Pet travel route
Dog or cat from Germany to the Dominican Republic: the rules
Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead. The main steps: rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure, rabies vaccination within the 12 months before departure and vet examination within 72 hours before departure and 2 more.
Rules checked up to 12 October 2026From 6 official pages
In short
- On this route: parasite treatment before travel.
- No rabies blood test, import permit or quarantine on this route for a pet that meets the rules.
- Coming back to Germany? 3 steps have to happen before your pet leaves.
Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Germany publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Germany has no single national procedure: the certificate comes from the veterinary office (Veterinäramt) of your district or city, and deadlines and fees differ between offices. This file shows two official examples (the district of Munich and the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick). Ask your own office.
Limited official guidance. The authority for entering the Dominican Republic publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. DIGEGA's page lists what the health certificate must state, but it doesn't say what happens when your pet arrives (inspection, fees), whether a pet travelling as cargo or without its owner needs anything more, or which vaccinations other than rabies are expected. Ask DIGEGA (809-535-9689) before you travel if any of these apply to you.
At a glance
The rules on this route are the same for dogs and cats.
How early to start
4 weeks
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet
Set by: Rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure (at least 30 days before the departure date)
No official wait
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
The least time the official waiting periods allow. Vet, lab and paperwork appointments come on top.
On this route
- No rabies blood test
- No import permit
- No quarantine
- Parasite treatment before travel
Rule-change alertsChecked daily
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Rule change for pets travelling from Germany to the Dominican Republic
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Germany → Dominican Republic
What your pet needs
In the order you do them. Each step says whether Germany (leaving) or the Dominican Republic (entering) asks for it.
Get ready
VaccinationEntering the Dominican Republic
Rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure
Your pet is vaccinated against rabies with an inactivated-virus vaccine, given at least 90 days after birth. After a first vaccination, wait 30 days before travelling: the vaccination must be at least 30 days before the departure date.
Details and the official words
“La vacuna debe ser de virus inactivado y administrada no más de 12 meses ni menos de 30 días antes de la fecha de salida.”
“Los cachorros deben haber recibido la vacuna contra la rabia al menos 90 días después del nacimiento (3 meses o 12 semanas) y esperar 30 días después de la vacunación antes de viajar.”
VaccinationEntering the Dominican Republic
Rabies vaccination within the 12 months before departure
The rabies vaccination on the certificate must be no more than 12 months before the departure date, even if your pet's vaccine is valid for longer. If your pet's last shot will be older, give a booster before you travel. An adult dog with a history of rabies vaccination and boosters doesn't need to wait 30 days after the booster; a cat does.
Details and the official words
Add the date of your pet's most recent rabies shot to check this.
DIGEGA's exemption from the 30-day wait names adult dogs only, so we apply the 30 days to every cat's vaccination.
“La vacuna debe ser de virus inactivado y administrada no más de 12 meses ni menos de 30 días antes de la fecha de salida.”
“Los perros adultos con antecedentes de vacunación contra la rabia y dosis de refuerzo no necesitan esperar 30 días después de la vacunación.”
In the days before you travel
Vet examEntering the Dominican Republic
Vet examination within 72 hours before departure
A vet examines your pet within the 72 hours before the departure date and finds it free of infectious or contagious diseases. By then it must already have been treated against internal and external parasites.
Details and the official words
“El animal fue examinado dentro de las 72 horas previas a la fecha de salida. Se determinó que no padecía enfermedades infecciosas o contagiosas y que había recibido tratamiento contra parásitos externos e internos.”
TreatmentEntering the Dominican Republic
Internal and external parasite treatment before the vet examination
Your pet is treated against internal and external parasites before the vet examines it. The certificate names the dewormers with their manufacturer and active ingredients. DIGEGA gives no time window: ask your vet.
Details and the official words
“El animal fue examinado dentro de las 72 horas previas a la fecha de salida. Se determinó que no padecía enfermedades infecciosas o contagiosas y que había recibido tratamiento contra parásitos externos e internos.”
“El certificado debe especificar: las vacunas administradas y el control de parásitos internos y externos (los desparasitantes deben especificar el fabricante y los principios activos).”
PaperworkGermany and the Dominican Republic
Vet's health certificate, endorsed by an official vet at the port of embarkation
A vet issues and signs a health certificate after the examination, and an official vet at the port of embarkation endorses and stamps it. It gives the name and address in the Dominican Republic of the person accompanying the pet, the pet's full identification (name, breed, sex, colour, date of birth, microchip and/or tattoo), the vaccinations given and the parasite treatments. Attach the vaccination record with the vaccine labels (batch number, manufacture and expiry dates).
Details and the official words
DIGEGA's page places the official endorsement at the port of embarkation. In many countries the official vet endorses certificates before you go to the airport (in the US, USDA APHIS): ask your country's official veterinary service how it endorses a certificate for the Dominican Republic.
Official health certificate (amtstierärztliche Gesundheitsbescheinigung) from your district's veterinary office: Send your veterinary office the completed application with the required documents (in Berlin's Treptow-Köpenick three to four weeks before the trip; in the district of Munich the application and a copy of the EU pet passport must arrive at least 3 working days before departure). Then you book an appointment: the pet must be brought in person, so the official vet can examine it and read its microchip. Bring the destination's own health-certificate form.
Deadlines and fees differ between offices (see the notice above): ask yours. The destination decides how recent the certificate must be.
“Los animales deben ir acompañados de un certificado sanitario expedido y firmado por un veterinario. Este certificado debe ser refrendado y sellado por un veterinario oficial en el puerto de embarque.”
“El certificado debe contener el nombre y la dirección de la persona que acompaña al animal en la República Dominicana y la identificación completa del animal (nombre, raza, sexo, color, fecha de nacimiento, microchip y/o tatuaje).”
“Debe ir acompañado de un registro de vacunación con las etiquetas de las vacunas, incluyendo el número de lote, la fecha de fabricación y la fecha de caducidad.”
“Geforderte Bescheinigungen können von uns ausgestellt bzw. bestätigt werden.”
“Ihr vollständig ausgefüllter Antrag und die Kopie des EU-Heimtierausweises mindestens 3 Werktage vor Abfahrt bei uns im Veterinäramt vorliegen muss”
“Das Tier muss zum Termin mitgebracht werden, da es im Veterinäramt von einem Amtstierarzt untersucht werden muss und seine Identität durch das Ablesen des Mikrochip festgestellt werden muss.”
“übersenden Sie uns einfach das ausgefüllte und unterschriebene Antragsformular einschließlich der erforderlichen Unterlagen, drei bis vier Wochen vor der geplanten Reise.”
Good to know
- When you travel to a non-EU country, the rules of that country apply. As the owner you must find out the current rules yourself and in good time, for example from the embassy or consulate. The Berlin office says it cannot give information on other countries' entry rules.
- If the country you travel to, or your return to the EU, needs a rabies titer value, talk to your own vet about it.
- Fees depend on the office. In the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick the fee follows the time spent, from 41 to 615 euros, and covers the final check of all documents, preparing the health documents and the official vet's consultation.
- 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 Germany publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.
Government fees on this route
No fee applies to every trip; these may, depending on your case
Official health certificate: Landkreis München (district example)Leaving Germany19.70 EUR
Each German district sets its own fee; this one is for the Munich district (as of May 2024).
“Kosten 19,70 Euro (Stand Mai 2024) Die Kosten für das Gesundheitszeugnis müssen hier vor Ort vor aushändigen des Zeugnisses beglichen werden.”
Internationale Reise mit einem Haustier anmelden (Landkreis München) · as of 2024-05-01
Official certification: Berlin Treptow-Köpenick (local example), minimumLeaving Germany41 EUR
Charged by time: EUR 41 to EUR 615. Each German district sets its own fee.
“richtet sich gemäß Tarifstelle 31050 der Verbraucherschutzgebührenordnung (VSGebO) nach dem zeitlichen Aufwand (mindestens 41,00 € bis maximal 615,00 €)”
Reisen mit Heimtieren (Bezirksamt Treptow-Köpenick, Berlin) · as of 2026-10-13
Official health certificate: City of Munich (local example)Leaving Germany8.50 EUR
Covers up to three certificates for one owner’s animals. Each German district sets its own fee.
“Gebührenrahmen Bis zu drei Gesundheitszeugnisse für Tiere einer besitzenden Person: 8,50 Euro”
Gesundheitszeugnis (Hund, Katze, Frettchen, Vögel) - Veterinäramt · as of 2026-10-13
Official health certificate: Wiesbaden (local example), per started 15 minutesLeaving Germany26.50 EUR
Charged by time. Each German district sets its own fee.
“Gebühren 26,50 Euro je angefangene 15 Minuten”
Amtstierärztliche Gesundheitsbescheinigung für Tiere im Reiseverkehr · as of 2026-10-13
What vets and labs charge Not official figures
Vet examinationyour vet · for: vet examination within 72 hours before departure45.29–55.39 EUR
Germany: 2 published prices
- Tierarztpraxis Großenbaum (Duisburg): General examination including consumables, without injection or medicines45.29 EUR · per examination · read 2026-10-13
- Tierärzte vom Aachener Weiher (Köln): Basic price of every treatment, dog or cat (history and first general examination), VAT included55.39 EUR · per treatment (basic price) · read 2026-10-13
Rabies vaccinationyour vet · for: rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure, rabies vaccination within the 12 months before departure87.27–126 EUR
Germany: 2 published prices
- Tierärzte vom Aachener Weiher (Köln): Dog vaccination SHPPiL4 plus rabies (SHPPiL4/T) including general examination, vaccine, vaccination certificate and consumables; VAT included; rabies not priced on its own87.27 EUR · per vaccination · read 2026-10-13
- Tierarztpraxis Großenbaum (Duisburg): Dog combined vaccination (distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, kennel cough, leptospirosis) plus rabies and entry in the EU pet passport, exam included (rabies is not priced on its own)126 EUR · per vaccination visit · read 2026-10-13
No published prices yet for Germany: parasite treatment, 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
If you need them Not official figures
Travel cratea pet shop or the airline69.79–189.99 EUR
- zooplus.de (marketplace seller Mein Tierdiscount): Karlie Flugzeugbox Nomad, size M (load capacity under 18 kg as the page states); described as 'gemäß der IATA-Norm'; sold and shipped by marketplace partner Mein Tierdiscount on zooplus.de; page says prices include VAT, shipping may be extra69.79 EUR · read 2026-10-13
- zooplus.de: Savic Transportbox Feria Andes mit Rollen, size 4 (S), outer max. 51 x 67 x 52.5 cm, inner approx. 45 x 57 x 44 cm per the page's size table (no dog weight given); described on the page as IATA-konform; page says all prices include VAT, shipping may be extra79.99 EUR · read 2026-10-13
- zooplus.de: Savic Transportbox Feria Andes mit Rollen, size 7 (XL), outer max. 67 x 100 x 80.5 cm, inner approx. 60 x 83 x 71 cm per the page's size table (no dog weight given); described on the page as IATA-konform; page says all prices include VAT, shipping may be extra189.99 EUR · read 2026-10-13
Airline fees aren’t included: check your airline’s pet page.
Round trip
Coming back to Germany
Do before your pet leaves Germany
- Microchip
- Rabies vaccination
- Rabies antibody blood test (titer)
Their timing rules put them before the outbound trip, for a three-month stay.
The trip back asks for 7 steps: microchip, rabies vaccination, rabies antibody blood test (titer) and EU animal health certificate and more.
Nearby routes
Other routes
Where this comes from
Official sources
- Permisología para la Importación / Exportación de Perros y Gatos (DIGEGA)
- Internationale Reise mit einem Haustier anmelden (Landkreis München)
- Reisen mit Heimtieren (Bezirksamt Treptow-Köpenick, Berlin)
- EU rules on travelling with pets and other animals in the EU (Your Europe)
- Gesundheitszeugnis (Hund, Katze, Frettchen, Vögel) - Veterinäramt
- Amtstierärztliche Gesundheitsbescheinigung für Tiere im Reiseverkehr
Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-12.
Questions owners ask
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Germany to the Dominican Republic?
No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for a rabies blood test.
Do I need an import permit to bring my dog or cat into the Dominican Republic?
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 the Dominican Republic?
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 Germany to the Dominican Republic?
With nothing done yet, start at least 4 weeks ahead. The main steps: rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine) from 90 days old, at least 30 days before departure, rabies vaccination within the 12 months before departure and vet examination within 72 hours before departure and 2 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
Turn this into dates for your pet
Where from, where to, when. You get every step with its deadline and the official page it comes from.