Taking your dog or cat to Israel: start with the NVWA, and arrange the way back in advance
For the journey to Israel you ask the NVWA and the Israeli veterinary services for the requirements. Israel is not on the EU list of countries without a high rabies risk. If you ever want to return to the Netherlands with your animal, have a blood test done before you leave: otherwise you wait 90 days after a test in Israel.
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Moving to Israel with a dog or cat is possible, but it takes preparation on two sides. On the Israeli side, the requirements of the veterinary services of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture apply. On the Dutch side, the NVWA helps you find those requirements and prepares the papers. And because Israel is not on the EU list of countries without a high risk of rabies, you have to arrange the way back before you leave.
What do you arrange, and when?
| What | When | According to |
|---|---|---|
| Microchip, and then the rabies vaccination | well before departure; the chip must be in place before the vaccination | NVWA |
| EU pet passport | at your own vet in the Netherlands | NVWA |
| Requesting Israel's requirements | well before departure; the NVWA replies within 2 working days | NVWA |
| Legalisation of papers, if Israel asks for it | appointment at least 14 working days in advance, at the office in Utrecht | NVWA |
| Rabies blood test for the way back | at least 30 days after vaccination, in the Netherlands | NVWA |
| Waiting period if you do the blood test outside the EU | 90 days after a good result | NVWA |
What requirements does Israel set?
They are set by the veterinary services of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture. That ministry's websites refuse automated requests, so we could not check the requirements ourselves and give no ages, periods or permits. Request them in two ways.
First look in the NVWA's Export Assistant. It shows per country whether the Netherlands has made agreements on travelling with dogs and cats, in a so-called binding certificate. If there is a certificate with instructions for Israel, follow it. Often an NVWA vet then visits you to check that your animal meets the requirements; after that you receive a health certificate.
If Israel is not in it, email the NVWA (dpp@nvwa.nl) with the species, the country, any stopovers, your departure date, the purpose of the journey and your phone number. The NVWA tries to reply within two working days. According to the NVWA, countries may ask for, among other things, a health certificate, legalisation of the passport, certain treatments or laboratory tests, and an import permit. Because requirements change, the NVWA advises you to also contact the authorities of the destination country yourself.
What must definitely be in order?
The NVWA names three things that apply to almost every country. Your animal has a microchip. It is vaccinated against rabies, and that vaccination is only valid if the chip was already in place. And you have an EU pet passport, which you request from your own vet. Also have your vet check that the primary and booster vaccinations were given exactly according to the package leaflet: a vaccination that is not valid can derail the whole plan.
Why arrange the way back now?
Because Israel is not on the European Commission's list of non-EU countries for which no blood test is needed. For the NVWA, that makes Israel a country with a high risk of rabies. Anyone coming to the Netherlands with a dog or cat from such a country needs a good blood test, also called a titration.
If you do that test in the Netherlands before you leave, you do not have to wait when you return. If you only do it in Israel, the NVWA says your animal may only travel to the EU 90 days after a good result. You have the blood taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, at an approved laboratory. The result must be 0.5 IU/ml or higher. It stays valid for the animal's whole life, as long as you always repeat the vaccination on time.
A rabies vaccination that a vet in Israel writes in the EU pet passport does not count, according to the NVWA. Nor may a vet outside the EU enter a blood test result in the passport. Your animal must then travel back with an EU animal health certificate.
How do you travel with your animal?
According to NederlandWereldwijd's travel advice, the security situation in Israel remains unpredictable. So plan your animal's journey with some slack, and check, as the NVWA advises, how long a health declaration is valid: after a rescheduled flight it may have expired. Ask the airline in advance what it requires for an animal in the cabin or the hold. If you want help, the NVWA says you can hire a specialised company, a so-called pet shipper.
What else you take is in household goods to Israel. How the steps fit together is in the journey to Israel.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Israel or go straight to step 4.4 in the open plan.
What is due when?
Enter your departure date and see day by day what your dog or cat needs for Israel, from microchip to certificate.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- NVWA — taking your dog or cat to a country outside the EU, the step-by-step plan — nvwa.nl
- NVWA — the rabies blood test when returning from a high-risk country — nvwa.nl
- European Commission — the non-EU countries for which no blood test is needed (Israel is not among them) — food.ec.europa.eu
- NederlandWereldwijd — travel advice for Israel, the unpredictable security situation — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
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