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Bringing a cat from Thailand to Germany

Yes — but plan on about 4 months. Germany applies the EU's rules for non-EU countries, and Thailand appears in neither Annex I nor Annex II of the EU's listing regulation — German Customs names Thailand outright as a country where rabies occurs. So a cat from Thailand needs exactly what a dog needs on this route: a microchip, a rabies vaccination, a rabies antibody titration test at a designated laboratory, and a wait of at least 90 days between the blood sample and the issue of the EU animal health certificate, which is then valid for 10 days to the entry check. There are no cat breed bans and no tapeworm step for cats.

~4 months

Start preparing

30 days to the blood sample + 90-day wait

90 days

Wait after blood test

Sample ≥90 days before the certificate is issued

None

Breed bans

Germany's import bans cover dogs only

10 days

Certificate validity

From issue to the entry document check

Step-by-step checklist

Requirements — Cat · Thailand → Germany
Step	What to do	When
Microchip	Your cat must be identified by an implanted microchip meeting the EU technical specifications. The vaccination does not count if it was given before the chip: the date of administration of the rabies vaccine must not precede the date the chip was implanted or read.	Before vaccination
Rabies vaccination	Vaccination by an official or authorised veterinarian, at 12 weeks of age or older. For a primary vaccination, validity starts not less than 21 days after the vaccination protocol is completed, and every later vaccination must be given within the validity of the previous one — a break in cover restarts the sequence.	Day 0 of the clock
Rabies antibody titration test	Because Thailand is not an EU-listed country, a blood sample must be collected by an authorised vet at least 30 days after the primary vaccination (or within a current valid vaccination series) and tested in a designated laboratory. The result must show a neutralising antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml, the official lab report must be attached to the animal health certificate, and the sample must be taken not less than 90 days before the certificate is issued. The test does not need renewing if boosters are always given within validity.	≥30 days after vaccination, ≥90 days before the certificate
Thai export inspection (DLD AQS)	Bring your cat, your passport and the originals plus copies of the microchip certificate, vaccination record and titer report to the Animal Quarantine Station at your departure airport (for most flights, Suvarnabhumi) 1–5 business days before departure, no appointment needed. On its published EU-export pages the station requires pets to be at least 7 months old, examines the pet and issues the official health certificate, export permit and endorsed EU annex form. Station fee: 250 THB per pet plus 10 THB per shipment, cash only; allow 2–3 hours.	1–5 business days before departure
EU animal health certificate + declaration	Your cat must travel with an EU animal health certificate (the model in Annex III to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705), completed and issued by an official veterinarian or by an authorised veterinarian and then endorsed by the competent authority — in Thailand, the DLD service. It records the microchip code, the vaccination and the blood sampling, confirms fitness to travel, and is valid for 10 days from issue until the documentary and identity checks at the entry point. You also complete a written declaration that the move is non-commercial; the pet must travel with you (or an authorised person who travels within 5 days of it), and the non-commercial limit is 5 animals.	Final 10 days
Enter via a designated entry point	Pets from a non-EU country must enter through a travellers' point of entry designated by the EU country, where the authority carries out the documentary and identity checks — German Customs or the official veterinary service reads the chip and compares it with the documents. If identification or documentation is wrong, expect further controls or measures: German Customs warns that a pet that does not meet the conditions can be returned to its country of origin, quarantined for several months, or in certain circumstances euthanised — at your expense in each case.	Arrival

Your preparation timeline

1~4 months out — Microchip, then rabies vaccination
2~3.5 months out — Titer blood sample (≥30 days after primary vaccination) to a designated laboratory
3Months 1–3 — The 90-day wait runs — the certificate cannot be issued until it has passed
4Final 10 days — EU animal health certificate issued and endorsed; DLD AQS export inspection in the final 1–5 business days
5Arrival — Document and identity checks at a designated travellers' point of entry in Germany

The mistake that causes trouble on this route: Issuing the certificate too early. Under the current EU rules the blood sample must be taken not less than 90 days before the animal health certificate is issued — a certificate signed on day 89 is invalid even if your flight is on day 95. Work backwards from the certificate date, not the flight date. And do not assume cats get a lighter route: from an unlisted country the titration test and the 90-day wait apply to cats in full.

Costs you can plan for

Neither the German agriculture ministry (BMEL) nor German Customs publishes a government fee schedule for pet entry — your costs are your vet's charges, the designated laboratory's titration-test fee, and air carriage. On the Thai side, the Suvarnabhumi Animal Quarantine Station charges 250 THB per pet plus 10 THB per shipment (cash only) for the export inspection, health certificate, export permit and endorsed annex form. The real financial risk is non-compliance at the border: return transport, months of quarantine or worse are all at your expense.

✈️ Government rules are only half the trip. Airlines set their own pet carriage rules (crate size, breed limits, seasonal embargoes). Re-confirm carriage with your airline after you meet the rules above.

Questions people ask about this route

Are any cat breeds banned in Germany?

No. Germany's federal import ban covers four dog breeds and their crosses; there is no cat breed ban in the federal pet-entry rules, and the EU titration and certificate rules make no distinction by cat breed.

Does my cat need the blood test, or is that only for dogs?

Your cat needs it. The EU's titration-test requirement is written for dogs, cats and ferrets alike, and it is triggered by the country, not the species: Thailand is in neither Annex I nor Annex II of the listing regulation, so the test and the 90-day wait apply in full.

Does my cat need tapeworm treatment?

No. Echinococcus treatment under EU rules is for pet dogs only, and in any case Germany is not one of the destinations that requires it.

Can my cat travel unaccompanied as cargo?

Only within the non-commercial rules: an authorised person may transport the pet instead of you, but you must travel within 5 days before or after it and provide the written declaration. A move that is not caused by the owner's travel, or that involves a sale or transfer of ownership, falls under the EU's commercial entry conditions instead.

Related guides

✓ Last verified: 2026-11-12

Official sources for this page

We check each rule against the exporting country's official page and the destination country's official page. If the two disagree, we show the disagreement instead of guessing.

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