How to Bring a Dog or Cat into Serbia

Summary

Serbia divides importing countries into three groups. The group determines whether your pet needs a rabies antibody titer test:

Country group	Chip	Rabies vaccination	Antibody titer	Document
EU + Andorra, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican, Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Gibraltar	✓	✓	not required	EU passport
Countries from Annex 2 (see link below)	✓	✓	not required	veterinary certificate
All other countries (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, USA, Canada, Turkey, etc.)	✓	✓	required, ≥ 0.5 ME/ml	veterinary certificate

Important: Russia, Ukraine and Belarus belong to the third group - border officials will not let the animal pass without a titer test. The vaccination must be administered at least 30 days before the blood sample for the titer, and the titer itself must be taken no later than 3 months before crossing the border.

Basic requirements (for all countries)

1. Microchip - mandatory for dogs, cats and ferrets.
2. Rabies vaccination - registered inactivated vaccine (minimum 1 antigen unit) or recombinant. At least 21 days must have passed since the first vaccination.
3. Prevention of other diseases - no official restrictions, but age-related vaccines are usually required (DHPP for dogs, FVRCP for cats).

Additional requirements for NON-listed countries (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, etc.)

Rabies antibody titer

• Minimum level - 0.5 ME/ml.
• The laboratory must be EU-certified.
• Blood is taken no earlier than 30 days after vaccination.
• The test must be performed no later than 3 months before departure.
• If the dog is regularly re-vaccinated according to the manufacturer's schedule, a repeat test is not needed.

Accredited laboratories

• Russia: FGBU "VNIICR" (Moscow) and FGBNU "FNC VIEV named after Kovalev" (Moscow).
• Ukraine: Serology department of the State Scientific Research Institute for Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary-Sanitary Expertise (Kyiv).

The list of laboratories is current on the European Commission website.

Documents

• From the EU - only the pet passport (Pet Passport) issued by an authorized veterinarian of the country of origin.
• From non-EU countries - a veterinary certificate issued by the official veterinary authority (for Russia - Rosselkhoznadzor, for Ukraine - State Consumer Service, for Belarus - Department of Veterinary and Food Supervision). The certificate must be obtained 10 days before crossing the border.

How many pets can be imported

Up to 5 animals (dogs, cats or ferrets) is considered non-commercial import - no additional permits are required. For larger numbers an import licence request to the Veterinary Administration is needed, and processing takes about 10 working days.

Young animals (up to 12 weeks / 12-16 weeks)

They can be transported without rabies vaccination if one of the following conditions is met:

• a) There is a document confirming that the puppy/kitten has not changed residence since birth and has not been in contact with wild animals susceptible to rabies;
• b) The pet travels with its mother, who has a valid rabies vaccination administered before the offspring's birth.

For option a) the Declaration Annex 5 is completed - a template is available on the Veterinary Administration website.

Other types of pets (rodents, birds, reptiles)

The same requirements apply: microchip (if applicable), freedom from infections, and a veterinary certificate from the competent authority of the country of origin.

Sources

• Official website of the Veterinary Administration of Serbia: https://www.vet.minpolj.gov.rs/movement-of-pets/
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia: https://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/citizens/travel-serbia/travel-pet

Before traveling, check the current rules at the primary source - they may change.