Which dogs and cats Cyprus will not let in
Checked: Changed:
In short
- Who it applies to
- Anyone planning to bring a fighting-type dog or a hybrid cat to Cyprus. Check before buying the ticket: the answer here is not “difficult” but “no”.
- What it costs
- Money does not settle it: the ban is not lifted by a fee, insurance or paperwork. If the animal is brought anyway, the owner pays for inspection, quarantine and return, plus VAT.
- How long it takes
- The decision is taken at the border, during the inspection. If the breed is found to be a prohibited one, the animal is returned to the country of departure or held in quarantine — for no longer than six months.
- Where to apply
- The breed of a cross is certified by a private registered veterinarian or by a morphology judge appointed by the competent authority. The dispute is settled by that opinion, not by a pedigree.
- If your case differs
- A dog of a prohibited breed that already lived in Cyprus stays lawfully — with a licence and under a separate keeping regime. That is the only exception, and it does not extend to newly imported animals.
Deadlines and conditions
| Condition | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| 4 dog breeds are banned, along with crosses in which their traits prevail | Law 184(Ι)/2002, Fifth Schedule; the Veterinary Services repeat the same list under “Breed”. |
| a dog of such a breed already in the country must be neutered within 30 days | Law 184(Ι)/2002, art. 11(2)(α) as amended in 2026 — for dogs of those breeds already in the country. |
| outside the home such a dog is handled by a person aged at least 16 | Law 184(Ι)/2002, art. 11(2)(β) — outside the home the dog is held by a person not younger than this. |
| quarantine at the border may not last longer than 6 months | Veterinary Services of Cyprus, section “Actions taken when a pet animal does not fulfil the provisions”. |
| for Malaysia and Australia the 60 days before export are examined — contacts and disease outbreaks | Veterinary Services of Cyprus, section “Special requirements”, point 5 (Malaysia, Nipah virus) and point 6 (Australia, Hendra virus). |
Your case
If it is a Pit Bull Terrier (American Pit Bull), Japanese Tosa (Tosa Inu), Dogo Argentino or Fila Brasileiro
Import is prohibited regardless of the country of departure and of the paperwork. Breeding, sale, exchange, advertising and display of such dogs are prohibited too.
If it is a cross — with another prohibited breed or with any breed at all
A cross of two prohibited breeds is prohibited as such. A cross with any other breed is prohibited where a registered veterinarian or a morphology judge certifies that the dangerous breed's traits prevail. The opinion decides, not the breeder's paperwork.
If it is a cat not of the species Felis silvestris catus — Savannah, Bengal, Caracat and their hybrids
Import is prohibited. The ban rests on the species of the animal rather than on the breed as such, so a pedigree and vaccinations do not lift it.
If a dog of a prohibited breed was already living in Cyprus when the ban came into force
Keeping the dog is not an offence provided the licence has been obtained. The regime is separate: neutering within 30 days, third-party liability insurance, an approved muzzle, a leash and a handler aged at least 16 outside the home. The licence fee is separate and is on the dog registration page.
You are turned back on a certificate of traits, not on a pedigree
What else bars the way besides the four breeds:
- a cross in which a vet or a morphology judge has found the dangerous breed's traits to prevail
- any cat not of the species Felis silvestris catus, including first-generation hybrids
- dogs and cats from Malaysia (Peninsula) without a Nipah virus certificate: no contact with pigs and a negative test
- cats from Australia without a Hendra virus certificate
- an animal younger than 105 days or without a valid rabies vaccination — a separate ban, but the same outcome at the border
Sources
- The Dogs Law 184(I)/2002, consolidated version in forcewww.cylaw.orgThe list itself: the Fifth Schedule — four breeds. Article 11 — the ban on import, breeding and sale, the regime for dogs already in the country, and who certifies that a cross shows the prevailing traits.
- Veterinary Services of Cyprus, “Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals”www.moa.gov.cyHow the ban is applied at entry: the same four breeds and their crosses, cats not of the species Felis silvestris catus, the country restrictions for Malaysia and Australia, and what is done with an animal refused entry.