authority. (Regulation on animal health conditions for non-commercial movements of pets, Official Gazette 28133 of 5 December 2011.)
    Ev ve Süs Hayvanlarının Ticari Olmayan Hareketlerinde Uygulanacak Hayvan Sağlığı Şartlarına Dair Yönetmelik (5 December 2011), checked 2 October 2026

Other vaccines and tests

Parasite treatment

Quarantine

Arrival points and notice

Minimum age

How many pets

Banned and restricted breeds

  • The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry circular on dangerous animals (in force 7 December 2021, under Animal Protection Law 5199 as amended) designates American Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, American Staffordshire Terrier and American Bully as dangerous animals.
    Circular on dangerous animals, checked 2 October 2026
  • Bringing these dangerous breeds into Turkiye is prohibited, as are breeding, owning, rehoming, keeping, selling and advertising them.
    Circular on dangerous animals, checked 2 October 2026

How your pet may travel

Official fees

Other conditions

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Health certificate requirements

The veterinary health certificate follows the model in the annex to Turkey’s 2011 regulation on non-commercial pet movements, and it must be issued by the competent authority of the sending country within 2 days before travel. A certificate signed by an authorised vet who is not an official vet must be endorsed by the competent authority.

Your pet also needs a passport or identification document showing its owner. Cats, dogs and ferrets travelling with passengers may enter only through border gates designated by the Ministry, so confirm with the VSKN at your planned entry point.

Breed restrictions in Turkey

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s 2021 circular on dangerous animals names six breeds: American Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, American Staffordshire Terrier and American Bully. Bringing these breeds into Turkey is prohibited, as are breeding, owning, keeping and selling them.

If your dog is one of these breeds or a cross that might be taken for one, talk to the VSKN before booking flights. It is better to check in advance than face refusal at the border.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not for compliant pets. Animals that do not meet the regulation are returned to the origin country or, where possible, held in quarantine for as long as needed to establish compliance, and the owner pays all costs of checks and quarantine.

Yes, from every origin. The VSKN conditions require a rabies antibody titre test at least 30 days after rabies vaccination, at an accredited (EU-approved) laboratory, with a result above 0.5 IU.

Plan for the wait. After a first titre test you must wait 90 days from the date of the test result before travelling. Later trips do not need the wait if the rabies vaccination has been renewed within its validity, and the test is not required again for a pet whose passport shows an acceptable result and whose vaccinations have been kept up to date.

Yes. Cats, dogs and ferrets follow the same Ministry conditions: microchip, rabies vaccination, titre test and health certificate. No parasite treatment is mandatory.

A veterinary health certificate on the model in the Turkish regulation annex, issued by the competent authority of your origin country within 2 days before travel. If an authorised (non-official) vet signs it, the competent authority must endorse it.

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On this page

Turkey

  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Code: TR

Sources

Requirements on this page were checked against the authorities below. Rules change, so confirm current conditions with the relevant authority before you travel.

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