Finland is the most geographically specific destination in the Nordics for pet cargo from non-EU countries: arrivals must enter through Helsinki Vantaa Airport or the Vaalimaa land border. For a Georgian-origin pet, the process starts well …
Each step must be completed in a precise sequence. Start early. We manage every stage and deadline.
1
Microchip (ISO 11784/11785)
Responsible: Georgian vet
Before any vaccination. If already chipped, confirm the number is readable and matches all documents.
2
Rabies vaccination
Responsible: Georgian vet
After microchipping. Wait at least 30 days before titre test blood draw.
3
FAVN titre test blood draw
Responsible: Georgian vet + EU-approved lab
At least 30 days post-vaccination. Sample shipped to EU-approved lab. The blood draw date is day zero of the 90-day wait.
4
90-day wait from blood draw date
Responsible: N/A
Fixed legal minimum. Cannot be shortened.
5
Book live cargo from Tbilisi to Helsinki (HEL)
Responsible: Owner or transport agent
During the 90-day wait. Cargo must terminate at Helsinki Vantaa. No other Finnish airport is an approved entry point for non-EU origin pets. Confirm all cargo segments accept live animals.
6
NFSA-endorsed EU health certificate
Responsible: NFSA-authorised vet + NFSA
Within 10 days of travel to Finland.
7
Travel to Helsinki Vantaa (HEL)
Responsible: Airline + owner
Travel day. Tbilisi to Helsinki via hub is typically 7-14 hours.
Requirements
What your pet needs to enter Finland
Every item below must be in place before your pet can travel. We manage and verify each one.
Microchip
Required. ISO 11784/11785 standard. Must be implanted before or on the same day as the first rabies vaccination.
Rabies vaccination
Required. Current vaccination. Primary vaccination must be administered at least 21 days before travel. Boosters within the prior vaccine's valid period are immediately effective.
Rabies titre test
Required. Finland is an EU member state. Georgia is EU unlisted. Under EU Regulation 2020/692, a rabies antibody titre test at an EU-approved laboratory is required. Blood drawn at least 30 days after primary vaccination. Minimum result 0.5 IU/ml. 90-day wait from the blood draw date before entry. Source: Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto), ruokavirasto.fi/en.
Quarantine
No routine quarantine for compliant arrivals. Conditional quarantine may apply if documentation is incomplete.
Import permit
Not required for companion pets at approved entry points.
Health certificate
EU-format non-commercial health certificate for unlisted third countries. NFSA-endorsed. Valid for 10 days.
Export permit (Georgia)
No formal export permit required for companion pets from Georgia.
Costs
What this route typically costs
FAVN titre test (blood draw plus international laboratory): GEL 250-700 (approximately EUR 80-230)
NFSA health certificate and endorsement: GEL 100-300 (approximately EUR 30-100)
Live cargo Tbilisi to Helsinki via hub: EUR 600-1,900 depending on routing, crate size, season
IATA travel crate: EUR 80-300
Pet transport agent: EUR 400-1,000
Total typical range: EUR 900-3,600 across a 5-7 month preparation period
Critical points to read before you book
Helsinki Vantaa Airport (HEL) is the only approved border inspection post for non-EU origin pet cargo in Finland. Routing cargo to any other Finnish airport will result in refusal of entry. Confirm in writing with your carrier that HEL is the designated entry point.
The 90-day wait begins on the blood draw date. Laboratory result processing takes 2-4 weeks, but the timer does not pause while you wait for results. Plan as if the clock starts immediately when the blood is drawn.
Ruokavirasto's website (ruokavirasto.fi/en) has an interactive tool to look up specific import requirements by country of origin. Check this before starting your preparation in case requirements have been updated.
Georgia is EU unlisted. The country's EU Association Agreement covers trade and political ties but has no effect on pet travel classification. The full FAVN titre plus 90-day wait applies.
Airlines
Carriers approved for this route
Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. We know which carriers to use and how to book.
TURKISH
Turkish Airlines
Tbilisi (TBS) to Istanbul (IST), then IST to Helsinki Vantaa (HEL). Turkish Airlines Cargo handles live animals at IST and operates regular services to HEL. This is the most reliable routing for Tbilisi-to-Helsinki live cargo.
Cargo Only
FINNAIR
Finnair
Finnair's main hub is Helsinki (HEL). It does not fly from Tbilisi directly, but may handle live cargo arriving into HEL from a connecting carrier. Useful as the receiving carrier for the final leg into Helsinki.
Cargo Only
LUFTHANSA
Lufthansa
Via Frankfurt (FRA) Animal Lounge, then FRA to Helsinki. Good intermediate live animal care at FRA. Connections from TBS to FRA via partner carriers, then Lufthansa Cargo forward to HEL.
Cargo Only
AUSTRIAN
Austrian Airlines
Vienna (VIE) hub connections from TBS are available via Austrian Airlines. From VIE, onward cargo to Helsinki. Austrian handles live animal cargo and VIE has cargo infrastructure. Less common than the IST or FRA routings but viable.
Cargo Only
The Helsinki-only restriction explained
Finland has several airports handling international passenger flights, but for live animal cargo from non-EU countries, only Helsinki Vantaa (HEL) is an approved border inspection post. The Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto) requires all pets arriving from unlisted third countries to be cleared at HEL.
This is not the same rule that applies within the EU. Once a pet is inside the EU and its documents are in order, EU-internal movement is straightforward. But the first step, entering Finland from Georgia, must go through HEL. Budget carriers flying smaller EU-internal routes from secondary Finnish airports do not handle live cargo from non-EU origins and are not inspection posts.
When booking your cargo, specify HEL as the final destination and confirm with the cargo carrier that the live animal will be off-loaded and inspected at HEL. Do not assume that a connecting cargo booking through Helsinki automatically means HEL is the inspection point.
Handling the NFSA endorsement process
The health certificate for a Georgian pet travelling to Finland must be issued by an NFSA-authorised veterinarian in Georgia and then endorsed (officially stamped and authenticated) by the National Food Agency. This is a two-step process: the vet writes the certificate, then NFSA validates it.
NFSA has offices in Tbilisi and regional centres. The endorsement process typically takes 1-3 working days depending on queue. Because the certificate is only valid for 10 days from issuance, timing is tight: the vet appointment and the NFSA endorsement must both happen within 10 days of your pet’s departure date.
Some pet transport agents in Georgia have established relationships with NFSA and can help manage this timeline efficiently. If you are coordinating this independently, schedule the vet appointment and NFSA appointment back to back, ideally with a day of buffer in case of administrative delays.
FAQ
Common questions about Georgia to Finland pet transport
In theory, land travel is possible if you enter the EU at an approved land border inspection post and then travel to Finland via Vaalimaa. In practice, this is a very long journey across multiple countries and requires your pet to meet the entry requirements at the first EU country it enters (which are the same as Finland’s). For most people, flying directly to HEL and clearing there is simpler and more manageable.
Finland applies the same requirements as other EU member states under EU Regulation 2020/692. There is no Finnish-specific extra layer for companion pets from unlisted third countries beyond the standard: titre test, 90-day wait, health certificate. Finland is sometimes perceived as strict because HEL is a well-staffed and thorough border post, but the rules themselves are the EU standard.
If the blood was drawn on day 1 and the 90-day wait ends on day 91, the fact that you received the results on day 25 is irrelevant to the wait period. The wait is calculated from the blood draw date, not the results date. So if your blood draw was 1 March and the result came back 25 March, you can still travel from 30 May onwards (day 91 from 1 March), provided the result is 0.5 IU/ml or above.