EU young pet animals — rabies vaccination exemptions
Source: European Commission, "Young Animals" (food.ec.europa.eu), first-hand official page, pulled 2026-07-24. Covers member states' discretion on admitting young dogs, cats and ferrets not yet fully protected against rabies.
Definition
"young dogs, cats and ferrets", i.e. dogs, cats and ferrets which are: "less than 12 weeks old and have not received an anti-rabies vaccination, or between 12 and 16 weeks old and have received an anti-rabies vaccination but are not yet fully protected (i.e. do not met the validity requirements for the anti-rabies vaccination)."
Hard rule
"Young dogs, cats and ferrets cannot be moved into the EU from a non-EU country or territory for whatever purposes." (Young animals may only move within the EU — "Within the EU for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Article 9 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131").
Member State acceptance (non-commercial Article 9 / commercial Articles 54 & 56 of Reg (EU) 2020/688)
" Yes " means "I accept the introduction of young dogs, cats and ferrets into my territory"; " No " means "I refuse the introduction".
| Member State | Art.9 non-commercial | Art.54/56 commercial |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | No | No |
| Belgium | No | No |
| Bulgaria | Yes | Yes |
| Croatia | Yes | Yes |
| Cyprus | No | No |
| Czechia | Yes | Yes |
| Denmark | No | No |
| Estonia | Yes | Yes |
| Finland | Yes | No |
| France | No | No |
| Germany | No | No |
| Greece | No | No |
| Hungary | No | No |
| Ireland | No | No |
| Italy | No | No |
| Latvia | No | No |
| Lithuania | Yes | Yes |
| Luxembourg | Yes | No |
| Malta | No | No |
| Netherlands | No | No |
| Poland | No | No |
| Portugal | No | No |
| Romania | Yes | No |
| Slovakia | Yes | Yes |
| Slovenia | Yes | Yes |
| Spain | No | No |
| Sweden | No | No |
| Switzerland (EEA) | Yes | No |
| Norway | No | No |
| United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) | No | No |
Source: pdf-raw/pet-travel/eu_young_animals.txt — European Commission official page (food.ec.europa.eu/animals/live-animal-movements/dogs-cats-and-ferrets/young-animals_en), pulled 2026-07-24.