There is no quarantine for a pet dog, cat or ferret arriving in Cyprus, provided the paperwork was done in the right order before you flew. The animal needs an ISO-standard microchip, a rabies vaccination given after the chip went in, a wait of at least 21 days from that vaccination, and either an EU pet passport or an animal health certificate issued within ten days of arrival. Do those steps out of sequence and the vaccination counts for nothing, which is the single most common reason a relocation gets delayed by a month.
The four requirements, in the order they have to happen
Cyprus applies the EU rules on non-commercial movement of pets, now set out in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131, which supplements the Animal Health Law, Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and has applied since 22 April 2026. The Cyprus Veterinary Services administer it here.
First, identification. The microchip must comply with ISO standards 11784 and 11785 and be readable by a standard scanner. A tattoo is accepted only if it was applied before 3 July 2011 and is still legible.
Second, the rabies vaccination. The animal must be at least 12 weeks old on the day it is given, and the chip must already be in place. A jab given first, chip second, has to be repeated.
Third, the wait. Protective immunity is treated as starting no less than 21 days after the primary vaccination course is completed. Boosters given before the previous vaccination expires carry straight over, so a dog with an unbroken vaccination record can travel the same week.
Fourth, the document. Pets moving from another EU member state travel on an EU pet passport. Pets from outside the EU travel on an animal health certificate signed by an official vet, together with a written declaration that the move is not commercial.
Add up the first three and you get the number that catches out anyone buying a puppy or kitten to bring over: 105 days. Twelve weeks to vaccination age, plus 21 days, and no earlier flight is lawful.
The limit for a single non-commercial movement is five animals per owner or authorised person. Above five you are into competition or exhibition territory, which needs written proof of the event and animals over six months old. The owner has to travel with the animals, or within five days of them.
Coming from Great Britain
British owners lost the pet passport after Brexit and have not got it back. An animal health certificate has to be issued by an Official Veterinarian in Great Britain, and it is valid for ten days for entry into the EU, then six months for onward travel within the EU and for the return leg. Each new trip means a new certificate. Under the 2026 rules an EU passport issued to someone whose main residence is in Great Britain is no longer valid either, which closes a workaround a number of British owners in Cyprus had been relying on.
The certificate template changed on 22 April 2026. GB vets could issue the old version up to 30 September 2026, and from 1 October 2026 only the new template is accepted, so a certificate written on the old form for an autumn flight will be turned back at the desk.
One thing British owners do not need: the rabies antibody blood test. The United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland, is listed in Annex II to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, which exempts it. Nor does Cyprus require tapeworm treatment on the way in. That requirement applies to dogs entering Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland and Norway, and Cyprus is not on the list.
Coming from anywhere else
From a country that is not listed, the blood test is unavoidable and it is slow. A sample must be taken by an authorised vet at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, tested at an EU-approved laboratory, and show a neutralising antibody titre of at least 0.5 IU/ml. The animal then cannot move for three months from the date the sample was taken. Cyprus has applied this requirement to animals from Belarus and Russia since 16 September 2024.
Plan on roughly four months between the first vet appointment and the flight if you are coming from an unlisted country. Booking the shipper first is how people end up paying for a rebooked crate.
Landing: tell the vets you are coming
Pets from outside the EU must enter through a designated travellers' point of entry, where documents and identity are checked. The owner or the person responsible has to notify the District Veterinary Office at the point of entry at least 48 hours before arrival, giving the flight number, date and time. That call is easy to forget when a relocation agent is handling the shipping and nobody has told you it is your obligation rather than theirs.
If the paperwork does not hold up on arrival, the outcome is a choice between sending the animal back, isolating it until it complies, and worse. None of those are pleasant and all of them are at the owner's expense.
Four breeds you cannot bring at all
The Dog Law, 184(I)/2002, prohibits importing dogs of four breeds, along with crosses in which a registered vet certifies that the dangerous characteristics predominate: the Pit Bull Terrier, the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Brasileiro. Breeding, sale, exchange and advertising them is also an offence.
Dogs of those breeds already in Cyprus when the law came into force were allowed to stay on strict terms. They had to be neutered within 30 days, must be insured against injury to people and damage to property, and outside the owner's premises must be muzzled and on a lead held by someone at least 16 years old. Nicosia Municipality licenses such a dog at €170 a year against €20.50 for any other dog, which tells you how few are left.
Once you are here: the register and the annual licence
A dog over six months old must be entered on the Veterinary Services dog register and carry its permanent marking, and the owner needs a licence from the municipality or community council. The licence runs for one year from issue and has to be renewed annually, against the vet's health record, the registration and microchipping certificate, and the fee. A "beware of the dog" sign at the entrance to the property is a legal requirement, not a suggestion, and the sale, loss or death of a dog has to be reported to the local authority.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual dog licence, Nicosia Municipality (2026) | €20.50 |
| Annual licence, a Fifth Schedule breed already in Cyprus | €170 |
| Fine on a first conviction under the Dog Law | up to €1,708.60 and/or 12 months |
| Second or subsequent conviction | up to €3,417.20 and/or 24 months |
Fees are set locally, so check the figure with your own municipality before you queue.
Pets do not cross the Green Line
Article 4(9) of Council Regulation (EC) No 866/2004 prohibits the movement across the line of live animals subject to Union veterinary requirements, and Article 6(2) prohibits taking such animals back. In practice a dog or cat cannot legally travel between the areas under the effective control of the Republic and the areas that are not, in either direction. Flying into the north and driving south with an animal in the car is not a route, and taking a pet north for the day risks not being able to bring it home. Anyone weighing up the north for other reasons should read our note on buying property in Northern Cyprus as well.
Going back to the UK
The return leg has its own trap. A dog entering Great Britain must be treated for tapeworm by a vet no less than 24 hours and no more than five days before arrival, and the treatment recorded in the travel document. Miss the window and the dog can be held in quarantine for up to four months at the owner's cost. Cats and ferrets are exempt from the treatment but still need the chip, the vaccination and an accepted travel document.
If the pets are part of a wider move, the sequencing matters more than any single form. Our guides to moving to Cyprus from the UK and importing a car to Cyprus cover the other deadlines that run alongside this one.
Planning a move to Cyprus with animals? Browse the directory for firms handling relocations, or start with an immigration and residency specialist in Larnaca. Rules and figures here reflect the position in August 2026; confirm the current requirements with the Cyprus Veterinary Services, your own vet and a qualified Cyprus lawyer before you book a flight.