Travelling with pet animals

Are you going to travel to Denmark with your pet? Read more about which rules you must follow.

Requirements for non-commercial movement of certain pet animals are stated in EU Regulation no. 576/2013 (Pet Regulation).

Pet animals are in Regulation 576/2013 defined as the following special:

  • Dogs, cats and ferrets
  • Birds (except poultry*)
  • Domestic rabbits and rodents
  • Reptiles and amphibia
  • Invertebrates (except bees, molluscs and crustaceans)
  • Ornamental tropical fish

* Poultry means birds of the following species: fowl, turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks, geese, quails, pigeons, pheasants, partridges and ratites (Ratitae). Thus, poultry are not considered pet animals when being moved within the EU, even if they are kept as such.

Other species of animals cannot not be moved within the legal scope of the Pet Regulation and  shall be moved in accordance with the normal movement requirements.

General rules for non-commercial movement of pets

For the movement to be considered non-commercial the following general requirements must be met:

  • The movement of the pet is caused by the owner need to travel, either because the pet:
    • travels with the owner, or
    • is moved accompanied by an authorised person up to five days before or after the owner's movement.
  • The movement of the pet does not have as its aim either the sale of or the transfer of ownership of a pet.

If the general requirements are not met, the pet animal cannot be moved in a non-commercial movement. Instead the movement must comply with the normal requirements for movements within the Union and entry into the EU.

For more information on normal movements within the Union and entry into the EU, please visit the website of the EU Commission

Additional requirements for non-commercial movement of dogs, cats, ferrets and birds

In addition to the general rules for non-commercial movement of pet animals there are specific requirements for non-commercial movements of:

  • Dogs, cat and ferrets being moved within the EU and into the EU
  • Birds being moved into the EU

Non-commercial movement of other pet animal species

For other species of pet animals covered by the Pet Regulation, there are currently no additional EU requirements besides the general rules mentioned above.

There is no limitation on how many animals of the other pet animal species, that can be part of a non-commercial movement as long as the general rules are complied with.

Travelling to Denmark

Are you travelling to Denmark with other pet animal species, you can bring the as long as the general rules are complied with. There is not requirement of accompanying documents or veterinary inspection prior to movement.

However, please be aware of the following:

  • There are certain species that private people may not keep as pets.
  • Ban on import of certain rodents

For travelling with dogs, cats and ferret, please go to two guides:

For travelling with birds from third countries, please go to page on:

Travelling to other EU member states or to third countries

Are you travelling to other EU member states with your pet animal, please consult with the competent authority in the country of destination, before you depart.

 

Further requirements

There are certain species of pet animals - covered by the requirements of the Pet Regulation that you  may not keep in Denmark as a pet owner.

If the species may not be kept as a pet, you cannot bring it to Denmark.

However, banned species can be transited through Denmark.

Which species there are banned is listed in Danish Order on banning the keeping of certain animals.

Due to the risk of monkey pox, there is a ban on import of the following Rodents:

  • Prairie dogs (Cynomys sp.) originating in or coming from the United States of America
  • Rodents of non-domestic species and squirrels originating in or coming from third countries of the African sub-Saharan region

Legislation

Go to the page about legislation