Non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets to the Republic of Croatia from the territories and third countries (except Andorra, Switzerland, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino and Vatican City State)

If a citizen of a third country (except Andorra, Switzerland, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino and Vatican City State) intends to travel to the Republic of Croatia with their dog, cat or ferret as pet animal, such movement of the pet animal shall be considered non-commercial movement if the following conditions are met:

the pet animals at the time of initiating the movement are not intended for sale, handing over to another owner or other commercial purposes;
the pet animals are accompanied by the owner or the authorised person;
the maximum number of pet animals during a single non-commercial movement does not exceed 5;
pet animals are vaccinated against rabies, in accordance with the vaccination manufacturer’s instructions, which shall comply with the validity requirements set out in Annex III to Regulation (EU) No. 576/2013;
pet animals are marked/identified with a transponder or a clearly readable tattoo, which was tattooed prior to 3 July 2011;
the pet animals shall be accompanied by a veterinary certificate for non-commercial movement of dogs, cats or ferrets to the European Union laid down in Part I of Annex IV to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 577/2013;
the pet animals shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the official report on the satisfactory results of the rabies antibody titration test issued by an approved laboratory if the pet animals are non-commercially moved from high-risk countries with regard to rabies;

In addition to the veterinary certificate, the pet animals shall be accompanied by a written statement prescribed in Section 3 of Annex IV to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 577/2013 signed by the owner or the authorised person certifying that the pet animals are not the subject of movement with the aim of sale or transfer of ownership.

Ownership

The ownership of a pet animal is evidenced by a properly registered name and surname of the owner of the pet animal in the identification document (veterinary certificate) accompanying a pet animal.

Movement of a pet animal accompanied by the authorised person

If the abovementioned pet animals do not travel to the Republic of Croatia accompanied by their owner, but the owner intends to send their pet animal to the Republic of Croatia accompanied by the authorised person, then the authorised person shall have a written statement signed by the owner, which shall contain the following information:

name and surname of the owner of the pet animal;
statement by the owner of the pet animal authorising a natural person for non-commercial movement of the pet animal;
name and surname of the authorised person;
information on the identification and the number of pet animals.

The example of the model by which the owner of the pet animal may authorise another natural person for representation during the non-commercial movement of the pet animal:

Derogations regarding the maximum number of pet animals during a single non-commercial movement

The number of dogs, cats and ferrets, which are sent to the Republic of Croatia from third countries during non-commercial movement, may exceed five when the pet animals are moved non-commercially due to participation in competitions, exhibitions or sporting events, or training for the purpose of such events.
In such cases, during the non-commercial movement of pet animals, the following requirements shall be fulfilled:

the owner or authorised person shall present to the official of the competent authority responsible for checking pet animals (customs officials) written evidence that the pet animals are either registered for participation in the above mentioned events or registered with the organisation that organises such events (e.g. the invitation by the event organiser shall specify the exact transponder numbers with which the pets are marked and state the title of the event with the address and date); and
the pet animals shall be older than six months.

Requirements with regard to the identification of dogs, cats and ferrets

Dogs, cats and ferrets prior to trading shall be identified with a microchip (transponder) or a clearly readable tattoo.
As of 03 July 2011, the transponder is the only valid manner of identifying dogs, cats and ferrets. The tattoo is accepted only if the animal was tattooed prior to 03 July 2011 and the tattoo is clearly legible.
The transponder type is not stipulated, but transponders that conform to the ISO standard 11784 or 11785 are commonly used in the EU Member States. If the transponder does not meet these standards, the owner of the animal shall, at their own expense, provide the appropriate reader in order to read the transponder during the check.

Identifying the pet animal with a transponder can be performed at any age of the animal in accordance with the recommendations of the transponder manufacturer; however, the identification with a transponder shall be performed prior to the anti-rabies vaccination. If the pet animal was vaccinated first, and then identified with a transponder, the vaccination is not considered valid. In this case, after identification with a transponder, the animal shall receive a new anti-rabies vaccination and 21 days shall pass from the vaccination before entry into the territory of the Republic of Croatia.

Requirements related to anti-rabies vaccination

Dogs, cats and ferrets that are as pet animals non-commercially moved from a third country to the Republic of Croatia shall be at least 12 weeks old on the date they are vaccinated against rabies. Only inactivated and recombinant vaccines approved by the authority competent for marketing shall be used.
The vaccination of pet animals against rabies shall be performed by an authorised veterinarian who shall indicate the vaccine name, vaccination date and the validity of the anti-rabies vaccination in the relevant section of the veterinary certificate.
Dogs, cats and ferrets shall be non-commercially moved only during the validity of the anti-rabies vaccination. The validity period of the anti-rabies vaccination shall begin with the creation of protective immunity, which occurs on the 21st day after the vaccination and usually lasts a year, depending on the vaccine type and the vaccine manufacturer's instructions.
The following shall be added:

in cases where the vaccine manufacturer recommended a vaccination of the pet animal on two occasions (i.e. booster dose), 21 days shall pass from the second vaccination prior to trading,
in cases where the pet animal is vaccinated after the validity period of the previous anti-rabies vaccination has passed, 21 days shall pass after the repeated anti-rabies vaccination for the animal to be non-commercially moved between Member States from third countries,
in cases where the pet animal is vaccinated against rabies regularly every year in the validity period of the anti-rabies vaccination, it is not necessary to wait 21 days after the repeated anti-rabies vaccination for the animal to be non-commercially moved from third countries.

The entry into the Republic of Croatia is not allowed for dogs, cats and ferrets from third countries, which are:

younger than 12 weeks and unvaccinated against rabies, or
aged between 12 and 16 weeks and are vaccinated against rabies, but do not yet meet the requirements of the valid anti-rabies vaccination, which means that 21 days have not passed from the vaccination.

Additional requirements with regard to the rabies antibody titration test

Dogs, cats and ferrets that are non-commercially moved to the territory of the European Union from the territories or third countries not listed in the table in Part 2 of Annex II to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 577/2013 during the entry into the territory of the European Union shall be accompanied by the result of the rabies antibody titration test since the subject third countries are considered high-risk in relation to rabies due to an inefficient system of surveillance, prevention and control of rabies in their territories.

The territories and third countries listed in Part 2 of Annex II to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 577/2013

Ascension Island, United Arab Emirates, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Aruba, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Barbados, Bahrain, Bermuda, Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba, Belarus, Canada, Chile, Curacao, Fiji Islands, Falkland Islands, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Japan, St. Christopher and Nevis, Cayman Islands, St. Lucia, Montserrat, Macedonia, Mauritius, Mexico, Malaysia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Russia, Singapore, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, United States of America (including the territories: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, British Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna

Blood sampling required for the performance of the rabies antibody titration test shall be carried out by an authorised veterinarian at least 30 days after the vaccination date.
The rabies antibody titration test shall be performed in a laboratory approved for the performance of such a test by the European Commission in a Member State of the European Union or a third country.
The list of approved laboratories in the Member States of the European Union and third countries is available on the following website of the European Commission:

http://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/pet-movement/approved-labs/index_en.htm.

The level of neutralising antibodies to the rabies virus in the serum shall be at least 0.5 IU/ml.
In case of a satisfactory test result, the non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets into the European Union is allowed no earlier than three months after the blood sampling to perform the rabies antibody titration test.
The laboratory that performed the rabies antibody titration test shall send the results to an authorised veterinarian who sent the blood sample to testing, and the authorised veterinarian shall enter the satisfactory test result in the appropriate section of the veterinary certificate.

A certified copy of the official report on the results of the rabies antibody titration test issued by an approved laboratory shall be attached to the veterinary certificate during the entry of pet animals into the territory of the European Union.
In case that the pet animal is not accompanied by a report of an approved laboratory on the testing for the level of neutralising antibodies to the rabies virus or if the results are not satisfactory, the animal may be returned to the country of departure or placed in quarantine until meeting the prescribed health conditions.

The rabies antibody titration test shall not be performed if:

the pet animal previously obtained a satisfactory result and the animal is regularly vaccinated against rabies in the validity period of the previous vaccination (in such cases, during the lifetime of a pet animal only one rabies antibody titration test is sufficient);
if the pet animal is in transit through the territory of third countries that are considered high-risk in relation to rabies, provided that the owner or authorised person has a signed written statement that during such transit the pet animals were not in contact with animals susceptible to rabies and that they were closed inside the vehicle or within the area of the international airport.

Additional requirements with regard to the entry of cats from Australia and dogs and cats from Malaysia

In accordance with the Commission Decision (EC) No. 2006/146, cats coming from Australia to the European Union / the Republic of Croatia along with the veterinary certificate provided for in Part I of Annex IV to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 577/2013 shall be accompanied by a guarantee issued by the official veterinarian confirming that there is no risk for the introduction of the Hendra disease, and for dogs and cats from Malaysia, that there is no risk for the introduction of the Nipah disease.
Cats may be imported from Australia provided that the animals were not kept at holdings where there were confirmed cases of the Hendra disease during the past 60 days.
Dogs and cats may be imported from Malaysia (peninsula) under the following conditions:

the animals have not been in contact with pigs at least during the past 60 days prior to export;
the animals were not kept at holdings where there were confirmed cases of the Nipah disease during the past 60 days.
the animals have been subjected to the ELISA test for the determination of IgG antibodies with negative results, performed on a blood sample taken within 10 days from export, conducted in the laboratory approved for testing for antibodies to the Nipah virus disease by the competent veterinary authorities.

Requirements with regard to the identification document (veterinary certificate)

Dogs, cats and ferrets originating from third countries during the non-commercial movement into the Republic of Croatia shall be accompanied by a veterinary certificate for non-commercial movement of dogs, cats or ferrets into the European Union laid down in Part I of Annex IV to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 577/2013.
In accordance with the provisions of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 2016/561 of 1 September 2016, the new veterinary certificate model for non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets into the European Union is applied.

The veterinary certificate is issued by the veterinarians authorised by the competent authority of the third country from which the pet animals originate and is valid for 10 days from the date of issue to the date of performing a documentary and identity check by the customs officials at the entry point. In the case of transport by ship, the validity period of the veterinary certificate of 10 days may be extended depending on the duration of the boat trip.
For the purposes of movement in the territory of the Member States of the European Union, the veterinary certificate is valid for 4 months from the date of performing the documentary and identity checks by customs officials at the entry point for travellers and is valid until the expiry of the anti-rabies vaccine, whichever occurs first.

Requirements regarding the entry of dangerous dogs into the Republic of Croatia

In accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance on Dangerous Dogs (Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia, number 117/08), the entry of dangerous dog breeds of the bull terrier type and their crossbreeds that are not entered into the register of the World Canine Organisation (FCI) shall not be entered into the Republic of Croatia.
Controlled breeding of the bull terrier type (Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, bull terrier, mini bull terrier) is evidenced by the pedigree issued by the kennel club of any member country of the World Canine Organisation (FCI).

Supervision of the non-commercial movement of pet animals and entry points for travelers

In accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No. 576/2013, the Republic of Croatia shall perform the documentary and identity checks of pet animals that are the subject of non-commercial movement into its territory from third countries.
In the Republic of Croatia, the supervision of non-commercial movement of pet animals is carried out by the customs officers.
Pet animals are allowed to enter from third countries (except from Andorra, Switzerland, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Vatican City State) into the territory of the European Union / the Republic of Croatia only through border crossings, which is in accordance with national legislation defined by the Member State for the purposes of checking pet animals accompanied by their owners or authorised persons. The subject border crossings are called entry points for travellers.
Each Member State shall submit to the European Commission the lists of entry points for travellers and they are published on the following website of the European Commission:

http://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/pet-movement/eu-legislation/non-commercial-non-eu/tpe_en.htm

In accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No. 576/2013, the owner of the pet animal or the authorised person shall, at the request of an official of the competent authority responsible for examining pet animals in trade within Republic of Croatia, do the following:

present the official with an identification document for the pet animal; and
enable the availability of the pet animal for such checks.

If dogs, cats and ferrets for entry into the European Union do not meet the abovementioned requirements for the non-commercial movement set out in EU and national legislation of EU Member States:the entry of the pet animal into the European Union / the Republic of Croatia will be refused, whereby the animal may be returned to the country of departure or placed in quarantine until the fulfilment of the prescribed health conditions. As a last option, when returning the animal is not possible or isolation is not practical, the animal can be put down (killed) in accordance with applicable national rules.

All liability and costs incurred by implementing these measures shall be borne by the owner of the pet animal or the authorised person.

Last updated: 30/09/2016