Entering Cyprus With a Pet: Documentation & Airline Regulations

As travelling has become more accessible and cheaper than ever before, so too has the ease of transporting your furry companions to new destinations.

The requirements for bringing pets into the territory of the Republic of Cyprus have been simplified, making the process as easy as possible in any of the following methods with airlines:

Inside the aircraft cabin (in a carrier small enough to fit under the seat).
As manifested cargo.
As excess baggage.
As an emotional support animal (in rare circumstances that require a separate Doctors certificate).

The pet must have an owner who is responsible for them, who also purchased an adult ticket on board. Before travelling, the veterinary office at the point of entry (Paphos or Larnaca on the Greek side) must be notified a minimum of 48 hours before the pet is due to arrive on the island.

Shortly after landing, pets will be examined by a veterinary officer or a customs officer who will check for any physical ailments, as well as examining the documentation proving a clean bill of health and up-to-date vaccines. The owner of the pet won’t and cannot be present.

Please ensure that all the steps are taken. If any documents are missing or incomplete, the pet may be risk of being sent home or detained for an indefinite period. Please see the information below to ensure you follow all requirements.

Pet Microchip

The first step to prepare your dog, cat or ferret to enter Cyprus is to have your pet micro-chipped with an ISO standard 11784 & 11785 15-digit digitised micro-chip.

If the microchip doesn’t comply with these standards, the owner or the person responsible for the pet, must provide the means necessary for reading the pet’s microchip.

A tattoo is a recognised form of identification in Cyprus, as long as it was dated before the 3^rd of July 2011. The tattoo must be clearly legible, and your pet was administered the rabies vaccine after the tattoo was applied.

Required Vaccinations

All dogs and cats entering Cyprus must be vaccinated against rabies. Pets that haven’t been vaccinated or lack the correct documents proving otherwise are prohibited from entering Cyprus, regardless their country of origin.

The rabies vaccine can only be given once the pet is 3 months old.

The rabies vaccine is valid from the establishment of protective immunity, which is at least 30 days from the day the vaccine was given and it continues to be valid until the end of 1 year.

No Import Permit for Cyprus

Dogs, cats and ferrets imported into Cyprus are not required to have a valid import permit. On the other hand, other animals (such as rabbits or birds) will require one, even if the pet has a valid EU Passport.

Blood Titer Tests- Rabies Antibody

A rabies antibody titration test must be done in an EU approved laboratory, this is called an OIE approved lab, most vets have this standard as a minimum however check before proceeding.

The blood sample required should be taken a minimum of 1 month (30 days) after the rabies vaccination was administered. The blood test will only be valid 3 months after since the day the blood sample was taken. Essentially, pets are not allowed to enter Cyprus before the blood test is 3 months old.

The test results must show that the neutralising antibody titer is equal to or greater than 0.5 International Units per milliliter (IU/mL).

All Pets Must Have a Health Certificate

Pets entering Cyprus must be accompanied by an official veterinary health certificate. The health certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of issuance, the date it was signed by a private vet.

The health certificate enables the authorities to clearly identify the pet animal and the status of their health. This document enables the authorities to check that the minimum regulations have been met.

Banned Dog Breeds in Cyprus

The following breeds and crosses can’t be imported into Cyprus:

Fila Braziliero.
Pit Bull Terrier.
Japanese Tosa.
Dogo Argentino

Please also note that dogs and cats from Malaysia are not allowed to enter Cyprus unless they have further documents (such as a negative result to an IgM-Capture-ELISA test).

Quarantine Requirements

There is no mandatory quarantine period for any pets in Cyprus. In some certain circumstances, home quarantine can be requested for animals under 6 months of age and is normally approved.

The only wait for anxious owners after the flight is only for the vet or customs officer to view the pet and documents to sign them off. This process usually takes no longer than the baggage carousel takes to deliver the luggage, however the pet may have to be picked up in a different location than the terminal.

Contact us for more information regarding relocating to Cyprus & check out our articles on the top things to see whilst visiting.

Entering Cyprus With a Pet: Documentation & Airline Regulations