The countdown calendar in a row: microchip and rabies vaccination well in advance; the NVWA appointment requested weeks earlier; the certificate and the parasite treatment in the last two weeks; the permit in the last two weeks to five days. Whoever starts too late here pushes back their own departure. At this destination the pet is more often the critical path than the container , which has its own weeks on the water. The step-by-step plan therefore puts the pet at the front of the moving phase, with a run-up of at least a month.

Taking your pet to Sint Maarten: the permit first and the fourteen-day clock

Q: Who endorses the certificate?

For a first entry Sint Maarten wants a health certificate endorsed by the competent authority of the country of departure. In the Netherlands that is the NVWA (the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority). The NVWA explains on its own page how that works: your vet completes the health declaration in full; for the legalisation (the official endorsement) you come to the NVWA office in Utrecht; you request that appointment by email at least fourteen working days ahead . Incomplete documents are not legalised, and you do not bring the animal itself. The NVWA advises starting well in time and engaging a specialised company if necessary. Because the endorsement may not be older than fourteen days on arrival, the NVWA appointment and the flight date are tied to each other. If your flight shifts, the certificate shifts with it. All papers in English , as a PDF of at most 5 MB: the counter on Sint Maarten does not work in Dutch. Ask your vet for the English-language certificate — that saves a translation round in your busiest weeks. And don't submit too early: an application outside the window of fourteen to five days gets no guaranteed decision before the arrival date.

No EU regime: for each animal you apply in advance for an Animal Movement Permit, free, fourteen to five days before arrival — and after that two clocks tick: the health certificate endorsed by the NVWA may be at most fourteen days old on arrival, and a first rabies vaccination requires a waiting period of twenty-one days. Whoever knows the order makes it comfortably; whoever starts with the certificate pushes back their own departure.

5 min read

Written and checked by Auke on 26 September 2026, against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.

Yes, your dog or cat can come to Sint Maarten. But not on the EU pet passport alone, and not without a permit in advance.

The permit. For each animal you apply to the Inspectorate of the ministry of TEATT (Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication) for an Animal Movement Permit, an import permit for the animal. It is free and is issued within three to five working days, sometimes the same day.
The costs. According to the cost indication, count on € 500 to € 1,500 per animal for examinations, crate and air freight.
The deadlines. You submit the application fourteen to five days before arrival, and the health certificate may be at most fourteen days old on arrival. That is the find in the ministry's guide.

The trap is the order. Whoever starts with the certificate instead of with chip and vaccination pushes back their own departure.

Why doesn't the EU pet passport work here?

Sint Maarten is a country of its own within the Kingdom, with its own rules for the import of animals, and those differ from French Saint-Martin on the other side of the border.

The pet passport does count as proof of the rabies vaccination. You upload the pages with the microchip number, the animal's description and the latest vaccination, with the passport number visible. But a paper health certificate remains compulsory. The stamp in the pet passport does not replace it.

What must my animal have?

The Inspectorate's conditions for dogs, cats and ferrets:

the animal is at least fifteen weeks old;
it has a microchip (or a readable tattoo from before 2011);
it is fully vaccinated against rabies, with a vaccination valid on arrival (one or three years). After a first vaccination, or a revaccination after the expiry date of the previous one, a waiting period of twenty-one days applies. Whoever revaccinates before the expiry date need not wait;
it has the usual vaccinations per species (for dogs among others distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvo);
it has been treated against internal and external parasites, with a treatment still valid on arrival and stated on the certificate;
it shows no clinical signs of contagious skin diseases.

The conditions do not mention a rabies titre test (a blood test that measures the protection against rabies).

When (before the flight day)	What
Well in advance	microchip, then the rabies vaccination; with a first vaccination wait 21 days
Weeks in advance	IATA crate at home so the animal gets used to it; book the animal when booking your own seat
Well in advance	appointment at the NVWA for the legalisation: email at least 14 working days ahead
Last 14 days	health certificate by your vet, endorsed by the NVWA; parasite treatment valid on arrival
14 to 5 days before arrival	apply online for the Animal Movement Permit (free, up to 3 animals per application)
On arrival	permit, certificate and rabies proof in English to hand

Who endorses the certificate?

For a first entry Sint Maarten wants a health certificate endorsed by the competent authority of the country of departure. In the Netherlands that is the NVWA (the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority). The NVWA explains on its own page how that works:

your vet completes the health declaration in full;
for the legalisation (the official endorsement) you come to the NVWA office in Utrecht;
you request that appointment by email at least fourteen working days ahead.

Incomplete documents are not legalised, and you do not bring the animal itself. The NVWA advises starting well in time and engaging a specialised company if necessary.

Because the endorsement may not be older than fourteen days on arrival, the NVWA appointment and the flight date are tied to each other. If your flight shifts, the certificate shifts with it.

All papers in English, as a PDF of at most 5 MB: the counter on Sint Maarten does not work in Dutch. Ask your vet for the English-language certificate — that saves a translation round in your busiest weeks. And don't submit too early: an application outside the window of fourteen to five days gets no guaranteed decision before the arrival date.

How does the animal travel, and what does it cost?

The permit itself costs nothing, and one application may contain up to three animals. Small animals may go in the cabin with some airlines; most dogs go as air freight in an IATA-approved crate. Count on hundreds of euros per animal on top of the examinations. Book the animal together with your own seat, because the places per flight are limited, especially on KLM's one direct route. Service and emotional support animals are, according to the government page, not exempt from the conditions.

What is the trap?

The countdown calendar in a row:

microchip and rabies vaccination well in advance;
the NVWA appointment requested weeks earlier;
the certificate and the parasite treatment in the last two weeks;
the permit in the last two weeks to five days.

Whoever starts too late here pushes back their own departure. At this destination the pet is more often the critical path than the container, which has its own weeks on the water. The step-by-step plan therefore puts the pet at the front of the moving phase, with a run-up of at least a month.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 3 of 5 of the journey, step 3.3: the same steps, but applied to your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines monitored. See the whole journey to Sint Maarten or go straight to step 3.3 in the open step-by-step plan.

What is due when?

Enter your departure date and see day by day what your dog or cat needs for Sint Maarten, from microchip to certificate.

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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.

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