Your dog or cat to Peru: the certificate, the deworming and the way back
A dog or cat may enter Peru with an official health certificate from the Netherlands, vaccinated against rabies and the common diseases, and dewormed within 30 days before the journey. SENASA inspects the animal at the airport. Think of the way back too: for the EU, Peru counts as a country with a rabies risk, so arrange the blood test in the Netherlands.
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A dog or cat may come to Peru, with an official health certificate from the country of origin, for you that means from the NVWA. SENASA, the Peruvian agricultural health service, wants to see the valid vaccinations on it, a rabies vaccination from three months of age, and internal and external deworming in the 30 days before the journey. At the airport a SENASA vet inspects your animal. The hardest step is not the outward journey but the way back: Peru is not on the EU list of countries without a blood test requirement.
| What | The requirement | Term or amount |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | original health certificate from the official service of the country of origin | with you on arrival |
| Vaccinations dog | parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and rabies | valid on the day of arrival |
| Vaccinations cat | feline panleukopenia and rabies | same |
| Rabies | mandatory for dogs and cats | from 3 months of age |
| Deworming | internal and external | in the 30 days before the journey |
| Inspection on arrival | SENASA at the airport or border post | S/ 98.60 (April 2025) |
| NVWA legalisation, if needed | appointment in Utrecht | request at least 14 working days in advance |
| Blood test for the way back | rabies antibodies, at least 0.5 IU/ml | blood at least 30 days after vaccination |
What does Peru ask on arrival?
On arrival you go to the SENASA office at Jorge Chávez airport in Lima, or at another international airport or border post. You hand in an application with your details and those of the animal, the original certificate and the payment receipt for the inspection. In April 2025 SENASA mentioned an amount of S/ 98.60. A vet then examines the animal for signs of an infectious disease or parasites.
The certificate must show the vaccinations, the deworming and the health of the animal. Animals are excluded from the household goods scheme; they do not travel with your container; see household goods to Peru.
Plan the deworming around the travel date. It must be given within 30 days before the journey, both internally and externally. A deworming six weeks earlier does not count, even if the animal is otherwise fine.
What do you arrange in the Netherlands?
The NVWA describes the order. Your animal needs a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport; the chip must be in place before the vaccination, otherwise the vaccination is not valid. You then check in the NVWA Export Assistant whether there is a binding certificate with instructions for Peru. If there is not, you email the NVWA with the species, the country, any stopovers, the departure date and the purpose of the journey. The NVWA tries to reply with the requirements within two working days.
If the passport has to be legalised, you do so at the NVWA office in Utrecht. Request that appointment at least 14 working days in advance. According to the NVWA the preparation can take from weeks to more than half a year, depending on the country.
Why think about the way back now?
Because Peru is not on the list of non-EU countries from which you may return without a blood test. The NVWA calls such a country a high-risk country for rabies. Anyone travelling from there to the Netherlands needs a blood test showing that the vaccination works: at least 0.5 IU/ml, blood taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, in an approved laboratory.
If you have that test done outside the EU, the animal may only travel to the Netherlands 90 days after a good result. If you have it done in the Netherlands before you leave, the waiting period does not apply. The result stays valid for the animal's whole life, as long as you have the rabies vaccination repeated in time. A rabies vaccination entered in the passport by a vet outside the EU is not valid; the animal then travels back on an EU health certificate.
How do you travel with the animal within Peru?
SENASA does not issue a certificate for travel within Peru. SENASA advises checking with the carrier what it requires, and bringing a valid vaccination and health certificate from a vet. How the animal fits into the order of your move is in the route to Peru.
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 Peru 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 Peru, 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.
- SENASA — what you need to travel into or out of Peru with your dog or cat (April 2025) — gob.pe
- SENASA — the entry requirements, and no certificate for travel within Peru (March 2026) — gob.pe
- NVWA — taking your dog or cat to a country outside the EU, with the Export Assistant — nvwa.nl
- NVWA — legalisation of the pet passport, appointment at least 14 working days in advance — nvwa.nl
- NVWA — the blood test on return from a country with a rabies risk — nvwa.nl
- European Commission — the non-EU countries without a blood test requirement (Implementing Regulation 2026/636, Annex II); Peru is not among them — food.ec.europa.eu
- Regulation on luggage and household goods (Decreto Supremo 182-2013-EF), article 4 — animals are excluded from household goods — sunat.gob.pe
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