Dogs in Netherlands: rules, tax and travel

Dogs must be registered in an approved dog registration portal recognised by RVO. Imported dogs must be registered within 14 days of arrival by a vet, and a change of owner must be registered.[2]

Compulsory. Puppies must be chipped by a vet or listed chipper within 7 weeks of birth and registered. Owners may not chip their own dog.[3]

An EU pet passport is required for any dog bought or acquired. Dogs owned before 1 November 2021 need one only to travel abroad or change owner.[3]

Pets need suitable housing with enough freedom of movement, food, water and medical care. Removing body parts is banned unless medically necessary. Breeding short-snouted dogs is subject to NVWA conditions.[4]

A new EU Regulation on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats will in time require every dog to be microchipped and registered in a national database. Private dog keepers get a long phase-in.[5]

Pets need a microchip, an EU pet passport and a valid rabies vaccination. A trip with more than five pets, a change of owner, or an animal travelling without its owner counts as commercial import, which needs a health certificate and TRACES certificate.[6]

Pets must enter the EU through a designated point of entry and be checked there. They need a microchip, valid rabies vaccination and either an EU pet passport (listed countries) or an EU health certificate. A blood test may be needed.[7]

Needed only for pets arriving from non-EU countries that are not on the EU list. Blood is taken at least 30 days after the first rabies vaccination and at least 90 days before the certificate is issued, with a result of 0.5 IU/ml or more from a designated lab. Pets from listed countries do not need it.[8]

A tapeworm (Echinococcus) treatment for dogs is required only when entering Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway. It must be given by a vet 24 to 120 hours before arrival.[9]