Your pet to Switzerland: the border, ten days for AMICUS and the cantonal dog course

Yes, your dog, cat or ferret may come to Switzerland, and from the Netherlands it isn't complicated: a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and a recognised pet passport are enough. Still, Switzerland isn't an EU country, and you notice that on two points. A dog with cropped ears or tail may not enter the country. And anyone living there must have their dog registered in the national AMICUS database and reported to the municipality within ten days. After that your canton handles the rest, and in Zürich that includes compulsory training.

What do I arrange before the journey?

The federal Bundesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Veterinärwesen, the BLV, names three conditions for dogs, cats and ferrets from the EU: a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and a recognised pet passport. The order is strict. The first vaccination is only possible from twelve weeks, is only valid 21 days later, and must be given after the chip; an earlier vaccination doesn't count.

Young animals up to sixteen weeks that couldn't finish the vaccination programme may still come under conditions, with a special owner's declaration. If you don't travel at the same time as your animal, someone you authorise in writing may transport it, and you travel within five days before or after. The authorisation goes with the passport.

Rule	What it involves	Deadline or number
Chip before vaccination	a vaccination from before the chip doesn't count	first vaccination from twelve weeks
Rabies vaccination	valid after the waiting period	21 days
Puppies and kittens	exception with owner's declaration	up to sixteen weeks
Animals per car	under the pet rules	at most five
Dogs with cropped ears or tail	import prohibited	no exception
Registering an imported dog in AMICUS	via the vet	within ten days

A cropped dog won't get in. The BLV says it without reservation: importing dogs with cropped ears or tails is prohibited. If your dog has a naturally short tail, read the questions and answers the BLV publishes on this beforehand; in Zürich such a congenital short tail must also be recorded in AMICUS.

Not every animal may cross at every border crossing, and for questions about the customs declaration the BLV refers to the Bundesamt für Zoll und Grenzsicherheit. How the rest of your household goods cross the border is in your car and household goods to Switzerland.

What do I arrange after arrival?

An imported dog must be registered in AMICUS, the central dog database, within ten days of entry. A vet does that registration. In addition you report the dog to your municipality of residence. The municipality manages the data about you as keeper; so report a new address there.

The rest differs per canton, and Zürich shows how far that can go:

• liability insurance with cover of at least one million francs, for every dog, of every breed and size;
• an annual dog tax at your municipality of residence;
• a list of prohibited breeds, which differs per canton;
• since 1 June 2025 compulsory training for anyone keeping a dog in a Zürich municipality, including people moving into the canton with their dog.

Do I really have to take a course in Zürich with a dog I've had for years?

For the theory, usually not. Anyone who kept a dog for at least six months in the past ten years is exempt from the theory part; anyone who does have to take it does so no later than two months after moving to the canton and finishes with a test.

For the practical part it's different. It consists of at least six lessons and must be completed within twelve months. You're exempt if your dog is older than ten when you move, or if the veterinary office recognises a practical training you did before as equivalent. So bring proof of a Dutch dog course.

For cats and ferrets the same travel rules apply as for dogs: chip, vaccination and passport. The AMICUS registration and the cantonal rules above concern dogs. What else comes up in your first year is in your first year in Switzerland.

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