Travelling with a dog or cat from Moldova to the EU: documents and timing

A story probably every vet in Chișinău has heard: someone comes in in May, says they're moving to family in Italy in June and want to take the dog. Then they learn it can't happen before September. Not because of red tape, but because of one blood test with a mandatory waiting period. If you're planning a trip with your pet, read this at least four months ahead.

Below are the rules for non-commercial travel, meaning the animal travels with you or with someone you've authorised in writing, and there are no more than five animals. In Moldova these conditions are set out in the sanitary-veterinary norm approved by Government Decision No. 660/2022. Rules change, so check with ANSA and the destination country's consulate before you go.

Step 1. Microchip

It all starts with the chip. No chip, get one. Already chipped? Check it reads and the number is in the passport. Order matters: the chip goes in before the rabies vaccination. More on chips in microchipping a dog or cat in Moldova.

Step 2. Rabies vaccination

Given after the chip, at no less than 12 weeks of age. If the vaccination was given before the chip, it has to be repeated for travel. It's the most common mistake, and it costs an extra month.

Step 3. Antibody titre test

For the EU, Moldova is a country from which you need to prove the vaccine worked. That means a blood test for rabies antibodies. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml, from an EU-approved laboratory. Blood is drawn no sooner than 30 days after the vaccination. The sample usually goes abroad, so ask your vet where the clinic sends it and how long results take.

And the crucial part: you can enter the EU no sooner than three months after the day the blood was taken. Not after the result, after the sample. That's where "four months" from start to departure comes from. The good news: as long as you keep the rabies booster up to date, you don't have to repeat the test.

Step 4. ANSA certificate

Before you leave, you need a veterinary certificate for moving the animal. It's issued by ANSA, and you can apply online at servicii.gov.md or in the EVO app. It's only valid for entry to the EU for a limited time, so it's done close to departure, usually in the last few days.

Step 5. The border

You can't cross with a pet at just any checkpoint. You need one with an ANSA veterinary post, for example Leușeni, Sculeni, Ungheni, Giurgiulești, Cahul, Criva or Chișinău airport. Customs answers questions on +373 22 78 8888. The Romanian side also has to accept pets at that crossing, so check in advance.

Small things that ruin trips

Some countries, such as Ireland, Finland and Malta, also require dogs to have a tapeworm (Echinococcus) treatment 1–5 days before entry, signed off by a vet in the passport.

Airlines have their own rules. Small pets usually travel in the cabin, often up to 8 kg including the carrier, but limits, carrier sizes and fees all differ. Book the pet's place at the same time as your own ticket: spots are limited.

And carry copies of everything. Photos of the passport and certificate on a phone have rescued plenty of people at the border.

Keeping track of the dates

There are a lot of dates here: chip, vaccination, blood draw, "plus 30 days", "plus 3 months", booster. Write them down straight away. In micamic vaccinations and test results live in your pet's profile with reminders, and you can store photos of the passport and the titre result there too. How the vet passport itself works is covered in pet passport in Moldova.