Pet passport in Moldova: where to get one and what you need to travel

A pet passport is the document where your vet records what the animal is, who owns it and which vaccinations and treatments it has had. It's the first thing a clinic, a pet hotel, a trainer or a border officer asks for. Here's a short guide for dog and cat owners in Moldova.

Where to get a passport

The veterinary passport is filled in at a vet clinic, usually at the first visit or the puppy's or kitten's first vaccination. Bring your pet and your ID. The vet enters the owner's details, a description of the animal, the microchip number and the vaccinations given, then signs and stamps it. Prices vary between clinics, so ask in advance.

What's in it

• Owner and pet details: species, breed, colour, sex, date of birth.
• Microchip number (15 digits) and the date it was implanted.
• Vaccinations: the vaccine, the date, the batch sticker and when the next dose is due. The most important one is rabies.
• Parasite treatments for worms, ticks and fleas.
• For travel: the rabies antibody test result, if one was done.

The microchip

A microchip is the size of a grain of rice. The vet places it under the skin between the shoulder blades in a few seconds, much like a normal injection. Without a chip your pet can't travel abroad, and if it gets lost, clinics and volunteers can identify it by the chip. For travel, the chip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination, otherwise the vaccination doesn't count.

Travelling with your pet to the EU

For a non-commercial trip (up to 5 animals travelling with their owner) from Moldova to an EU country you usually need:

1. A microchip.
2. A valid rabies vaccination given after the chip was implanted.
3. A rabies antibody (titre) test showing at least 0.5 IU/ml, done in an EU-approved laboratory. The blood sample is taken at least 30 days after vaccination, and you can enter the EU no earlier than 3 months after the sample.
4. The certificate for non-commercial movement of pets issued by ANSA. You can apply online at servicii.gov.md or in the EVO app.

Start preparing at least 4 months before the trip. Rules differ between countries and can change, so check them early with ANSA, your vet and the airline.

An electronic copy of the passport

A paper passport gets lost or wet, and it's never at hand when the vet asks on the phone when the last vaccination was. In micamic you can keep the passport and microchip numbers, photos of the passport pages, and vaccinations and treatments with reminders for the next dates, all for free. The medical record can be downloaded as a PDF for your vet. micamic doesn't replace the official veterinary passport, but it helps you keep track of everything in it.

See also: cat and dog vaccination schedule.