Travelling to Finland with pet needs vaccine certificate

Various documents, certificates and vaccinations are required when bringing dogs, cats and ferrets to Finland, said Finnish Customs in a press release on Monday.

The monitoring helps prevent the spread of dangerous diseases.

These entry requirements vary based on several factors, including from which country the pet is coming to Finland.

The requirements are different for EU countries, Nordic countries and countries outside the EU.

Customs also urged the travellers to check the entry requirements in advance before arriving in Finland, whether they are on holiday with pets and returning to Finland, or acquiring a new pet from abroad.

“Too often, we hear from pet owners that they did not know that their pet is required to have a pet passport or health certificate, or that the health certificate needs to follow a certain format,” said Senior Customs Officer Tiia Sulander-Seppänen.

“If the entry requirements for a pet are not fulfilled, the animal will be returned to the country of origin or be euthanised, because there is no possibility for quarantine in Finland. We sincerely hope that pet owners will understand that they must check the requirements well in advance before starting their journey,” said the official.

Pets must have valid rabies vaccinations. If the pet is coming to Finland from a country with a high risk of rabies, it must also have a result of a rabies antibody test.

The antibody test must be taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, and at least three months before entry into the country.

In other words, a certificate for a rabies vaccination is not sufficient.

Countries with high risk of rabies include Turkey, Thailand and India, among others.

For example, if the travellers arrive from Turkey with pets, they must be able to present an antibody test result when returning to Finland.

Medication against echinococcosis is required for dogs when coming from Sweden, but not when coming from Norway

A dog arriving in Finland usually requires medication against echinococcosis. When coming from Sweden, dogs require medication against echinococcosis for at least one day (24 h) and at most five days (120 h) before arriving in Finland.

When coming to Finland directly from Norway, medication against echinococcosis is not required, but if the return journey goes through Sweden, the medication is required.

Medication against echinococcosis is always administered by a veterinarian, who must record the medication on a pet passport or health certificate.

All travelling pets must be marked for identification with a microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination.

A clearly readable tattoo is also acceptable as an identification marking if the pet has been tattooed before 3 July 2011.

Following Brexit, the UK is now a country outside the EU, which means that all pets arriving in Finland from the UK are subject to the same entry requirements as all other pets arriving from outside the EU.