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Pet travel route

Dog or cat from the Netherlands to the Dominican Republic

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 3 more.

Rules checked up to 12 October 2026From 4 official pages

Make my dated plan Reverse: Dominican Republic → Netherlands

In short

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)

3 weeks

if it is already microchipped and vaccinated

Set by: Book your NVWA legalisation appointment by e-mail (14 working days is about 20 calendar days (our conversion, not an official figure); the destination decides how long before departure the legalisation may take place)

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
  • Official stamp on the certificate

Prefer a feed reader? Netherlands rule changes · Dominican Republic rule changes

Netherlands → Dominican Republic

What your pet needs

In the order you do them. Each step says whether the Netherlands (leaving) or the Dominican Republic (entering) asks for it.

  1. Get ready

    1. 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.”

    2. 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.”

  2. In the days before you travel

    1. 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.”

    2. 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).”

    3. PaperworkThe Netherlands 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.

      Legalisation of the passport or health certificate at NVWA: Bring all the documents NVWA asks for to your appointment. If you need a health certificate for the trip, your own vet must complete and sign the form fully beforehand. NVWA checks the EU pet passport and any other documents and legalises them if everything is approved. If a document is missing or incomplete, the legalisation cannot take place and you need a new appointment.

      “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.”

      “If you need a health certificate for your animal's trip, make sure your veterinarian completes and signs the form completely.”

      “If there any documents missing or incomplete, the legalisation cannot take place.”

    4. Official stampLeaving the Netherlands

      Book your NVWA legalisation appointment by e-mail

      E-mail dpp@nvwa.nl at least 14 working days before the date you want the legalisation to take place, with the type of animal, the destination, any stops on the way, your expected departure date or period, the purpose of the trip and your phone number. NVWA tries to reply within 2 working days and then sends an appointment confirmation. The appointment is at its office in Utrecht, on working days between 10:00 and 16:00.

      Details and the official words

      The time allowed between legalisation and departure can vary from country to country.

      Cancelling or rescheduling is free up to 24 hours before the appointment. NVWA may be unable to move the appointment to your preferred date, especially if it is busy or the request came less than 14 working days ahead.

      “Make sure to do this at least 14 working days before the date on which you want the legalisation to take place.”

      “The appointment is at our office in Utrecht.”

      “The amount of time allowed between legalisation and departure can vary from country to country.”

Good to know

  • NVWA legalisation of the EU pet passport and other documents is needed only in some cases. It is usually not necessary if the Netherlands has made agreements with the destination country: NVWA's Export Assistent shows whether a 'binding certificate' with instructions exists. If there is none, ask NVWA whether legalisation is needed.
  • The destination's own requirements decide which documents must be legalised, and they can change. NVWA's e-mail after you book tells you what to prepare, but check the current requirements with the destination's authorities too.
  • Your pet does not have to come to the legalisation appointment: bring the documents only.
  • Legalisation is at your own expense. NVWA's current rates page lists the fee for legalising a dog, cat or ferret passport or certificate (under 'Exportcertificering').
  • 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 the Netherlands publish for the steps above. The two are never added together.

Government fees on this route

  • NVWA legalisation of the passport or certificateLeaving Netherlands65.87 EUR

    NVWA tariff 2026, per legalisation; no VAT.

    “legaliseren paspoort|certificaat voor honden|katten|fretten 65,87”

    NVWA-tarieven exportcertificering 2026 · as of 2026-01-01

Government fees in total: 65.87 EUR (each currency separately)

What vets and labs charge Not official figures

  • Vet examinationyour vet · for: vet examination within 72 hours before departure49.50–56 EUR

    the Netherlands: 4 published prices

  • 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 departure55–87.05 EUR

    the Netherlands: 4 published prices

  • Health certificate (vet’s fee)your vet · for: vet's health certificate, endorsed by an official vet at the port of embarkation105 EUR

    the Netherlands: 1 published price

    • Dierenkliniek Vondelpark (De Dierenkliniek, Amsterdam): Consultation for a health certificate for travel outside the EU (the table cell lists the inside-EU label, then the outside-EU label, then the two prices in the same order, so the second price is the outside-EU one)105 EUR · per consultation · read 2026-10-13

No published prices yet for the Netherlands: parasite treatment.

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 the Netherlands

Do before your pet leaves the Netherlands

  • 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.

Every step from the Dominican Republic to the Netherlands

Nearby routes

Other routes

Where this comes from

Official sources

Last checked against the official pages: 2026-10-12.

Entering the Dominican RepublicLeaving the NetherlandsReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

Does my dog or cat need a rabies blood test to go from the Netherlands 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 the Netherlands 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 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.

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