Bringing a rabbit, rodent, bird or reptile to Cyprus
Checked: no change to the rule has been established since the check
In short
- Who it applies to
- Anyone bringing to Cyprus a rabbit, hamster, guinea pig, parrot, tortoise, snake, fish or any animal other than a dog, cat or ferret. The rules for them are Cypriot rather than EU-wide, and they apply to a move from any country, including another EU country.
- What it costs
- The Veterinary Services do not publish a fee for the import permit on their page — it is given on request. You also pay a vet in the country of departure for the examination and the papers, and for a bird from a third country, for the vaccination or the isolation and test.
- How long it takes
- The permit is obtained before the movement, not at the airport. The department does not say how long it takes to issue — ask before you buy the ticket. A bird from a third country needs more time: a vaccination at least 60 days before dispatch or 14 days of isolation with a test.
- Where to apply
- The permit is issued by the Veterinary Services of Cyprus, Animal Health and Welfare Division. Entry is only through designated points; animals on the CITES lists (many parrots and tortoises) only through Larnaca and Paphos airports and the ports of Limassol and Larnaca. Arrival from a third country is notified to the district veterinary office of the point of entry at least 48 hours ahead.
- If your case differs
- The list of species that may be kept in Cyprus is closed: whatever is not on it can neither be imported from a third country nor brought from another EU country. Pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, horses and donkeys are on the list, but livestock registration rules and local authority rules apply to them as well.
Deadlines and conditions
| Condition | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| arrival from a third country is notified to the district veterinary office at least 48 hours ahead | Veterinary Services of Cyprus, section “Notification of arrival”: “at least 48 hours prior to the arrival”; it covers any pet animal from a third country — the definition includes birds, rodents, rabbits, reptiles and others. |
| no more than 5 birds travel with the owner from a third country | Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1933, Article 2 — no more than five birds in a single non-commercial movement; beyond that the rules for commercial entry apply. |
| the avian influenza vaccination — no later than 60 days before dispatch | Reg. (EU) 2021/1933, Article 4(1)(b)(ii) — a complete course of vaccine against avian influenza H5 and H7 within 6 months before dispatch and no later than 60 days before it. |
| without vaccination — at least 14 days of isolation and a test | Reg. (EU) 2021/1933, Article 4(1)(b)(iii) — isolation under a vet's supervision for at least 14 days and a negative test for avian influenza H5 and H7, sampled no earlier than the seventh day of isolation. |
| after entry the bird stays at home under official control for at least 30 days | Reg. (EU) 2021/1933, Article 5 — the birds go straight from the point of entry to a household, where they stay under official control for at least 30 days and are kept out of shows. |
Your case
If it is a rabbit, a rodent, fish, an amphibian, a non-venomous reptile other than boas and pythons, or an invertebrate
The species is on the permitted list, so it may be kept in Cyprus. It can be brought in only with a Veterinary Services permit obtained before the trip, wherever the animal comes from. From a third country you also notify the district veterinary office 48 hours ahead. If the species is on the CITES lists — many tortoises are, for example — CITES permits are needed too, and entry is only through Larnaca and Paphos airports or the ports of Limassol and Larnaca.
If it is a bird
Birds are on the list, but in its second part — where local authority rules and bans apply on top of the general ones. A Veterinary Services permit is needed just as for other species. From a third country, Russia included, the EU rule is added: no more than 5 birds, a permanent coded mark (a ring or a chip), a vet inspection within 48 hours before dispatch, and one of three — avian influenza vaccination no later than 60 days before dispatch, 14 days of isolation with a test, or 30 days of official isolation in a country on the EU list. After entry the bird lives at home under official control for 30 days. If none of these fits, the only way is 30 days in an approved quarantine establishment in Cyprus.
If the species is not on the list: a boa, python, crocodile, venomous snake, spider or scorpion, a hedgehog, a sugar glider, a monkey
It cannot be brought in either from a third country or from another EU country: rule 4(1) of ΚΔΠ 95/2021 prohibits not only keeping such an animal but also importing it into Cyprus or moving it there. No import permit is provided for it. Decide what happens to the animal before the move — rehoming it where you are, or a move to another country.
The list of permitted species is closed — and a hedgehog is not a rodent in it
Who does not qualify, though it seems they should:
- the African pygmy hedgehog — an insectivore, not a rodent, and the list has no line for it
- the sugar glider — a marsupial; the list has no marsupials at all
- boas and pythons — excluded as whole families, even non-venomous and captive-bred ones
- venomous amphibians, venomous spiders and scorpions — excluded from their groups
- monkeys, foxes, raccoons and other wild mammals — the list has only the dog, cat, ferret, rabbit and rodents, plus farm animals
The import permit: what to ask the Veterinary Services
The Veterinary Services of Cyprus say one thing: the permit must be obtained before the movement. How to apply, what it costs and how long it takes are not on the department's page — neither in English nor in Greek. So write to the Animal Health and Welfare Division (contacts below) before you buy the ticket and ask: which form to fill in, which documents and certificates from the country of departure your species needs, whether a health certificate is required and how close to the flight, what the permit costs and how many days it takes. Give the species in Latin, the number of animals, the country of departure and the point of entry. If the species is on the CITES lists, ask also whom to contact for the CITES permits. Keep the answer in writing and carry it with you.
Sources
- ΚΔΠ 95/2021 — Animal Protection and Welfare (Keeping and Sale of Animals) Regulations, Annex Iwww.businessincyprus.gov.cyThe list of species that may be kept in Cyprus (Parts A and B), and rule 4(1): what is not on it may not be kept, imported or moved in from another EU country. Greek only.
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1933 — non-commercial movement of pet birdseur-lex.europa.euThe conditions for birds from third countries: no more than five, marking, three routes of protection against avian influenza, the inspection before dispatch and 30 days of control after entry.
- Veterinary Services of Cyprus, “Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals”www.moa.gov.cyThe section on other species: an import permit before the movement, no EU harmonisation; also the entry points for CITES species and the 48-hour notice.