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Bringing a bird from the United States to Germany

Yes — up to 5 pet birds can move from the US to Germany as a non-commercial move, but since 22 April 2026 the route runs on the EU's new pet-bird regime (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131, Article 23). Before travel your bird must satisfy ONE of three avian-influenza safeguards — 30 days of official isolation in a listed country, a completed H5/H7 vaccination course 60 days to 6 months before dispatch, or 14 days of supervised isolation with a negative H5/H7 test — and after arrival it must spend a further 30 days isolated from other birds at your German home. A USDA-accredited vet must issue the new EU health certificate within 48 hours of departure and APHIS must endorse it; the certificate is valid 10 days. Start 6–8 weeks ahead (6 months if you plan to use the vaccination option).
Bird rules move fast. Avian influenza (HPAI) restriction lists change week to week, and a listing can close a route with little notice. Seven days before you travel, re-check that your origin is still clear — the checklist below includes that step.
≤5 birds
Per non-commercial move
More than 5 is treated as a commercial import
3 options
Article 23 safeguards (pick one)
30-day isolation / H5+H7 vaccination / 14-day isolation + test
30 days
Post-entry home isolation
Kept apart from other birds after arrival in the EU
10 days
Health certificate validity
Issued/endorsed ≤10 days before entry; exam within 48 hours

Sources disagree: Certificate model dates: BMLEH states the old pet-bird health certificate model (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1938) 'may only be used until 31 September 2026' [sic — September has 30 days] and the new 2026/705 model is mandatory from October 2026; APHIS states the new non-commercial certificates are effective 1 October 2026 and old certificates already in process could be endorsed on or before 30 September 2026. Both agree the new model applies now — use only the 2026/705 Annex IV model.

Sources disagree: Does the US HPAI zoning in Annex V block option (i) for pet birds? The 2021/404 suspensions are drafted for 'consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and fresh meat' from named zones; Article 23(1)(b)(i) for pet birds only requires origin from a country 'listed in the first column' of Annex V, XIV or XIX — and the US remains listed. The drafters did not write a zone carve-out into Article 23, but a bird physically kept inside a currently suspended zone is a foreseeable check-point dispute. This page flags it rather than resolving it: travellers in a restricted zone should use option (iii) and confirm with the German entry point in advance.

Sources disagree: Intra-EU numbers trap: BMLEH notes that moving a pet bird INTO Germany from another EU member state is capped at 3 birds by German national law (BmTierSSchV §38), while the third-country regime on this page allows 5. Do not carry the '5 birds' figure over if your bird will first land in another member state and then travel on to Germany by a separate intra-EU move.

Until officials align, follow the stricter reading and confirm with the destination authority.

Step-by-step checklist

Requirements — Bird · the United States → Germany
StepWhat to doWhen
Confirm it is a non-commercial 'pet bird' moveThe 2026/131 regime covers birds of species other than poultry types (chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks, geese, quails, pigeons, pheasants, partridges and ratites) moving with their owner — or an authorised person carrying the owner's written declaration (model in Part 3 of Annex V to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705) that the birds are not being sold or rehomed. Maximum 5 birds; the owner must travel within 5 days of the birds if someone else transports them. The US is a member of WOAH, which Article 23 requires of the country of dispatch. Before anything else
Identification — before any health measureUnder Article 22 of Regulation (EU) 2026/131 each bird must carry an individual, permanent, non-removable, legible mark with a unique alphanumeric code — in practice a closed leg ring or an injected microchip (transponder). The marking must be applied BEFORE the isolation, testing or H5/H7 vaccination in the next step, and its code goes on the health certificate. The only derogation (written description + officially sealed container) is tied to birds going straight to an EU quarantine establishment under Article 25. Before isolation / testing / vaccination
Meet ONE Article 23 safeguardArticle 23(1)(b) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 — fulfil one of: (i) LISTED-COUNTRY ISOLATION: the birds originate from a third country listed in the first column of the table in Part 1 of Annex V, XIV or XIX to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404, and were isolated under official supervision for at least 30 days before the move; or (ii) VACCINATION: within the 6 months before dispatch, and no later than 60 days before dispatch, they received a complete primary course (plus revaccination where applicable) of a licensed H5 and H7 avian influenza vaccine — not live-attenuated — given by an authorised or official vet; or (iii) ISOLATION + TEST: at least 14 days of isolation under an authorised/official vet in the US, with an H5 and H7 antigen or genome detection test, negative, on a sample taken no earlier than day 7 of isolation. Tests and vaccines must meet the WOAH Manual standards. In practice for US pet birds, APHIS issues matching EU certificates for each option (its model certificates include a '30+30 days' version for option (i)). 30+ days out (option i/iii) or 60 days–6 months out (option ii)
Check the US listing and HPAI zones (for option i)The United States IS listed in the first column of the Annex V table to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 (and in Annex VI for captive birds, code US-0), so option (i) is available in principle. But the Annex V entry is zoned: alongside the general entry there are hundreds of US-2.x restricted zones created after HPAI outbreaks, and the Commission was still amending the US entry in autumn 2026 (e.g. Regulations (EU) 2026/2268 of 7 Oct 2026 and 2026/2328 of 14 Oct 2026 suspending poultry consignments from newly affected zones such as Stearns County, MN and Jay County, IN). Those suspensions are written for poultry consignments, not pet birds — but if your bird lives in a currently restricted zone, expect the official-supervision isolation and certification to be questioned, and consider options (ii) or (iii) instead. Recheck the consolidated 2021/404 text on EUR-Lex shortly before travel. When choosing the option, and again before dispatch
EU health certificate + USDA endorsementThe bird needs the animal health certificate for non-commercial movements of pet birds (model in Annex IV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705 — the new model has been mandatory since October 2026; the old 2021/1938 model expired 30 September 2026 per BMLEH). A USDA-accredited veterinarian must clinically inspect the bird within 48 hours of departure (or the last working day before), find it free of obvious disease signs and fit to travel, and the bird must have no contact with other birds between inspection and departure. The certificate must be issued or endorsed no more than 10 days before entry into the EU (extended by the sea voyage for ship travel) and be signed/endorsed by the US competent authority (APHIS endorsement). APHIS notes the new non-commercial EU certificates took effect 1 October 2026. Final 10 days; inspection in final 48 hours
Enter via a travellers' point of entryPet birds from a third country may only enter the EU through a travellers' point of entry designated by the member state (Article 24), where customs or the official veterinary service check documents and identity. The US is not on the Annex III derogation list to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, so this applies to US departures — Germany's designated points are the major international airports with veterinary checks; confirm your arrival airport is designated before booking. Booking stage
Post-entry: 30 days isolated at homeOn arrival you must take the bird directly from the point of entry to a household or other residence in the EU and keep it isolated from other birds for at least 30 days (Article 24(2)). If the bird will isolate in a different member state from the entry state, you must inform that destination state of the address. Skipping this is the most common compliance failure on this route — it applies even when the pre-travel option was vaccination. Arrival + 30 days
Fallback if no Article 23 option is met: EU quarantineUnder Article 25, a bird that meets none of the three options may only enter if it is destined for a quarantine establishment in Germany approved under Article 14 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035, is taken there directly from the point of entry, and is quarantined at least 30 days immediately after arrival, released only on an official veterinarian's written authorisation. BMLEH advises contacting the intended point of entry in advance for facility recommendations. This must be arranged before travel — it cannot be improvised at the airport. Only if options i–iii are impossible; arrange in advance
CITES permits (most parrots)Animal-health clearance is not species clearance. If your bird is CITES-listed, you need the trade documents on both sides: on the US side, an FWS export permit via Form 3-200-46 (one-time export of a personal pet; for a CITES Appendix I species, FWS requires a copy of the destination country's CITES import permit first; allow 60–90 days). On the EU side, Germany applies the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, which are stricter than CITES: Annex A species (≈ CITES Appendix I) need an EU import permit plus the export permit, and live Annex B species (≈ Appendix II — most parrots) also need import/export permits issued in advance by the German authority (BfN). Species not listed (budgerigar, cockatiel and a few others are exempted) need no CITES documents. Check your species on Species+ before choosing dates. 60–90 days before travel

Your preparation timeline

  1. 16 months–60 days out — Only if using Article 23 option (ii): complete H5/H7 vaccination course in this window
  2. 260–90 days out — FWS export permit (3-200-46) + EU/German CITES import permit if the species is listed
  3. 330+ days out — Option (i): 30 days isolation under official supervision — or start option (iii) 14-day isolation + day-7-or-later H5/H7 test
  4. 4Final 10 days — EU health certificate issued and APHIS-endorsed (10-day entry validity)
  5. 5Final 48 hours — Clinical inspection by USDA-accredited vet; no contact with other birds after inspection
  6. 6Arrival — Document/ID checks at a designated travellers' point of entry in Germany
  7. 7Arrival + 30 days — Home isolation from other birds at the German residence
The mistake that causes trouble on this route: Treating the three Article 23 options as interchangeable paperwork. They run on incompatible clocks: vaccination must be finished at least 60 days before dispatch (and pet birds in the US are not routinely vaccinated against avian influenza, so this option is often theoretical), the 30-day official isolation must be supervised and documented before dispatch, and the 14-day option fails if the H5/H7 sample is taken before day 7. Add the second 30 days everyone forgets — the mandatory post-entry home isolation in Germany — and a 'quick' move is really a 6–8-week project.

Costs you can plan for

Neither Germany nor the EU publishes a government fee schedule for pet-bird entry checks in the sources checked: your costs are veterinary charges for the isolation supervision, H5/H7 laboratory testing (option iii) or vaccination (option ii), the CITES permits if your species is listed, air carriage, and the USDA endorsement fee. APHIS endorsement is tiered by the number of tests/vaccinations APHIS must verify: US$101 per certificate where no test/vaccination verification is required (the option (i) file), and US$160 for the first bird where 1–2 tests or vaccinations must be verified (options ii/iii), plus US$10 per additional bird (APHIS user-fee schedule checked 2026-11-12). If you use the Article 25 quarantine fallback, the approved German facility's boarding charges apply for at least 30 days and are not published centrally — get a written quote before committing.

✈️ 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

Which Article 23 option do most US owners use?

Options (i) and (iii) are the practical ones: 30 days of isolation under official supervision, or 14 days of supervised isolation with a negative H5/H7 test sampled on/after day 7. Option (ii) requires a licensed H5/H7 vaccine course completed 60 days to 6 months before dispatch — APHIS notes for the parallel UK route that pet birds in the US are not vaccinated against avian influenza, so few US pets can use it.

Is there quarantine on arrival in Germany?

Not in a facility, if you met an Article 23 option: instead the bird must be kept isolated from other birds at your home or residence for at least 30 days after entry. Facility quarantine (≥30 days in an approved establishment under Article 25) applies only when none of the three pre-travel options was met.

Can I bring 6 birds if they are all mine?

No — 5 is the maximum for a single non-commercial movement. The only exception in the rules is documented participation in an exhibition, competition or sporting event, and even then the movement is treated as a commercial import under the trade regime, not as pet travel.

Does my bird need a microchip, or is a leg ring enough?

Either works: Article 22 requires an individual, permanent, non-removable, legible mark with a unique alphanumeric code — in practice a closed leg ring or an injected microchip. It must be in place before isolation, testing or vaccination, and the code must appear on the health certificate.

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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