Dog or cat from Iceland to Türkiye: official requirements

1. Get ready

   1. IdentificationEntering Türkiye

      Microchip

      Your pet must be microchipped (ISO 11784 / ISO 11785), and the rabies vaccination must be given after the microchip. Bring a reader if your chip isn't ISO standard.

      Details and the official words

      “The pet must be microchipped.”

      “Rabies vaccination must be administered subsequent to the microchip implantation.”

      “When electronic identification is used, the type of microchip must comply with ISO Standard 11784 or ISO Standard 11785.”

   2. VaccinationEntering Türkiye

      Rabies vaccination (inactivated vaccine)

      Vaccinate your pet against rabies after its microchip was implanted, with an inactivated vaccine produced to the WOAH (OIE) rules. A booster given after the previous vaccination has expired counts as a first vaccination.

      Details and the official words

      “The rabies vaccine used must be an inactivated vaccine produced in accordance with OIE”

      “Rabies vaccination must be administered subsequent to the microchip implantation.”

   3. Blood testEntering Türkiye

      Rabies antibody test (0.5 IU or more) and a 3-month wait

      At least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, a vet takes a blood sample for a rabies antibody titration test at an EU-approved laboratory, with a result above 0.5 IU/ml. After the first test you must wait 90 days (the Trabzon office counts 3 months from the blood sample) before entering Türkiye. The wait applies only to the first test: if the vaccination is renewed within its validity, later trips don't need it.

      Details and the official words

      Older notices gave a different interval between the vaccination and the test (21 days); the current Istanbul page says 30 days.

      “At least 30 days following the rabies vaccination, a rabies antibody titration test must be conducted at an accredited laboratory listed below, and the test result must demonstrate a titre value exceeding 0.5 IU.”

      “In the case of the initial titration test, a waiting period of 90 days from the date of the test result must be observed prior to travel.”

      “Dikkat: kuduz titrasyon testi için kan serumu alınma tarihinden itibaren en erken 3 ay sonra ülkeye giriş yapılabilir.”

2. In the days before you travel

   1. Vet examEntering Türkiye

      Clinical examination within 24 hours before travel

      The certificate's clinical examination (your pet is free of clinical signs and fit to travel) must be done within 24 hours before movement.

      Details and the official words

      “The clinical examination(Part IX) must be done within 24 hours before movement.”

   2. PaperworkEntering Türkiye

      Veterinary health certificate from the exporting country's authority

      The competent authority of the exporting country issues the ministry's Veterinary Health and Origin Certificate within 2 days before travel (it records the microchip, the rabies vaccination and the antibody test, and is signed and stamped by the official vet).

      Details and the official words

      “Within 2 days prior to travel, a Veterinary Health Certificate , as stipulated in the annex of the relevant regulation below, must be issued by the competent authority of the exporting country.”

      “I have seen an official record of the result of a serological test for the animal”

Your pet has been in a country that isn't on MAST's approved list in the last 6 months. Dogs and cats must have stayed in approved exporting countries for the 6 months before import (or since birth). Wait until the pet has spent 6 months in approved countries, or ask MAST.

Your pet has been in a country that isn't on MAST's approved list in the last 6 months. Dogs and cats must have stayed in approved exporting countries for the 6 months before import (or since birth). Wait until the pet has spent 6 months in approved countries, or ask MAST.