Your pet to Poland: the passport is enough, the dog needs its jab every year

Your dog or cat may come to Poland without quarantine and without a titre test. Within the EU three things are enough: a chip, a valid rabies vaccination and the European pet passport. The finding is on the Polish side. Whoever lives in Poland falls under the Polish animal health act for their dog, and it requires a rabies jab at least every twelve months. A Dutch vaccine that the passport says is valid for three years covers you for the journey, but not for the Polish duty. On top of that your municipality may charge an annual fee for the dog.

What does your animal need for the journey?

For dogs, cats and ferrets travelling with you from one EU country to another, the European rules apply:

• a chip, implanted before the rabies vaccination, otherwise the vaccination doesn't count;
• a rabies vaccination by an authorised vet, at an age of at least twelve weeks. After a first vaccination you wait at least 21 days before you travel;
• the EU pet passport, in which the vet records chip and vaccination. The passport is valid for life as long as the vaccination is valid.

A booster must be given before the previous one expires. If you are late, the new jab counts as a first vaccination and the 21-day waiting period starts again. Poland is not on the list of countries that admit a younger, not yet vaccinated animal: so count on a puppy or kitten of at least twelve weeks plus three weeks of waiting.

If you travel with more than five animals, the rules for trade in animals apply, unless they take part in a competition, exhibition or sporting event and are older than six months.

What changes once you live in Poland?

Rule	For the journey (EU)	Once you live there (Poland)
Rabies vaccination dog	valid according to the passport and the manufacturer	no later than 30 days after the dog turns 3 months, then at least every 12 months
Proof	EU pet passport	vet's certificate or entry in the passport
Cats and ferrets	chip, vaccination, passport	the Polish annual duty names only dogs
Fee	none	only in municipalities that introduce it; at most 186.29 złoty per dog in 2026

The Polish rule comes from the animal health act of 21 November 2025, as the Polish veterinary inspectorate summarises it: dog owners must have their dog vaccinated against rabies within thirty days of it turning three months old, and after that no less than once every twelve months since the last vaccination. The vet issues a certificate or records the vaccination in the passport.

After arrival, look at the date in the passport, not at the validity. If your dog was vaccinated in the Netherlands with a three-year vaccine, it is fine for Europe, but in Poland it needs a new jab no later than twelve months after that one. Whoever misses that breaks Polish law, even if the passport still looks valid.

Do you pay a dog tax in Poland?

Sometimes. The fee for keeping a dog, the opłata od posiadania psów, is the municipality's choice: some municipalities charge it, others don't. If you live in a municipality that has introduced it, you are obliged to pay. The municipality sets the amount itself, for example by size or breed, and the payment date. The national maximum for 2026 is 186.29 złoty per dog per year.

For one dog you are exempt if you are over 65 and run a household on your own, if you have a recognised severe disability, or if your dog is an assistance dog. Whoever pays agricultural tax on more than one hectare of land only pays from the third dog. Some municipalities also exempt a chipped dog or one adopted from a shelter; check that on your municipality's website.

What do you arrange before departure, and what after?

Before departure: have your Dutch vet check chip, vaccination and passport, and note the date of the last rabies jab. After arrival: find a Polish vet, have the next jab given within twelve months of the previous one, and ask your municipality whether there is a dog fee.

The rest of the move, from household goods to the car, is in your household goods to Poland. The order on your date is in the step-by-step plan for Poland.

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