Taking a pet from Cyprus to the EU, the UK or Russia
Checked: no change to the rule has been established since the check
In short
- Who it applies to
- Anyone leaving Cyprus with a dog, cat or ferret — for good or for a trip. Citizenship plays no part: the requirements are set by the country you are going to.
- What it costs
- Cyprus charges nothing for taking a pet out. You pay a vet — for the EU passport, vaccinations, the tapeworm treatment if needed and the pre-departure examination — and the airline for the transport.
- How long it takes
- If the rabies vaccination is valid, a few days for the examination and the papers are enough. A first vaccination becomes valid after 21 days, and the animal cannot leave for the EU or Great Britain before then.
- Where to apply
- The EU passport, vaccinations and treatments are done by a private authorised vet. Who in Cyprus makes the state veterinary mark needed for Russia is not published — ask the district office of the Veterinary Services.
- If your case differs
- The Veterinary Services of Cyprus state plainly that meeting the destination country's requirements is the owner's responsibility. This page covers the three most common destinations; for any other country, check its veterinary authority's website.
Deadlines and conditions
| Condition | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| a first rabies vaccination becomes valid after 21 days | Reg. (EU) 576/2013, Annex III, point 2(e); for Great Britain, gov.uk: “at least 21 full days after the first vaccination”. |
| the dog's tapeworm treatment — no later than 24 hours before entry | Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/772, Article 6(2) — “not less than 24 hours” before entry; gov.uk sets the same for Great Britain. |
| and no earlier than 120 hours, that is 5 days, before it | Reg. (EU) 2018/772, Article 6(2) — “not more than 120 hours”; gov.uk: “no more than 5 days (120 hours)”. |
| to the EU and Great Britain — no more than 5 animals per person | Reg. (EU) 576/2013, Article 5(1); for Great Britain, gov.uk, section “More than 5 pets”; beyond that only shows and competitions, or the commercial rules. |
| if the rules are broken, Great Britain may quarantine the animal for up to 4 months | gov.uk, “Bring your pet to Great Britain”: “Your pet may be put into quarantine for up to 4 months if you do not follow these rules” — at the owner's expense. |
| into Russia without a Rosselkhoznadzor permit — no more than 2 dogs or cats | Rosselkhoznadzor, “How to bring a pet into Russia” — no more than two dogs or cats for personal use without the agency's permit; chapters 15 and 40 of the Common Veterinary Requirements (Customs Union Commission Decision No 317). |
| the clinical examination mark — no earlier than 14 days before departure | Rosselkhoznadzor, same page, step 3 — a mark by the competent authority of your country that the animal was clinically examined within 14 days before departure. |
| the vaccination — no later than 20 days before departure | Rosselkhoznadzor, same page, step 2 — the vaccination is given no later than 20 days before departure if it has not been given within the last 12 months. |
| if the last vaccination is more than 12 months old | Rosselkhoznadzor, same page, step 2 — the 20-day rule applies if no vaccination was given within the last 12 months. |
Your case
If you are going to another EU country
You need a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport, issued by an authorised vet in Cyprus; no titration test. A first vaccination becomes valid after 21 days. A dog going to Finland, Ireland, Malta or Northern Ireland is treated by a vet against the Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm no earlier than 120 hours and no later than 24 hours before entry, and the vet records it in the passport. More than 5 animals only for a show or competition. For birds, rodents and reptiles there are no common EU rules — check the destination country's requirements.
If you are going to Great Britain — England, Scotland or Wales
Great Britain accepts an EU passport issued in Cyprus; the microchip goes in no later than the vaccination, and 21 days must pass after a first vaccination. A dog must be treated against tapeworm no later than 24 hours and no earlier than 120 hours before arrival, recorded by the vet. Entry is only on approved routes with approved carriers, and on a plane the animal travels as cargo in the hold, not in the passenger area: the exceptions are recognised assistance dogs and private charters. More than 5 animals only for a show or competition. Breaking the rules means quarantine for up to 4 months at the owner's expense, or refusal if you arrived by sea.
If you are going to Russia
Without a Rosselkhoznadzor permit you may bring in no more than 2 dogs or cats for personal use, and only travelling with the owner. You need an international veterinary passport with vaccination entries: rabies no later than 20 days before departure if the last vaccination is more than 12 months old; for a dog also distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and adenovirus infections and leptospirosis, for a cat panleukopenia. The passport must carry a mark from the competent authority of the country of departure that the animal was clinically examined no earlier than 14 days before departure. Russia does not require a microchip. Other animals — a parrot, a rat, a tortoise — travel with veterinary certificate form No 41 after a quarantine carried out by the veterinary authority of the country of residence; birds also need tests for psittacosis and avian influenza.
Cyprus checks nothing on the way out — the country you fly to does
What people most often find out too late:
- to Great Britain by plane the animal travels only in the hold — even a cat in a carrier will not be allowed into the cabin
- a dog going to Great Britain, Finland, Ireland, Malta or Northern Ireland needs a tapeworm treatment in the window of 24 to 120 hours before entry — a delayed flight can close that window
- for Russia the examination mark is made by the competent, that is state, veterinary authority, not by a private clinic
- Russia does not admit more than 2 dogs or cats without a Rosselkhoznadzor permit
- if you go to Russia and plan to come back to Cyprus, have the rabies titration test done before you leave and entered in the passport: then you will not have to wait 3 months after the sample on the way back
Russia: what to check before buying the ticket
Rosselkhoznadzor requires an “international veterinary passport” marked by the competent authority of the country of departure, but does not say who exactly makes that mark in Cyprus or whether an EU pet passport serves for it. Call the district office of the Veterinary Services at your airport of departure and ask whether they make the clinical examination mark for travel to Russia, what to bring and how many days ahead to book. If you fly with a connection, ask the airline about its rules for animals on both flights and the transit country's own requirements: those are set by that country, not by Russia or Cyprus.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, consolidated version in force from 26 March 2024eur-lex.europa.euThe conditions for movement between EU countries: Article 5 — no more than five animals, Article 6 — chip, vaccination, passport; Annex III — 21 days.
- Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/772 and its list of countries, Regulation (EU) 2018/878eur-lex.europa.euThe treatment of dogs against Echinococcus multilocularis: the window of 24 to 120 hours before entry, a praziquantel product, the vet's record; the list of countries — Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland.
- Veterinary Services of Cyprus, section III “Exit from the territory”www.moa.gov.cyCyprus's position in one sentence: the destination country's requirements and papers are the owner's responsibility. The district office contacts are on the same page.
- GOV.UK, “Bring your pet to Great Britain”www.gov.ukThe entry rules for England, Scotland and Wales: which EU documents are accepted, the dog treatment, approved routes, air travel as cargo only, the limit of five animals.
- Rosselkhoznadzor, “How to bring a pet into Russia” (in Russian)fsvps.gov.ruStep-by-step requirements: up to two dogs or cats without a permit, vaccinations, the examination mark within 14 days, certificate forms No 15 and No 41, when a permit is needed. Updated 25.02.2026.