Moving to Finland with Pets

Moving to Finland with pets is possible, but there are requirements you need to be aware of well before of the moving day.

If you’re moving to Finland you’re probably already aware of the fact that a lot of requirements, laws and regulations in place are coming from the EU. This sometimes makes it hard to make any sense of the system. One of the most important things to understand is that the requirements are different depending on where you are moving from. This also goes for pets: requirements are different for pets coming from EU and EEA countries and for pets coming from outside of EU.

The rules we’re about to go through apply for pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) from outside of the EU. The process of moving to Finland with pets is a bit easier when you’re travelling from one EU country to another.

Moving to Finland with Pets in 4 simple steps:

1. There are no stray dogs in Finland. Your pet needs to have a microchip in place and the microchip should work with certain readers: make sure the microchip is ISO 11784/11785 compliant. If your pet has a different microchip you need to bring your own scanner and attach it to the crate the pet is travelling in. All microchips are checked and no other forms of identification are accepted.

2. Finland is rabies free. To prevent an outbreak of this disease all pets are required to have an original Rabies Certificate in which the microchip number, the date of the vaccine given and the validity of that vaccination have been clearly stated. The vaccination has to be the inactivated type. Keep in mind that some vaccinations are only good for a year, some for two. Even if your pet has been vaccinated before it’s better to recheck well ahead of time, since the vaccination needs to have been given at least 21 days before the time of the departure.  In the case you’re moving to Finland from a country that has been classified as high-rabies, the process is a bit different and takes longer. You need to first microchip the pet, take care of the rabies vaccination and then, after waiting for 30 days, administer a blood titer test. If the test results are acceptable the pet can enter Finland three calendar months after the blood was drawn.

3. Before you get all set and ready to hop into the plane you need to visit your veterinarian (again). Every pet needs an USDA Accredited veterinarian to fill out an original EU Vet Health Certificate and to to perform a clinical examination of the pet. If you’re bringing a dog, your veterinarian also needs to administer a tapeworm treatment which contains an ingredient called praziquantel – If it doesn’t, you can’t bring your dog in! All these things can be done at once, as the health certificate is good for 10 days, the tapeworm treatment needs to be administered 1-5 days before the departure and the clinical examination has to take place at least 24 hours before the departure. This means that the optimal time for the vet visit is about 3-4 days before the departure.

4. Your airline might also require you to have a signed APHIS Form 7001. You normally have to have the this on hand at least 10 days before the departure.

Following the steps above should help your move to Finland with pets to go smoothly! When you get into the country remember to keep the vaccinations up to date, and enjoy – Finland is a great country for pet owners! It’s no wonder that about 4 people out of 10 has a pet. Don’t be surprised if you happen to move into a city with a dog tax in place either – Finland is notoriously famous for its many many taxes!

If you have any questions on the process of moving to Finland with pets you can also contactkolmasmaa@evira.fi

Check the prices of removals to Finland. Or read on about useful tips when moving to Finland

Sources:

http://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/pet-movement/eu-legislation/non-commercial-non-eu/index_en.htm

https://www.uef.fi/web/internationalstaff/bringing-your-pet-to-finland

https://www.evira.fi/en/animals/import-and-export/import-from-non-eu-countries/dogs-cats-and-ferrets/non-commercial-movement/