Your pet along to Aruba: permission in advance, a two-week certificate and a rabies shot at least a month old

Yes, your dog or cat can come along to Aruba, and for animals from the Netherlands the island is mild: no titre test, no quarantine. But there is one step you cannot skip: before you travel you need permission from the Veterinary Service of Aruba to import your animal. You e-mail copies of the papers to vetservice@dvg.aw and get a decision within 48 hours on weekdays. On arrival you present at customs a health certificate at most two weeks old and valid proof of rabies vaccination; the government page specifies that the shot must be older than a month but not older than a year. The find is in the two versions of the same rule: customs says two weeks, the government page three. Keep to two, then you are always fine. The pitfall is the rabies clock: a vaccination given in the last month before departure is not yet a month old on arrival and does not count.

What do I arrange, and in which order?

The chain is short but strict, and the NVWA and Aruban customs complement each other:

1. Chip, and only then the rabies vaccination: the NVWA is clear that a vaccination is only valid if the animal was already chipped when vaccinated. Aruba wants the shot older than a month and younger than a year on arrival.
2. Permission from the Veterinary Service, by e-mail with copies of the documents; the decision depends on the species and the country of origin, and comes within 48 hours on weekdays.
3. The health certificate from your vet in the last two weeks, and if legalisation by the NVWA is required: an appointment in Utrecht, to be requested at least fourteen working days in advance. Whether Aruba requires that legalisation is not on the customs page; ask the Veterinary Service in the same e-mail.
4. On arrival you report the animal at customs with both papers.

Item	Requirement or deadline
Permission Veterinary Service	before departure, by e-mail; decision within 48 hours on weekdays
Health certificate	no older than 2 weeks (customs); the government page names 3 weeks
Rabies vaccination	proof compulsory; on arrival older than 1 month, younger than 1 year
Chip	before the vaccination, otherwise the vaccination is not valid (NVWA)
Titre test and quarantine	not required for animals from the Netherlands
Legalisation NVWA (if required)	appointment in Utrecht, at least 14 working days in advance
Origin South or Central America, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba	import prohibited, except as household goods with a statement of no objection

Does my pet fall under the household goods?

Yes, and that is why the requirements for dogs and cats are also on the page about the household-goods exemption: on arrival customs wants to see the same health certificate and the same rabies proof. For animals from South and Central America, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba an import ban applies; only as part of household goods does Aruba make an exception, with a statement of no objection from the Veterinary Service. For an animal from the Netherlands that does not play, but whoever adopted an animal from elsewhere checks the country of origin in the passport before booking. Protected species (parrots, turtles, iguanas) fall under CITES and need a permit of their own; the Veterinary Service is charged with that.

How do I plan the last weeks?

Back from the departure date. The rabies shot at least a month before arrival, and preferably well before, so the twelve-month clock does not run out during the journey. The application to the Veterinary Service as soon as the vaccination proof is there; the decision comes quickly, but you want it in hand before you book the flight. The health certificate in the last two weeks, with the NVWA appointment, if needed, already scheduled. The journey itself goes as cargo or in the cabin, depending on the airline; the cost indication for Aruba reckons per animal with the examination, the certificate and the flight.

What is the pitfall?

Two clocks run against each other. The certificate may be at most two weeks old, the rabies shot must be at least a month old. Whoever has everything done at the vet in the last week has a valid certificate and an invalid vaccination, and stands at Oranjestad airport with an animal customs will not release.

And the way back: whoever ever returns to the Netherlands with the animal travels with an EU animal health certificate from an official vet on Aruba, because a rabies vaccination entered in the passport outside the EU does not count in the Netherlands. How the rest of the move goes is in the container to Aruba.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 3 of 5 of the journey, step 3.3: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Aruba or go straight to step 3.3 in the open plan.