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Pawhopper

Pet travel route

Dog or cat from Belgium to Israel: official requirements

Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 5 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: ISO microchip (134.2 kHz), before the rabies vaccination, rabies vaccination from 3 months old, at least 30 days before arrival and most recent rabies shot no more than a year before arrival and 5 more.

Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 9 official pages

In short

Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Belgium publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. AFSCA's page gives no deadline, fee or booking route for the certificate. Ask your local control unit (ULC) early.

At a glance

How early to start (dogs)

5 weeks

if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet

Set by: Request flight approval at least 2 working days before you leave (two working days before you leave; the 2 extra days are ours, not an official figure, because two working days can span Israel's Friday-Saturday weekend)

4 days

if it is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Request flight approval at least 2 working days before you leave (two working days before you leave; the 2 extra days are ours, not an official figure, because two working days can span Israel's Friday-Saturday weekend)

The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.

On this route (dogs)

  • Rabies blood test needed
  • No import permit
  • No quarantine
  • Tell the authority in advance
  • Arrive at a set entry point

How early to start (cats)

5 weeks

if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet

Set by: Request flight approval at least 2 working days before you leave (two working days before you leave; the 2 extra days are ours, not an official figure, because two working days can span Israel's Friday-Saturday weekend)

4 days

if it is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Request flight approval at least 2 working days before you leave (two working days before you leave; the 2 extra days are ours, not an official figure, because two working days can span Israel's Friday-Saturday weekend)

The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.

On this route (cats)

  • Rabies blood test needed
  • No import permit
  • No quarantine
  • Tell the authority in advance
  • Arrive at a set entry point

Which rules apply to you

Israel puts Belgium in the group “Country not on Israel’s rabies-free list”. See every group

Official name: Not listed: rabies vaccination at least 30 days before arrival, rabies blood test, from 4 months old

Prefer a feed reader? Belgium rule changes · Israel rule changes

Belgium → Israel

What your pet needs

In the order you do them. Each step says whether Belgium (leaving) or Israel (entering) asks for it.

Dogs

  1. Get ready

    1. Age ruleEntering Israel

      At least 4 months old on arrival (3 months from rabies-free countries)

      Your dog or cat must be over 4 months old on the day it arrives in Israel. Pets on Israel's rabies-free route (born and kept in, or more than a year in, Australia, Cyprus, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden or the UK) may come from 3 months old.

      Details and the official words
    2. IdentificationEntering Israel

      ISO microchip (134.2 kHz), before the rabies vaccination

      Your pet needs a microchip that transmits at 134.2 kHz and can be read by a reader meeting ISO 11784 and Annex A of ISO 11785. It must be implanted before the rabies vaccination and the blood test.

      Details and the official words

      “מסומן באמצעות סימון תת-עורי בשבב אלקטרוני: שמשדר בתדר 134.2 קילוהרץ.”

      “שבב זה יוחדר לבעל החיים לפני חיסון הכלבת ובדיקת הדם.”

      “All dogs and cats must be tagged with a subcutaneous electronic chip that transmits on a frequency of 134.2 kilohertz and can be read with a chip reader that conforms to the provisions of the ISO Standard No. 11784 and of Annex A of ISO Standard 11785.”

      “Please note that the pet's microchip must be implanted before or on the same date as the rabies vaccination documented on the health certificate.”

    3. VaccinationEntering Israel

      Rabies vaccination from 3 months old, at least 30 days before arrival

      Your pet must be vaccinated against rabies at 3 months old or older, and a first vaccination must be at least 30 days before arrival. A pet that has had more than one rabies vaccination needs no 30-day wait after a booster.

      Details and the official words

      “חוסן כנגד מחלת הכלבת בגיל 3 חודשים ומעלה לא יותר משנה ולא פחות מ-30 ימים לפני ההגעה לישראל.”

      “אם בעל החיים חוסן יותר מפעם אחת כנגד מחלת הכלבת אין צורך בהמתנה של 30 יום אך לא יותר משנה או לפי הוראות היצרן.”

      “All dogs/cats require a veterinary confirmation that they have been vaccinated against rabies no more than one year and no less than 30 days prior to their arrival in Israel”

      “If primary vaccination is needed, or if booster does not occur during the period of validity of the previous vaccination, this booster should be considered a primary vaccination, and animals are required to wait at least 30 days prior to importation.”

    4. VaccinationEntering Israel

      Most recent rabies shot no more than a year before arrival

      Israel's model certificate asks for a rabies vaccination given no more than one year before your pet arrives. If your pet's most recent shot will be older than that on arrival day, give a booster before you leave (while the current one is still valid, so no new 30-day wait applies).

      The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.

      Details and the official words

      Israel's service page says, for a pet vaccinated more than once, 'not more than a year or according to the manufacturer's instructions', so a 3-year vaccine may be accepted for longer: ask the Veterinary Services. The certificate the US agreed with Israel only asks that the pet is current on its rabies vaccination, so we don't apply this to pets from the US.

      Add the date of your pet's most recent rabies shot to check this.

      “All dogs/cats require a veterinary confirmation that they have been vaccinated against rabies no more than one year and no less than 30 days prior to their arrival in Israel”

      “אם בעל החיים חוסן יותר מפעם אחת כנגד מחלת הכלבת אין צורך בהמתנה של 30 יום אך לא יותר משנה או לפי הוראות היצרן.”

      “All pets listed on this certificate are current on rabies vaccinations.”

    5. Blood testEntering Israel

      Rabies blood test (at least 0.5 IU/ml), more than 30 days after the first vaccination

      A vet takes a blood sample more than 30 days after the first rabies vaccination, and a laboratory approved by WOAH or the EU must find at least 0.5 IU/ml. The result stays valid for your pet's life as long as its rabies vaccinations continue without a gap, following the vaccine maker's instructions. There is no wait after the test, but the laboratory report goes with your request for flight approval, so leave time for the laboratory.

      Details and the official words

      A pet microchipped before its first rabies vaccination and vaccinated more than once after 3 months old may have the sample taken 14 days after its latest rabies vaccination, as long as more than 30 days have passed since the first one. Don't take the sample within 14 days after a booster.

      If this is missed: Only in exceptional cases can the blood test be done in Israel, in an approved quarantine, and the pet then needs an import licence and must meet all its conditions.

      “tested in an EU or WOAH-approved laboratory, which states that the rabies neutralizing antibody titer was equal to or greater than 0, 5 IU/ml.”

      “The sample referred to in Part V must have been taken more than 30 days after the primary rabies vaccination”

      “or in case of an animal which was vaccinated more than once after the age of 3 months and being tagged by a microchip prior to the primary vaccination the sample can be taken 14 days after rabies vaccination as long as more than 30 days passed from the primary vaccination against rabies.”

      “בדיקת הדם תקפה לכל חיי בעל החיים אם נשמר הרצף החיסוני על פי הנחיות היצרן.”

      “במקרים חריגים בהם לא נעשתה בדיקת דם לנוגדני כלבת תיבחן אפשרות לביצועה בישראל בתנאי הסגר בהסגר המאושר על ידי השירותים הווטרינריים – אך במקרה זה בעל החיים חייב ברישיון יבוא ועמידה בכל תנאיו.”

      “The sample must be taken more than 30 days after the primary rabies vaccination, and the laboratory results are valid for the life of the animal, as long as the dog/cat remains current on rabies vaccinations”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. PaperworkBelgium and Israel

      Israel's veterinary certificate (Annex A), valid for 10 days

      Your pet travels with Israel's 'Veterinary certificate for domestic dogs and cats entering Israel' (Annex A), issued no more than 10 days before arrival. An official veterinarian signs it, or a vet authorised by your country's veterinary authority signs it and that authority endorses it. It confirms the clinical examination (no signs of contagious or infectious disease), the microchip, the rabies vaccination and the blood test result.

      Details and the official words

      Health certificate checked and certified by AFSCA (local control unit): In most cases the destination requires a health certificate for your pet. AFSCA's website lists the procedure and the types of certificate. Your local control unit (ULC) has to be able to check that the certification is possible.

      AFSCA's page gives no deadline for how recent the certificate must be: the destination's rules decide.

      If this is missed: Pets that don't meet the requirements in full are sent back, quarantined or destroyed, as the Director decides, at the owner's cost.

      “VETERINARY CERTIFICATE FOR DOMESTIC DOGS AND CATS ENTERING ISRAEL”

      “The certificate is valid for 10 days”

      “OFFICIAL VETERINARIAN OR VETERINARIAN AUTHORISED BY THE COMPETENT AUTHORITY (* ) (in the latter case, the competent authority must endorse the certificate)”

      “At the time of examination it did not exhibit any symptoms of contagious or infectious diseases”

      “תעודת הבריאות צריכה להיות מונפקת במהלך 10 ימים לפני מועד היבוא.”

      “All U.S. pet dogs and cats must be accompanied by the Veterinary Health Certificate for Export of Pet Dogs and Cats from the United States of America to the State of Israel, issued by a USDA accredited veterinarian and endorsed by USDA-APHIS, no more than 10 days prior to arrival.”

      “Any health certificate without APHIS endorsement is not valid for dogs or cats entrance to Israel.”

      “Dans la majorité des cas, un certificat sanitaire est exigé par le pays de destination pour que votre animal puisse vous accompagner dans ce pays.”

      “L’Unité locale de Contrôle (ULC) doit pouvoir contrôler que la certification sera possible.”

    2. PaperworkEntering Israel

      Owner's declaration (Annex B): your pet for at least 90 days

      Sign Israel's owner declaration (Annex B): your pet travels with the person responsible for it, it isn't for trade, and it has been in your possession for at least 90 days before you bring it to Israel. It goes with your request for flight approval. A pet you've had for less than 90 days can't use the no-licence route.

      Details and the official words
    3. PaperworkLeaving Belgium

      Bring proof of the destination's conditions to your local control unit

      If the destination has its own conditions, or conditions AFSCA hasn't published, bring official proof that the destination's authority asked for them (with a sworn translation if needed) to your local AFSCA control unit (ULC) beforehand, not on the day of certification, so it can check that certification will be possible. Start preparing early.

      Details and the official words

      “vous devez présenter une preuve officielle attestant que ces conditions ont bien été exigées par l’autorité du pays de destination”

      “Les conditions imposées par le pays de destination doivent être présentées au préalable”

    4. NoticeEntering Israel

      Request flight approval at least 2 working days before you leave

      At least two working days before you leave for Israel, send the Veterinary Services the owner declaration and arrival notice (Annexes B and C), the health certificate and the rabies blood-test report: for Ben Gurion Airport through the online form, for the ports of Ashdod, Haifa and Eilat by email to the port's veterinary office. The service is free. Your pet may only board once you have the written flight approval from the Veterinary Services at the port of arrival.

      Details and the official words

      If this is missed: Your pet may not board without the written flight approval.

      “בעלי חיות מחמד שעומדים בדרישות לפטור מרישיון יבוא יעבירו, לפחות 2 ימי עבודה לפני היציאה ממדינת המוצא, את הטופס ואת המסמכים הנדרשים באופן הבא:”

      “הצהרת בעלים והודעה על הגעת בעל חיים”

      “דוח מעבדה של בדיקת דם לנוגדני כלבת כמפורט בתנאי הבריאות”

      “השירות ניתן ללא עלות.”

      “ניתן להעלות את בעלי החיים על הטיסה, רק לאחר קבלת אישור בכתב מהשירות הווטרינרי בנמל הייבוא בישראל (אישור הטסה).”

      “Notification on Pet Arrival”

      “e-mail: vs-airport@moag.gov.il”

  3. Travel day and arrival

    1. RouteEntering Israel

      Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport or the ports of Haifa, Ashdod or Eilat

      Pets can only be brought into Israel through Ben Gurion Airport or the seaports of Haifa, Ashdod and Eilat.

      Details and the official words

Good to know

  • The no-licence route is only for owners over 18 who fly on the same plane as their pet.
  • Dogs of dangerous breeds, and crosses of them that look and behave like them, need an import licence and can't use the no-licence route: American Staffordshire Terrier (Amstaff), Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier, Fila Brasileiro and Rottweiler. Breeding lines based on them (such as the American Bully and Shorty Bull) count as dangerous dogs too, and a Miniature Bull Terrier also needs an import licence. The licence for a dangerous dog has further conditions (owner over 18, dog neutered, owned for at least 18 months).
  • Israel does not let in pets whose tail or ears were docked, or that were tattooed or coloured for looks: they are sent back. A tattoo for pedigree or neutering marks is allowed. A dog or cat of a naturally short-tailed breed needs the vet's declaration (Annex D) with tail X-rays or a genetic test, sent with the request for flight approval (French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs and Boston Terriers with screw tails don't need it).
  • Pets on the no-licence route arrive through the passenger terminal. Go through the red channel, declare your pet to customs and show the flight approval.
  • If the Veterinary Services' requirements aren't fully met, the pet is sent back, put in quarantine or destroyed, as the Director of the Veterinary Services decides, and you pay all the costs (return, quarantine, tests, vaccinations and treatment). Keep your documents to hand: you must show them at the inspection.
  • Within five working days of your dog arriving in Israel, apply to the local authority where you will live for a dog licence (Dog Supervision Law, 2002).
  • To travel outside the EU, the destination country's conditions apply. For some countries AFSCA publishes them; for others you must ask the embassy or the regional export-promotion organisations. It is your responsibility that the destination accepts your pet.
  • AFSCA recommends a European passport, a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination. For a limited number of countries the rabies vaccination is not required, but AFSCA still advises it because it is needed to come back to the EU. Many non-EU countries count a vaccine as valid for one year, so check its date before you leave.
  • Even after a short stay in a non-EU country, your pet has to meet the rules for entering Belgium from outside the EU when it comes back. Where a blood test is needed, the conditions are relaxed if you do it before you leave.
  • Planning to bring your pet back to the EU? After a short stay in a non-EU country you can skip the 3-month wait after the rabies blood test, but only if, before you leave the EU, your pet was vaccinated against rabies, passed a successful titer test, and your vet recorded both in its EU pet passport. So do the blood test before you go.

Cats

  1. Get ready

    1. Age ruleEntering Israel

      At least 4 months old on arrival (3 months from rabies-free countries)

      Your dog or cat must be over 4 months old on the day it arrives in Israel. Pets on Israel's rabies-free route (born and kept in, or more than a year in, Australia, Cyprus, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden or the UK) may come from 3 months old.

      Details and the official words
    2. IdentificationEntering Israel

      ISO microchip (134.2 kHz), before the rabies vaccination

      Your pet needs a microchip that transmits at 134.2 kHz and can be read by a reader meeting ISO 11784 and Annex A of ISO 11785. It must be implanted before the rabies vaccination and the blood test.

      Details and the official words

      “מסומן באמצעות סימון תת-עורי בשבב אלקטרוני: שמשדר בתדר 134.2 קילוהרץ.”

      “שבב זה יוחדר לבעל החיים לפני חיסון הכלבת ובדיקת הדם.”

      “All dogs and cats must be tagged with a subcutaneous electronic chip that transmits on a frequency of 134.2 kilohertz and can be read with a chip reader that conforms to the provisions of the ISO Standard No. 11784 and of Annex A of ISO Standard 11785.”

      “Please note that the pet's microchip must be implanted before or on the same date as the rabies vaccination documented on the health certificate.”

    3. VaccinationEntering Israel

      Rabies vaccination from 3 months old, at least 30 days before arrival

      Your pet must be vaccinated against rabies at 3 months old or older, and a first vaccination must be at least 30 days before arrival. A pet that has had more than one rabies vaccination needs no 30-day wait after a booster.

      Details and the official words

      “חוסן כנגד מחלת הכלבת בגיל 3 חודשים ומעלה לא יותר משנה ולא פחות מ-30 ימים לפני ההגעה לישראל.”

      “אם בעל החיים חוסן יותר מפעם אחת כנגד מחלת הכלבת אין צורך בהמתנה של 30 יום אך לא יותר משנה או לפי הוראות היצרן.”

      “All dogs/cats require a veterinary confirmation that they have been vaccinated against rabies no more than one year and no less than 30 days prior to their arrival in Israel”

      “If primary vaccination is needed, or if booster does not occur during the period of validity of the previous vaccination, this booster should be considered a primary vaccination, and animals are required to wait at least 30 days prior to importation.”

    4. VaccinationEntering Israel

      Most recent rabies shot no more than a year before arrival

      Israel's model certificate asks for a rabies vaccination given no more than one year before your pet arrives. If your pet's most recent shot will be older than that on arrival day, give a booster before you leave (while the current one is still valid, so no new 30-day wait applies).

      The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.

      Details and the official words

      Israel's service page says, for a pet vaccinated more than once, 'not more than a year or according to the manufacturer's instructions', so a 3-year vaccine may be accepted for longer: ask the Veterinary Services. The certificate the US agreed with Israel only asks that the pet is current on its rabies vaccination, so we don't apply this to pets from the US.

      Add the date of your pet's most recent rabies shot to check this.

      “All dogs/cats require a veterinary confirmation that they have been vaccinated against rabies no more than one year and no less than 30 days prior to their arrival in Israel”

      “אם בעל החיים חוסן יותר מפעם אחת כנגד מחלת הכלבת אין צורך בהמתנה של 30 יום אך לא יותר משנה או לפי הוראות היצרן.”

      “All pets listed on this certificate are current on rabies vaccinations.”

    5. Blood testEntering Israel

      Rabies blood test (at least 0.5 IU/ml), more than 30 days after the first vaccination

      A vet takes a blood sample more than 30 days after the first rabies vaccination, and a laboratory approved by WOAH or the EU must find at least 0.5 IU/ml. The result stays valid for your pet's life as long as its rabies vaccinations continue without a gap, following the vaccine maker's instructions. There is no wait after the test, but the laboratory report goes with your request for flight approval, so leave time for the laboratory.

      Details and the official words

      A pet microchipped before its first rabies vaccination and vaccinated more than once after 3 months old may have the sample taken 14 days after its latest rabies vaccination, as long as more than 30 days have passed since the first one. Don't take the sample within 14 days after a booster.

      If this is missed: Only in exceptional cases can the blood test be done in Israel, in an approved quarantine, and the pet then needs an import licence and must meet all its conditions.

      “tested in an EU or WOAH-approved laboratory, which states that the rabies neutralizing antibody titer was equal to or greater than 0, 5 IU/ml.”

      “The sample referred to in Part V must have been taken more than 30 days after the primary rabies vaccination”

      “or in case of an animal which was vaccinated more than once after the age of 3 months and being tagged by a microchip prior to the primary vaccination the sample can be taken 14 days after rabies vaccination as long as more than 30 days passed from the primary vaccination against rabies.”

      “בדיקת הדם תקפה לכל חיי בעל החיים אם נשמר הרצף החיסוני על פי הנחיות היצרן.”

      “במקרים חריגים בהם לא נעשתה בדיקת דם לנוגדני כלבת תיבחן אפשרות לביצועה בישראל בתנאי הסגר בהסגר המאושר על ידי השירותים הווטרינריים – אך במקרה זה בעל החיים חייב ברישיון יבוא ועמידה בכל תנאיו.”

      “The sample must be taken more than 30 days after the primary rabies vaccination, and the laboratory results are valid for the life of the animal, as long as the dog/cat remains current on rabies vaccinations”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. PaperworkBelgium and Israel

      Israel's veterinary certificate (Annex A), valid for 10 days

      Your pet travels with Israel's 'Veterinary certificate for domestic dogs and cats entering Israel' (Annex A), issued no more than 10 days before arrival. An official veterinarian signs it, or a vet authorised by your country's veterinary authority signs it and that authority endorses it. It confirms the clinical examination (no signs of contagious or infectious disease), the microchip, the rabies vaccination and the blood test result.

      Details and the official words

      Health certificate checked and certified by AFSCA (local control unit): In most cases the destination requires a health certificate for your pet. AFSCA's website lists the procedure and the types of certificate. Your local control unit (ULC) has to be able to check that the certification is possible.

      AFSCA's page gives no deadline for how recent the certificate must be: the destination's rules decide.

      If this is missed: Pets that don't meet the requirements in full are sent back, quarantined or destroyed, as the Director decides, at the owner's cost.

      “VETERINARY CERTIFICATE FOR DOMESTIC DOGS AND CATS ENTERING ISRAEL”

      “The certificate is valid for 10 days”

      “OFFICIAL VETERINARIAN OR VETERINARIAN AUTHORISED BY THE COMPETENT AUTHORITY (* ) (in the latter case, the competent authority must endorse the certificate)”

      “At the time of examination it did not exhibit any symptoms of contagious or infectious diseases”

      “תעודת הבריאות צריכה להיות מונפקת במהלך 10 ימים לפני מועד היבוא.”

      “All U.S. pet dogs and cats must be accompanied by the Veterinary Health Certificate for Export of Pet Dogs and Cats from the United States of America to the State of Israel, issued by a USDA accredited veterinarian and endorsed by USDA-APHIS, no more than 10 days prior to arrival.”

      “Any health certificate without APHIS endorsement is not valid for dogs or cats entrance to Israel.”

      “Dans la majorité des cas, un certificat sanitaire est exigé par le pays de destination pour que votre animal puisse vous accompagner dans ce pays.”

      “L’Unité locale de Contrôle (ULC) doit pouvoir contrôler que la certification sera possible.”

    2. PaperworkEntering Israel

      Owner's declaration (Annex B): your pet for at least 90 days

      Sign Israel's owner declaration (Annex B): your pet travels with the person responsible for it, it isn't for trade, and it has been in your possession for at least 90 days before you bring it to Israel. It goes with your request for flight approval. A pet you've had for less than 90 days can't use the no-licence route.

      Details and the official words
    3. PaperworkLeaving Belgium

      Bring proof of the destination's conditions to your local control unit

      If the destination has its own conditions, or conditions AFSCA hasn't published, bring official proof that the destination's authority asked for them (with a sworn translation if needed) to your local AFSCA control unit (ULC) beforehand, not on the day of certification, so it can check that certification will be possible. Start preparing early.

      Details and the official words

      “vous devez présenter une preuve officielle attestant que ces conditions ont bien été exigées par l’autorité du pays de destination”

      “Les conditions imposées par le pays de destination doivent être présentées au préalable”

    4. NoticeEntering Israel

      Request flight approval at least 2 working days before you leave

      At least two working days before you leave for Israel, send the Veterinary Services the owner declaration and arrival notice (Annexes B and C), the health certificate and the rabies blood-test report: for Ben Gurion Airport through the online form, for the ports of Ashdod, Haifa and Eilat by email to the port's veterinary office. The service is free. Your pet may only board once you have the written flight approval from the Veterinary Services at the port of arrival.

      Details and the official words

      If this is missed: Your pet may not board without the written flight approval.

      “בעלי חיות מחמד שעומדים בדרישות לפטור מרישיון יבוא יעבירו, לפחות 2 ימי עבודה לפני היציאה ממדינת המוצא, את הטופס ואת המסמכים הנדרשים באופן הבא:”

      “הצהרת בעלים והודעה על הגעת בעל חיים”

      “דוח מעבדה של בדיקת דם לנוגדני כלבת כמפורט בתנאי הבריאות”

      “השירות ניתן ללא עלות.”

      “ניתן להעלות את בעלי החיים על הטיסה, רק לאחר קבלת אישור בכתב מהשירות הווטרינרי בנמל הייבוא בישראל (אישור הטסה).”

      “Notification on Pet Arrival”

      “e-mail: vs-airport@moag.gov.il”

  3. Travel day and arrival

    1. RouteEntering Israel

      Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport or the ports of Haifa, Ashdod or Eilat

      Pets can only be brought into Israel through Ben Gurion Airport or the seaports of Haifa, Ashdod and Eilat.

      Details and the official words

Good to know

  • The no-licence route is only for owners over 18 who fly on the same plane as their pet.
  • Wild cats (Bengal, Savannah), crosses with wild cats and their offspring can't be imported without written permission from Israel's Nature and Parks Authority, and then only with an import licence (not the no-licence route).
  • Israel does not let in pets whose tail or ears were docked, or that were tattooed or coloured for looks: they are sent back. A tattoo for pedigree or neutering marks is allowed. A dog or cat of a naturally short-tailed breed needs the vet's declaration (Annex D) with tail X-rays or a genetic test, sent with the request for flight approval (French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs and Boston Terriers with screw tails don't need it).
  • Pets on the no-licence route arrive through the passenger terminal. Go through the red channel, declare your pet to customs and show the flight approval.
  • If the Veterinary Services' requirements aren't fully met, the pet is sent back, put in quarantine or destroyed, as the Director of the Veterinary Services decides, and you pay all the costs (return, quarantine, tests, vaccinations and treatment). Keep your documents to hand: you must show them at the inspection.
  • To travel outside the EU, the destination country's conditions apply. For some countries AFSCA publishes them; for others you must ask the embassy or the regional export-promotion organisations. It is your responsibility that the destination accepts your pet.
  • AFSCA recommends a European passport, a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination. For a limited number of countries the rabies vaccination is not required, but AFSCA still advises it because it is needed to come back to the EU. Many non-EU countries count a vaccine as valid for one year, so check its date before you leave.
  • Even after a short stay in a non-EU country, your pet has to meet the rules for entering Belgium from outside the EU when it comes back. Where a blood test is needed, the conditions are relaxed if you do it before you leave.
  • Planning to bring your pet back to the EU? After a short stay in a non-EU country you can skip the 3-month wait after the rabies blood test, but only if, before you leave the EU, your pet was vaccinated against rabies, passed a successful titer test, and your vet recorded both in its EU pet passport. So do the blood test before you go.

Money

What it costs

Government fees exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Belgium publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.

Government fees on this route

No government fee is published on the official pages we use for this trip. That doesn’t always mean it’s free: ask the authority.

What vets and labs charge Not official figures

No published prices yet for Belgium: microchip, rabies vaccination, health certificate (vet’s fee).

Prices that businesses publish on their own pages, quoted as we read them; yours can differ. Ranges are the lowest to highest of these examples, never our estimate. How we collect prices

Airline fees aren’t included: check your airline’s pet page.

Round trip

Coming back to Belgium

Do before your pet leaves Belgium

  • Microchip
  • Rabies vaccination

Their timing rules put them before the outbound trip, for a three-month stay.

The trip back asks for 6 steps: microchip, rabies vaccination, rabies antibody blood test (titer) and EU animal health certificate and more.

Every step from Israel to Belgium

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

Questions owners ask

Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Belgium to Israel?

Yes: A vet takes a blood sample more than 30 days after the first rabies vaccination, and a laboratory approved by WOAH or the EU must find at least 0.5 IU/ml.

Do I need an import permit to bring my dog or cat into Israel?

No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for an import permit.

Will my dog or cat be quarantined in Israel?

Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.

How early should I start preparing my pet for Belgium to Israel?

With nothing done yet, start at least 5 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: ISO microchip (134.2 kHz), before the rabies vaccination, rabies vaccination from 3 months old, at least 30 days before arrival and most recent rabies shot no more than a year before arrival and 5 more.

Every rule here is quoted from the official page and checked word for word; not legal advice. How we verify · Report a mistake

Read next

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Where from, where to, when. You get every step with its deadline and the official page it comes from.

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