Pet travel route
Dog or cat from Ireland to Israel: official requirements
Possible. With nothing done yet, start at least 9 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: ISO microchip (134.2 kHz), before the rabies vaccination, Israel's veterinary certificate (Annex A), valid for 10 days and Owner's declaration (Annex B): your pet for at least 90 days and 2 more.
Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 9 official pages
In short
- Dogs and cats differ on this route: choose Dog or Cat to see just yours.
- Israel puts Ireland in the group “Country on Israel’s rabies-free list”, which decides part of the rules.
- On this route: tell the authority in advance and arrive at a set entry point.
- No rabies blood test, import permit or quarantine on this route for a pet that meets the rules.
- Coming back to Ireland? 2 steps have to happen before your pet leaves.
At a glance
How early to start (dogs)
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 (dogs)
- No rabies blood test
- No import permit
- No quarantine
- Tell the authority in advance
- Arrive at a set entry point
How early to start (cats)
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 (cats)
- No rabies blood test
- No import permit
- No quarantine
- Tell the authority in advance
- Arrive at a set entry point
Which rules apply to you
Israel puts Ireland in the group “Country on Israel’s rabies-free list”. See every group
Official name: Listed in the notes to Israel's model certificate (Annex A): no rabies vaccination before travel and no blood test; from 3 months old; an unvaccinated dog is vaccinated within 5 days of arrival. Israel's service page adds that the pet must have been born there and stayed there continuously until arrival, or have stayed there continuously for more than a year.
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Ireland → Israel
What your pet needs
In the order you do them. Each step says whether Ireland (leaving) or Israel (entering) asks for it.
Dogs
Get ready
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
“מעל גיל 4 חודשים ביום ההגעה לישראל חוץ מאלו המבקשים להגיע ממדינות נקיות מכלבת (ראה מטה).”
“ניתן לייבא מעל גיל 3 חודשים.”
“Dogs and cats shall be no less than 4 months of age upon arrival in Israel.”
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.”
In the days before you travel
PaperworkIreland 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
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.
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.”
“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”
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
“Pet Owner Declaration”
“The animals had been in my possession at least 90 days prior to being brought to Israel.”
“The animals are not intended for commercial purposes.”
“הכלב או החתול היה ברשותו הפיזית של הבעלים שעל הטיסה לפחות ב-90 הימים שלפני הטיסה לישראל.”
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”
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.”
Travel day and arrival
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
“נמלי הים חיפה, אשדוד ואילת; נמל התעופה בן-גוריון”
“לא ניתן לייבא דרך נמלים אחרים.”
Good to know
- The no-licence route is only for owners over 18 who fly on the same plane as their pet.
- Israel exempts pets from Australia, Cyprus, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden and the UK from the rabies vaccination before travel and the blood test, and lets them come from 3 months old. This only applies if your pet was born in one of these countries and has stayed there continuously until it travels, or has stayed in one of them continuously for more than a year; otherwise follow the standard rules (vaccination at least 30 days before arrival, blood test, 4 months old). A dog that isn't vaccinated against rabies must be vaccinated within 5 days of arriving in Israel.
- 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).
- 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.
Cats
Get ready
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
“מעל גיל 4 חודשים ביום ההגעה לישראל חוץ מאלו המבקשים להגיע ממדינות נקיות מכלבת (ראה מטה).”
“ניתן לייבא מעל גיל 3 חודשים.”
“Dogs and cats shall be no less than 4 months of age upon arrival in Israel.”
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.”
In the days before you travel
PaperworkIreland 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
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.
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.”
“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”
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
“Pet Owner Declaration”
“The animals had been in my possession at least 90 days prior to being brought to Israel.”
“The animals are not intended for commercial purposes.”
“הכלב או החתול היה ברשותו הפיזית של הבעלים שעל הטיסה לפחות ב-90 הימים שלפני הטיסה לישראל.”
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”
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.”
Travel day and arrival
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
“נמלי הים חיפה, אשדוד ואילת; נמל התעופה בן-גוריון”
“לא ניתן לייבא דרך נמלים אחרים.”
Good to know
- The no-licence route is only for owners over 18 who fly on the same plane as their pet.
- Israel exempts pets from Australia, Cyprus, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden and the UK from the rabies vaccination before travel and the blood test, and lets them come from 3 months old. This only applies if your pet was born in one of these countries and has stayed there continuously until it travels, or has stayed in one of them continuously for more than a year; otherwise follow the standard rules (vaccination at least 30 days before arrival, blood test, 4 months old). A dog that isn't vaccinated against rabies must be vaccinated within 5 days of arriving in Israel.
- 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.
- 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
Microchipyour vet · for: ISO microchip (134.2 kHz), before the rabies vaccination38–55 EUR
Ireland: 3 published prices
- Value Vets (Sunbeam, Cork): Microchip (standard price)38 EUR · per pet · read 2026-10-13
- Donnybrook Vet's (Dublin 4): Microchip40 EUR · per pet · read 2026-10-13
- Cara Vet Group (Dublin 7 and Blanchardstown): Microchipping (free for members of the practice's Pet Healthcare Plan)55 EUR · per pet · read 2026-10-13
No published prices yet for Ireland: 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
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.
Do before your pet leaves Ireland (cats)
- 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.
Nearby routes
Other routes
Where this comes from
Official sources
- תהליך יבוא כלבים וחתולים לישראל (Process for importing dogs and cats into Israel), Veterinary Services service page on gov.il, last updated 19 Feb 2025; read from Common Crawl's copy captured 15 Mar 2025 (CC-MAIN-2025-13)
- Annex A: Veterinary certificate for domestic dogs and cats entering Israel (Veterinary Services, procedure moag-pro-061; gov.il file of 15 Sep 2026)
- Annex B (pet owner declaration) and Annex C (notification on pet arrival) (Veterinary Services, procedure moag-pro-061; gov.il file of 15 Sep 2026)
- Annex D: Declaration regarding non-mutilation (Veterinary Services, procedure moag-pro-061; gov.il file of 15 Sep 2026)
- Pet travel from the United States to Israel (USDA APHIS, last modified 30 July 2025)
- Guidance information for exporting U.S. origin pet dogs and cats to the State of Israel (USDA APHIS, December 2020)
- Veterinary Health Certificate for Export of Pet Dogs and Cats from the United States of America to the State of Israel (USDA APHIS, file of 3 September 2021)
- 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: 2026-10-13.
Questions owners ask
Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from Ireland to Israel?
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 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 Ireland to Israel?
With nothing done yet, start at least 9 weeks ahead for a dog. The main steps: ISO microchip (134.2 kHz), before the rabies vaccination, Israel's veterinary certificate (Annex A), valid for 10 days and Owner's declaration (Annex B): your pet for at least 90 days 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
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