Moving to the Netherlands with a dog or cat
The Netherlands is in the EU. The Dutch food and product safety authority NVWA adds that dog owners must register and microchip their dog and arrange an EU pet passport; for cats these are recommended, not compulsory.
- Verified read on an official page (2026-10-19)
- Partly verified the official quote covers only part of it
- Not verified yet we could not confirm it on an official page
Planning help, not legal or veterinary advice. Rules change; confirm with the official authority and your vet before you travel.
My route
Checklist, in order
Microchip and register (dogs)
VerifiedEU baseline applies; NL additionally requires dog owners to microchip and register their dog
Houders van honden zijn verplicht hun hond te registreren en te laten chippen.
Rabies vaccination
VerifiedRabies vaccination required (EU baseline)
been vaccinated against rabies
Pet travel document
VerifiedNL: first dog owners must also arrange an EU pet passport; for cats in NL chip/passport/registration are not compulsory
Eerste houders van honden moeten ook een EU-dierenpaspoort regelen voor hun hond.
Cats in the Netherlands
VerifiedNL: for cats the chip, passport and registration are not compulsory but recommended
Voor katten in Nederland zijn een chip, paspoort en registratie niet verplicht, maar wel aan te raden.
Tapeworm treatment
VerifiedNot required for the Netherlands
where your destination area is free from this tapeworm (Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway and Northern Ireland)
Not verified yet: check the official page
We could not confirm these on an official page. Do not assume anything: ask the authority below. (2026-10-19)
- Numbers: how many dogs or cats you may bring
- Dutch rules on dangerous or restricted breeds
- How long to wait between the rabies vaccination and travel, and any minimum age
Official pages
Number of pets and breed rules
Maximum number of pets
Not verified yetNot verified yet: NVWA page gives no number; rijksoverheid restricted-dog page 404
Banned or restricted breeds
Not verified yetNot verified yet: rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/huisdieren/vraag-en-antwoord/welke-regels-gelden-voor-gevaarlijke-honden returned 404; NVWA 'honden en katten' page has strict import requirements (rabies) but no breed list
My pet move timeline
Planning help only. Enter your arrival date and we count back using only the windows in the checklist above.
Pick your arrival date to see the timeline.
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