Pet import requirements for Finland
What Finland asks for before a dog or cat can enter — the microchip, the rabies work, the permit and the paperwork — and how far ahead you need to start. We handle all of it on a move we arrange.
Import rules change, and they change without notice. Last verified 2025-12-20 by the country-profile service Furry Freight uses; profile last updated 2025-12-01. Confirm every requirement with the authority named below, or with us on (424) 421-1650, before you book a flight or start any vet work.
Finland at a glance
| Requirement | For Finland |
|---|---|
| Microchip | Comply with the ISO standard 11784 and apply the HDX- or FDX-B technology; and 2 |
| Rabies | According to EU standard |
| Import permit | Depending on breed |
| Quarantine | None on arrival |
| Minimum age to travel | Follows the EU |
| EU rules that also apply | This destination is grouped with the European Union; confirm whether EU pet-movement rules apply |
| Customs clearance | Follows the EU |
| Agent at destination | Follows the EU |
Where this fits in the timeline. The order matters more than the effort: a rabies vaccination given before the microchip was implanted does not count in most regimes, and a titer test drawn too early restarts a waiting period. On a move we handle, we check your pet's existing dates against these rules on the free consultation before anything is booked.
The detail
Finland is filed with the European Union grouping, so Regulation (EU) pet-movement rules may apply alongside any national remarks below. The only in ternational airport in Finland that allows pets is Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Follows the EU.
Import requirements
Follows the EU.
According to EU standard.
[Import of Animals](https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/en/animals/import-export-and-in ternal-market-transfers/)
[Import of Animals](https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/en/animals/import-export-and-in ternal-market-transfers/)
[Import of Animals](https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/en/animals/import-export-and-in ternal-market-transfers/)
For commercial movements:
Finland can only import via Helsinki airport or Vaalimaa road.
For commercial movements:
Finland can only import via Helsinki airport or Vaalima road.
Animal arriving by air can only arrive as freight; animal travels with escort will be refused or returned.Echinococcosis treatment (against *Echinococcus multilocularis*) is to be administered at least 1 and at most 2 days (48-24 h) before the dog's arrival in Finland (NOTE: The time is calculated from crossing the border, not the departure time).
Identification and microchip
- Comply with the ISO standard 11784 and apply the HDX- or FDX-B technology; and
- be legible using an identifier that conforms with ISO standard 11785
Rabies and vaccinations
According to EU standard.
Tests and treatments
According to EU standard.
Moves from Malaysia and Indonesia needs a NIPAH Virus test for dogs/cats/ferrets.
A rabies antibodies test 30 days after the vaccination. The result of the test must be 0.5 IU/ml or more. After the sample has been taken, there will be a wait of 3 months in the country of departure. The sample must be analysed in a laboratory approved by the EU.
The approved rabies serology laboratories are found here
According to EU standard.
Treatment against echinococcosis must be administered at least 1 and no more than 5 days before the movement of the dog (not required for cats and ferrets)
Health certificate and permits
According to EU standard.
Depending on breed.
[Import of Animals](https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/en/animals/import-export-and-in ternal-market-transfers/)
The advance notice has to be given at least 24 hours before the import using TRACES and the border veterinarian has to be booked well in advance. For private in dividuals, we can do a notification in TRACES for an additional fee of 117 euros, if we are notified at least 24 hours in advance. If the Traces notification is late or in sufficiently completed, a double in spection fee will be charged.
More in formation on the TRACES system
The cost of an in spection is 158 euros/animal. There is an additional cost of in spections outside office hours, +50% in the evenings and +100% at night after 10 pm and during weekends/public holidays
For more in formation on the import of animals, go to the website of the European Commission
For in formation on taxes and Customs procedures go to the Customs website
Quarantine
No Quarantine facilities available.
Restrictions and banned breeds
None.
Customs, agents, and airports
Follows the EU.
The only in ternational airport in Finland that allows pets is Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. IATA: HEL, ICAO: EFHK
Airports listed on this destination file: HEL.
Importing an animal from the EU
If you bring a pet with you from the EU, there is no need to report this to Customs.
Importing an animal from outside the EU
Animals brought into Finland from outside the EU will always be in spected. The in spection is carried out either by Customs or a border veterinarian. Consult Finnish Food Authority to find out if the animal you wish to import needs to be in spected by a border veterinarian.
Customs will in spect pets brought in by travelers arriving from outside the EU when the pets will not be sold or passed on in the EU territory and when no more than five animals are imported. The in spection will be carried out at a point of entry approved for that purpose in the first EU member state in which the pet arrives. In all other cases, the animals must undergo a veterinary border in spection.
Finnish Food Authority:Approved points of entry for pet animals in Finland
Please note: Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and the Vatican City State are comparable to the EU countries, and Customs does not in spect pets brought in from these countries and areas.
Export notes
When exporting animal outside of EU,
Exports to countries outside the EU - Finnish Food Authority
Other pets / CITES / extra rules
Federal Office for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Bonn
Import and export - Finnish Food Authority
Official contacts
The Finnish Food Safety Authority
P.O. BOX 100
FI-00027 FINNISH FOOD AUTHORITY
Tel: +358 29 530-0400
Fax: +358 29 530-0444
kirjaamo@foodauthority.fi
Customs Information Service, Private customers
Mon-Fri 8a–4p
+358 9 295-5201
Office in Helsinki
P.O. BOX 200
00027 FINNISH FOOD AUTHORITY
Visiting address: Mustialankatu 3, 00790 Helsinki
Parking in Viikki
Visitors to the office on Mustialankatu in Viikki can park free of charge in the clearly marked parking spaces around the building. Dedicated visitor parking spaces are also available by the wall facing the street, next to the garage ramp. Visitors can also use the car parks adjacent to the building. To avoid parking fines, please remember to give your car registration number to the security guard in the lobby.
Current as of December-2025
Disclaimer
Import rules change without much warning. Confirm every vaccine date, test, permit, and crate routing with the destination veterinary authority before you travel. This page is a planning brief for Furry Freight customers, last checked against the IPATA country profile dated 2025-12-20.
Next: measure your dog, find the kennel size, then get a free travel quote. Moving on military orders? PCS moves. Going to Hawaiʻi instead? Hawaiʻi has its own regime.
Other destinations: Albania · Andorra · Austria · all destinations
Official sources for Finland
- here ec.europa.eu
- Listed third countries ec.europa.eu
- European Commission ec.europa.eu
Questions about moving a pet to Finland
Does my dog or cat need a microchip for Finland?
Comply with the ISO standard 11784 and apply the HDX- or FDX-B technology; and 2
From the country profile, last verified 2025-12-20.
What rabies vaccination does Finland require?
According to EU standard
Do I need an import permit to bring a pet into Finland?
Depending on breed
Will my pet be quarantined on arrival in Finland?
None on arrival
How old does a puppy or kitten have to be to travel to Finland?
Follows the EU