Pet travel route
Dog or cat from Ireland to the Dominican Republic: the rules
Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 9 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 3 more.
Rules checked up to 12 October 2026From 3 official pages
In short
- On this route: parasite treatment before travel and tell the authority in advance.
- No rabies blood test, import permit or quarantine on this route for a pet that meets the rules.
- Coming back to Ireland? 3 steps have to happen before your pet leaves.
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
9 weeks
whether or not your pet is already microchipped and vaccinated
Set by: Contact your Regional Veterinary Office at least 2 months before you travel (at least 2 months before travel (counted on the safe side))
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
- Tell the authority in advance
Rule-change alertsChecked daily
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Rule change for pets travelling from Ireland to the Dominican Republic
Entering the EU by sea: the certificate's 10 days are extended by the voyage. Tap to see what changed.
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Ireland → Dominican Republic
What your pet needs
In the order you do them. Each step says whether Ireland (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).”
PaperworkIreland 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.
Government stamp and signature from your Regional Veterinary Office: The most likely scenario: you and your private vet prepare the pet (vaccinations, blood tests and so on) and fill in the health certificate the destination asks for, then you bring it to your local Regional Veterinary Office for a government stamp and signature.
DAFM's page gives no deadline for how recent the certificate must be: the destination's own requirements decide.
“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.”
“The most likely scenario is that you and your private vet will prepare the pet (vaccinations, blood tests etc.) and provide a health certificate, that you can then bring to your local Regional Veterinary Office to get a government stamp and signature”
NoticeLeaving Ireland
Contact your Regional Veterinary Office at least 2 months before you travel
Contact your Regional Veterinary Office at least 2 months before the trip so it can certify the documents. The department may not be able to sign your pet's documents if you contact it later.
Details and the official words
“make sure you plan well in advance and contact the Regional Veterinary Office at least 2 months in advance of travel to ensure that necessary documentation can be certified by department officials”
“The department may not be able to sign documentation for your pet to travel if you have not contacted your Regional Veterinary Office at least two months in advance of travel with your pet.”
Good to know
- Ireland does not keep the entry (certification) requirements of other countries: contact the destination country for them, then follow its instructions for the health certificate. Allow enough time for any required tests.
- No tapeworm treatment is needed to leave Ireland. A dog needs the treatment from a vet abroad before it returns to Ireland.
- Make sure your pet qualifies to return to Ireland: the same rules apply to re-enter from a non-EU country whether the pet usually lives there or is an Irish pet that was there briefly on holiday.
- 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 Ireland 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
Vet examinationyour vet · for: vet examination within 72 hours before departure59–60 EUR
Ireland: 2 published prices
- Value Vets (Sunbeam, Cork): Consultation (standard price)59 EUR · per consultation · read 2026-10-13
- Donnybrook Vet's (Dublin 4): Consultation60 EUR · per consultation · 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 departure90 EUR
Ireland: 1 published price
- Donnybrook Vet's (Dublin 4): Rabies vaccination (3-year vaccine)90 EUR · per vaccination · read 2026-10-13
No published prices yet for Ireland: 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
Airline fees aren’t included: check your airline’s pet page.
Round trip
Coming back to Ireland
Do before your pet leaves Ireland (dogs)
- 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 8 steps: microchip, rabies vaccination, rabies antibody blood test (titer) and EU animal health certificate and more.
Do before your pet leaves Ireland (cats)
- 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)
- Pet Travel (DAFM, gov.ie)
- EU rules on travelling with pets and other animals in the EU (Your Europe)
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 Ireland 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 Ireland to the Dominican Republic?
With nothing done yet, start at least 9 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 3 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.