Who needs a rabies antibody test before moving a pet, and how long it takes
Checked: Changed:
In short
- Who it applies to
- Anyone bringing a dog, cat or ferret from a country that is not listed in Annex II to Reg. 577/2013. Since 16 September 2024 this includes Russia and Belarus.
- What it costs
- You pay a vet for taking the blood and a laboratory for the test; each sets its own price, and the rule prescribes no tariff. The result is not filed anywhere separately — it is entered in the animal's passport or certificate.
- How long it takes
- You wait twice: the blood may be taken no earlier than 30 days after the vaccination, and the movement may happen no earlier than 3 months after the sample. With the vaccination itself, the whole path takes about four months.
- Where to apply
- The blood is taken by an authorised veterinarian, who records it in the animal's document. The test is done by a laboratory from the list approved by the European Commission — not by any laboratory.
- If your case differs
- The test need not be repeated as long as the animal is revaccinated on time — within the intervals set by the vaccine manufacturer, without a lapse. The three-month wait does not apply to an animal returning with a positive test carried out before it left the EU and recorded in its passport.
Deadlines and conditions
| Condition | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| the blood is taken no earlier than 30 days after the vaccination | Reg. (EU) 576/2013, Annex IV, point 2 — “at least 30 days after the date of vaccination”. |
| the movement may take place no earlier than 3 months after the sample was taken | Reg. (EU) 576/2013, Annex IV, point 2 — “not less than three months before the date of” the movement. |
| the result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml | Reg. (EU) 576/2013, Annex IV, point 2 — “equal to or greater than 0,5 IU/ml”. |
| the vaccination from which everything counts is given no earlier than 12 weeks | Reg. (EU) 576/2013, Annex III, point 2(b) — the vaccination from which every period of the test is counted. |
| the whole path takes about 4 months | The sum of the periods in Annex IV (30 days plus 3 months), as the Veterinary Services of Cyprus also put it: “four months prior to the movement the animal must receive the primary anti-rabies vaccination”. |
Your case
If the animal is travelling from a country not listed in Annex II — including Russia and Belarus
The test is mandatory, and preparation starts about four months ahead: vaccination, blood 30 days later, departure 3 months after the sample. An authorised veterinarian records the result in the animal's document.
If the animal is travelling from an EU country or from a country listed in Annex II
No test at all. What remains is the microchip, a valid vaccination and the animal's document — a passport or a health certificate.
If the country outside Annex II is only a transit point — a connection, not the departure
No test is required provided the accompanying person signs a declaration that during the transit the animal had no contact with animals susceptible to rabies and stayed inside the means of transport or within the perimeter of an international airport.
From Russia and Belarus it is four months, and the clock starts at the vaccination
What those four months are made of:
- the rabies vaccination — the animal must be at least 12 weeks old
- 30 days of waiting, and only then the blood sample
- the test in a laboratory from the EU list, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml
- 3 months after the sample — and only then the movement
- if the vaccination lapses and is given again, the count starts from the beginning
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, consolidated version in force from 26 March 2024eur-lex.europa.euThe rule itself: Annex IV — every deadline and the threshold of the test; Annex III — the vaccination they are counted from; Article 12 — when the test is not required.
- Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013, Annex IIeur-lex.europa.euThe list of countries from which no titration test is required. The question “do I need it” is decided by this list and nothing else.
- Veterinary Services of Cyprus, “Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals”www.moa.gov.cyHow it is applied in Cyprus: the requirement for Russia and Belarus from 16.09.2024 is stated as a separate line, together with the transit exception and the rule on an animal returning with a test done before it left the EU.