Need some clarification in bringing my cats to Germany, specifically Pet Passport and Import Permit.



I have been living here in NRW as a student. I am not living in a student dorm, and have already talked about a possibility of bringing my cats when I moved in, and they've assured that it's not a problem.

A bit of a background:

I have two cats in Pakistan. I wasn't planning to bring them here when I moved in for my studies, mainly because they're also adored by my parents and were in a very loving environment. However, very recently, a newest member of the family, my nephew, arrived, and he started having breathing problems because of the cats. After getting second opinions from doctors, and discussing any other possible workarounds, it was decided that the cats needed to be moved out. I was devastated upon hearing this, I felt helpless as there wasn't much I can do while being so far away from them.

We didn't have a lot of options, it was either to give the cats for adoption or give them to a shelter. No one was happy with these options. We still hesitantly went for the adoption route, and received no positive response. I understand that my cats were strays, and now they're 7 years old [may develop health issues soon]. Even though they're vaccinated, well-cared for, and have regular visits to the vet, it still seems that the chances of getting them adopted into another loving home is minimal. I don't want to put them in a shelter, I want to give them a good life. So now I am planning to bring them here with me.

Now:

After reading up about bringing pets to Germany and traveling with pets, these are the requirements I found that need to fulfilled before traveling/entering Germany, based on some reference: [reference1, reference2]

  1. Microchip: ISO 11784/11785
  2. Rabies Vaccination (after microchipping) (wait 30 days)
  3. Documentation:
    1. Health Certificate (within 5 days of travel)
    2. Pet Passport
    3. Import Permit
  4. Check requirements for the specific Airline (I am looking currently into Turkish Airlines)

I am already working on the first two as I have discussed these with my vet in Pakistan. I am more concerned about the point 3.2. Pet Passport, I learned about it when I contacted Turkish Airlines for information, they mentioned that it is required for the pet to enter Germany. I am not aware if Pet Passport can be issued in Pakistan, is there any possibility that I can issue a Pet Passport right here Germany even before they arrive? (I doubt it, but still wanted to ask).

And I recently learned about the "Import Permit" – Point 3.3. from ChatGPT, but it mentions that it is optional. I couldn't find much about it right now except that is a document issued by Germany to grant permission for the pet to be imported.

Since I don't know or have any experience regarding this situation at all, any clarification, suggestions, or note on things that I am missing, would be really appreciated thank you!

by RAyLV

2 comments
  1. For animals from a country outside the EU you do not need a EU-Heimtierausweis but a offizielle Veterinärbescheinigung showing the ID of the transponder (chip). I. e. An official veterinary document identifying the animal.

  2. Please note that the info you got apparently is for animals imported from another EU country. You need the info for animals from non-EU countries! The Zoll should have all the info you need.

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