Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Vatican City → Norway
What the official rules ask for on this route, for a family pet travelling with its owner. Enter your travel date and your pet’s details to turn it into a dated checklist.
How early to start
3 weeks
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
1 day
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Counted only from the officially fixed waiting periods. Vet, lab and paperwork appointment times are on top, so start earlier.
Which rules apply to you
Vatican City is in the group “Listed European third countries (Andorra, Switzerland, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican) — no titer, any border crossing” in Bringing a dog, cat or ferret into Norway’s published list.See every group
Headlines for Norway
- Rabies blood test for some origins
- Tapeworm treatment for some pets
- Designated entry point for some trips
- Extra disease test for some origins
What your dog needs
Dogs
We haven’t verified the leaving side for Vatican City yet: its official veterinary authority usually has to issue or endorse the health certificate.
Identification
Microchip
Your pet must be identified with an ISO microchip (11784, HDX or FDX-B) before its rabies vaccination. If the chip isn't ISO-standard, bring your own reader.
Details and the official words
“The animal must be identified before the rabies vaccination.”
“The microchip has to comply with the ISO 11784 standard and it has to utilize HDX or FDX-B technology.”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated by an authorised vet. The vaccination is valid from 21 days after the primary vaccination; a booster given before the old one expires has no waiting period.
Details and the official words
“The animal must be at least 12 weeks old when the vaccine is administered.”
“The period of validity starts not less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol required by the manufacturer for a primary vaccination.”
“No anti-rabies vaccination is required for animals travelling only between Norway and Sweden.”
Treatment
Tapeworm treatment (dogs)
A vet must treat your dog (puppies too) against Echinococcus with praziquantel (or epsiprantel) 24 to 120 hours before you enter Norway, and record it in the certificate or pet passport. You can't do it yourself.
Details and the official words
Dogs that cross often between Norway and the EU (or the listed European countries) can instead follow the '28-day rule': treated twice at most 28 days apart before travelling, then every 28 days for as long as they keep travelling, with a final treatment in Norway.
Not needed when coming directly from Finland, Ireland, Malta or Northern Ireland.
“An anti-echinococcus treatment is required for dogs, including puppies.”
“The treatment must be administered 24 – 120 hours prior to entering Norway.”
“No anti-echinococcus treatment is required for dogs travelling to Norway directly from Finland, Malta, Ireland or Northern Ireland.”
“The owners of the dogs may not treat the animals themselves.”
Paperwork
EU pet health certificate
Travel with an EU pet health certificate — or, because you're coming from one of the listed European countries, a pet passport issued there.
The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.
Details and the official words
Mattilsynet links a certificate model under the older EU rules (Regulation (EU) No 577/2013). The EU switched to a new model (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705) for certificates issued from 1 October 2026. Ask your official vet or Mattilsynet which model Norway accepts.
“As the main rule, the identification document must be in the format of an animal health certificate”
“may be accompanied by a pet passport complying with the model laid down in Part 3 of Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 577/2013”
“animals returning to Norway (or another EEA-country), may be accompanied by their pet passport as long as the animal received the anti-rabies vaccination and underwent the rabies antibody titration test (if necessary) before the pet left the EEA”
“This certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian until the date of the documentary and identity checks”
On arrival
Use the red customs channel
At the border, choose the red channel and be ready to show your pet and its documents. You don't need to contact Mattilsynet beforehand.
Details and the official words
“Select the red channel and prepare to present your animals and required documents for inspection.”
Good to know
- We have not verified the export process for VA yet. Your country's official veterinary authority usually has to issue or endorse the health certificate.
- Six dog breeds are banned in Norway, including crossbreeds with any proportion of them: Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Tosa Inu, Dogo Argentino and Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. Wolf-dog hybrids are also considered dangerous.
- Former stray dogs and cats (from shelters, ownerless, or of unknown background) can in practice only come to Norway if you've owned and kept the animal for at least 6 months before entering — be ready to prove it.
- Before you travel, check with Mattilsynet whether any safeguard measures apply to the country you're travelling from.
What your cat needs
Cats
We haven’t verified the leaving side for Vatican City yet: its official veterinary authority usually has to issue or endorse the health certificate.
Identification
Microchip
Your pet must be identified with an ISO microchip (11784, HDX or FDX-B) before its rabies vaccination. If the chip isn't ISO-standard, bring your own reader.
Details and the official words
“The animal must be identified before the rabies vaccination.”
“The microchip has to comply with the ISO 11784 standard and it has to utilize HDX or FDX-B technology.”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated by an authorised vet. The vaccination is valid from 21 days after the primary vaccination; a booster given before the old one expires has no waiting period.
Details and the official words
“The animal must be at least 12 weeks old when the vaccine is administered.”
“The period of validity starts not less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol required by the manufacturer for a primary vaccination.”
“No anti-rabies vaccination is required for animals travelling only between Norway and Sweden.”
Paperwork
EU pet health certificate
Travel with an EU pet health certificate — or, because you're coming from one of the listed European countries, a pet passport issued there.
The official wording is ambiguous. Confirm this point with the authority.
Details and the official words
Mattilsynet links a certificate model under the older EU rules (Regulation (EU) No 577/2013). The EU switched to a new model (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705) for certificates issued from 1 October 2026. Ask your official vet or Mattilsynet which model Norway accepts.
“As the main rule, the identification document must be in the format of an animal health certificate”
“may be accompanied by a pet passport complying with the model laid down in Part 3 of Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 577/2013”
“animals returning to Norway (or another EEA-country), may be accompanied by their pet passport as long as the animal received the anti-rabies vaccination and underwent the rabies antibody titration test (if necessary) before the pet left the EEA”
“This certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian until the date of the documentary and identity checks”
On arrival
Use the red customs channel
At the border, choose the red channel and be ready to show your pet and its documents. You don't need to contact Mattilsynet beforehand.
Details and the official words
“Select the red channel and prepare to present your animals and required documents for inspection.”
Good to know
- We have not verified the export process for VA yet. Your country's official veterinary authority usually has to issue or endorse the health certificate.
- Former stray dogs and cats (from shelters, ownerless, or of unknown background) can in practice only come to Norway if you've owned and kept the animal for at least 6 months before entering — be ready to prove it.
- Before you travel, check with Mattilsynet whether any safeguard measures apply to the country you're travelling from.
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies blood test to go from Vatican City to Norway?
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 into Norway?
No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for an import permit.
Will my dog be quarantined in Norway?
Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.
Does my dog need a microchip?
Yes: Your pet must be identified with an ISO microchip (11784, HDX or FDX-B) before its rabies vaccination.