Your dog or cat to Malta: the tapeworm clock of 24 to 120 hours

Yes, your dog or cat may come along to Malta, under the European rules for pets. For a cat, chip, rabies vaccination and the EU pet passport suffice. For a dog something is added, and that is the find on Your Europe: Malta is one of the five destinations free of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, together with Finland, Ireland, Norway and Northern Ireland. A dog must therefore be treated against that tapeworm by a vet between 24 and 120 hours before the journey, and the treatment must be recorded in the passport. What it costs is an extra visit to the vet at the right moment. The trap: a puppy that is not yet fully vaccinated is not admitted to Malta.

What does every animal need?

Within the EU three basic requirements apply to dogs, cats and ferrets:

• A chip, inserted before the rabies vaccination; chip and jab may be on the same day, but without a chip at that moment the vaccination is not valid.
• A valid rabies vaccination. At the first jab the animal must be at least twelve weeks old, and after that you wait at least 21 days before travelling. A booster given before the previous one expires is valid immediately; if you let it lapse, you start again with 21 days.
• The EU pet passport, in which the vet records chip and vaccinations.

You may travel with at most five animals. Above that the rules for trade apply, unless the animals are going to a competition or exhibition and are older than six months.

How does the tapeworm treatment work?

What	Deadline
First rabies jab	at least 21 days before departure
Tapeworm treatment of the dog	between 24 and 120 hours, one to five days, before the journey
Entry in the passport	by the vet who treats, with all details
Dog coming directly from Finland, Ireland, Norway or Northern Ireland	no treatment needed

The European Commission explains why: the EU has these rules to protect the health of the animals and to prevent diseases such as rabies and echinococcosis, an infestation with this tapeworm, from passing to humans. The NVWA calls the worm treatment for dogs to Malta mandatory and advises discussing it with your own vet. Cats do not need the treatment.

A window of one to five days is tight when the journey itself takes days. Whoever goes to Malta by car is soon on the road for several days. Discuss with your vet before departure exactly when the treatment must be given, so that you stay within the window, and make sure all details of the treatment are in the passport. A treatment outside the window does not count.

May a puppy come along?

Not if it is not yet fully protected. Your Europe lists Malta among the countries that do not admit a young animal under twelve weeks that has not been vaccinated, or between twelve and sixteen weeks that is not yet fully immune. So count back: first jab at twelve weeks, then 21 days of waiting. A puppy is ready for the journey at the earliest after just over fifteen weeks.

That also applies the other way round: the NVWA writes that an animal must be at least fifteen weeks old before it may come to the Netherlands. So a puppy you get in Malta cannot join a family visit straight away either.

And certain breeds?

The NVWA warns that in a number of countries extra requirements apply to certain dog breeds, and that some breeds are not welcome at all. If you have a breed that often appears on such lists, check what Malta requires before the move.

What you arrange further: take the passport in your hand luggage, together with the other papers from the moving checklist — see your household goods to Malta. How the animal fits into your whole move is in the step-by-step plan for Malta.

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 Malta or go straight to step 3.3 in the open plan.