Pet Transport from Turkey to Germany
A three-hour flight, a four-month paper trail. Turkey is a non-listed country under the EU pet movement rules, so every dog and cat flying Istanbul to Frankfurt needs a rabies titre test and a fixed 3-month wait from the blood draw date, exactly as if it were …
The Turkey to Germany import process
Every step must be completed in sequence. A single missed deadline can add months to your timeline. We own the entire process.
Responsible: Vet in Turkey
Responsible: Vet in Turkey
Responsible: Official vet and Etlik laboratory, Ankara
Responsible: N/A - mandatory waiting period
Responsible: You (or your pet transport agent)
Responsible: Official vet + Il Tarim ve Orman Mudurlugu
Responsible: You + airline + German customs
Which Germany rules depend on a pet coming from Turkey?
The EU sorts non-EU countries into groups, and Turkey falls in “Non-listed third countries and territories”.
Rabies antibody titration test required: sample taken by an authorised veterinarian at least 30 days after primary vaccination and not less than 90 days before the animal health certificate is issued, tested in an EU-designated laboratory, result at least 0.5 IU/ml. The 90-day wait does not apply to re-entry of an EU-resident pet whose passport documents a favourable test done before leaving the EU. Official source
These rules apply to that group, on top of the rules every pet follows:
- Rabies titre test: Where required (non-listed origins), the test must measure a level of neutralising antibody to rabies virus in serum of at least 0.5 IU/ml, done in a designated laboratory. Neither the EC page nor 2026/131 (which refers to point 1 of Annex XXI to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692) names a test method such as FAVN or RFFIT. Applies to dogs and cats from non-listed third countries.
Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country, checked 1 October 2026 - Rabies titre test: The test must be done by an official laboratory designated under Article 37 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, or by a laboratory in a third country listed in Annex VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 designated in line with Article 37(4) and (5) of that Regulation; only laboratories specifically accredited for the method may do it, so the laboratory need not be in the EU. The EC publishes the lists of designated laboratories. Applies to dogs and cats from non-listed third countries.
Designated laboratories for performing rabies antibody titration tests, checked 1 October 2026 - Rabies titre test: The blood sample must be taken by an authorised veterinarian at least 30 days after the primary vaccination (or within a current valid vaccination series) and not less than 90 days before the animal health certificate is issued. Applies to dogs and cats from non-listed third countries.
Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country, checked 1 October 2026
The rules that apply to every pet entering Germany, whatever the origin, are listed with their official sources in our Germany guide.
What does Turkey require before your pet leaves?
- Export permit: Cats and dogs of the protected native breeds named by the National Committee (Kangal, Akbas and Kars shepherd dogs, Catalburun hunting dog, Zagar Inci dog, Ankara cat and Van cat; listed as items i. to vii. in the instruction) are genetic resources under protection, and taking them abroad needs prior permission. (Ministry implementing instruction of 21 October 2022, as published by the Tekirdag VSKN.) Applies to protected native breeds of dog and cat leaving Turkiye.
Implementing instruction on passenger and commercial movements of cats and dogs abroad (2022), checked 2 October 2026 - Export health certificate: No cat or dog may leave Turkiye without a veterinary health certificate issued by an official veterinarian (Ministry implementing instruction no. 7455140 of 21 October 2022, as published by the Tekirdag VSKN). Applies to dogs and cats leaving Turkiye.
Implementing instruction on passenger and commercial movements of cats and dogs abroad (2022), checked 2 October 2026 - Export health certificate: The certificate is issued by the provincial or district Agriculture and Forestry Directorate where the owner lives, no earlier than 48 hours before departure (instruction of 21 October 2022). Applies to dogs and cats leaving Turkiye.
Implementing instruction on passenger and commercial movements of cats and dogs abroad (2022), checked 2 October 2026 - Export health certificate: In Ankara, passenger-accompanied pet certificates have been issued by the district Agriculture and Forestry Directorates since 1 February 2024. Applies to dogs and cats leaving from Ankara province.
Exit abroad (pets), checked 2 October 2026 - Other conditions: Movements of pets from Turkiye to other countries are governed by the destination country's law; the owner should consult the destination authority at least 6 months before travel. (Regulation on animal health conditions for non-commercial movements of pets, Official Gazette 28133 of 5 December 2011.) Applies to dogs and cats leaving Turkiye.
Ev ve Süs Hayvanlarının Ticari Olmayan Hareketlerinde Uygulanacak Hayvan Sağlığı Şartlarına Dair Yönetmelik (5 December 2011), checked 2 October 2026 - Other conditions: Before leaving, a pet in Turkiye must be microchipped as set out in the regulation on identification and registration of cats, dogs and ferrets, registered in the PETVET pet registration system, and issued a passport. (Ministry implementing instruction of 21 October 2022, as published by the Tekirdag VSKN.) Applies to dogs and cats leaving Turkiye.
Implementing instruction on passenger and commercial movements of cats and dogs abroad (2022), checked 2 October 2026 - Other conditions: The passport must state the breed and colour precisely: animals whose passport gives the breed only as "mix" or the colour only as "mixed" are not processed for exit until the passport is corrected. (Ministry implementing instruction of 21 October 2022, as published by the Tekirdag VSKN.) Applies to dogs and cats leaving Turkiye.
Implementing instruction on passenger and commercial movements of cats and dogs abroad (2022), checked 2 October 2026 - Other conditions: Owned and registered dogs of the dangerous breeds designated under the dangerous animals circular may leave Turkiye with their owners if the destination country accepts them, but they will not be allowed back into Turkiye. (Ministry implementing instruction of 21 October 2022, as published by the Tekirdag VSKN.) Applies to dangerous-breed dogs leaving Turkiye.
Implementing instruction on passenger and commercial movements of cats and dogs abroad (2022), checked 2 October 2026
What this route typically costs
Critical points
Turkey is NOT on the EU listed-country register, so the titre test and 3-month wait apply in full. Start no later than five months before travel.
Istanbul summer ground temperatures trigger hold embargoes, typically May to September. A pet under 8kg in the cabin avoids the problem.
Turkish Airlines never carries cats and dogs on the same aircraft. Two-species households need separate flights or split carriers.
Approved carriers for this route
Not all airlines accept live animals. We book only with carriers that handle live animal cargo correctly.
Why Turkey requires the titre test and 3-month wait
The EU distinguishes between listed and non-listed third countries for pet travel. Listed countries have animal health systems formally recognised as equivalent to EU standards. Turkey is not a listed country, and German customs names it explicitly among the origins needing the full serology route. The framework is now Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131, which replaced Regulation (EU) 576/2013 in April 2026; the mechanics carried over unchanged.
The titre test measures rabies antibodies in the blood. For it to count, the blood must be drawn from a pet that already has a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination, at least 30 days after that vaccination. The blood draw date starts the 3-month clock, not the results date. Blood drawn on 1 January means the earliest travel date is 1 April.
The sample goes to the EU-designated Etlik institute in Ankara. Results typically take two to four weeks. Once the 3-month wait has elapsed and the vaccination remains current, the pet is eligible for EU entry, and a passing titre stays valid for life as long as boosters never lapse.
Start no later than five months before your planned travel date. If you miss the window, the 3-month clock does not restart unless new blood is drawn.
Germany's breed restrictions: checking the Bundesland rules from Istanbul
Germany operates a two-tier breed system that Turkish owners relocating with dogs need to research before starting any paperwork.
At the federal level, German import law bans bringing in Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier and crosses of these four. That is an import ban, applied at the border, uniform across Germany. Beyond it, each of the 16 Bundeslaender keeps its own restricted list. Bavaria is the strictest, covering Rottweiler, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, American Bulldog, Cane Corso and more. A breed permitted in Berlin may be restricted in Munich.
Turkey to Germany is the single largest pet relocation corridor out of Turkey, and a fair share of these moves involve Kangal, Akbash and similar Turkish breeds. Kangal is not on the federal import ban and not widely listed at Bundesland level as of 2026. If your dog is mixed or resembles a listed breed, the Veterinaeramt of your destination district can advise in advance, in writing.
Check your destination state before beginning the titre process. A dog restricted in your Bundesland can be refused at state level even after clearing federal customs at Frankfurt.
Turkish Airlines or Lufthansa: cabin, hold and the 8kg line
The 8kg line decides how your pet travels. Pet plus soft carrier at or under 8kg flies in the cabin at your feet; on interline bookings Turkish Airlines charges a flat 75 US dollars per segment for it. Over 8kg means the hold: rigid IATA crate, 50kg combined ceiling, 150 dollars interline, or per-kilogram pricing on the airline’s own sectors, quoted through its pet fee calculator.
Three Turkish Airlines rules catch people out. Cats and dogs never travel on the same aircraft, so a two-species household books separate flights or splits carriers. Snub-nosed breeds are cabin only, never hold. And Istanbul summer heat triggers hold embargoes, typically May to September, which makes the cabin allowance the only dependable option for small pets in the hot months.
Lufthansa mirrors the 8kg cabin rule on its IST nonstops to Frankfurt and Munich, and Lufthansa Cargo takes the big dogs, with a year-round brachycephalic exclusion and its home-hub animal facility at Frankfurt. Flight time is around three and a half hours, one of the gentlest cargo journeys a pet can make into the EU. Book four to six weeks ahead and confirm live animal space on your specific flight number.
Common questions
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Requirements on this page were checked against the authorities below. Rules change, so confirm current conditions with the relevant authority before you travel.
- European Commission · European Commission, movement of pet animals
- IATA · International Air Transport Association, Live Animals Regulations
- German customs (Zoll) · Zoll, German customs administration