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Can I take my American Staffordshire Terrier to Germany?

Checked 7 November 2026

Travelling from

Not to move there, but a short visit is allowed: Someone who does not live in Germany may bring such a dog on a visit of up to four weeks (HundVerbrEinfVO section 2). Land rules on leash and muzzle still apply. source

Laws change: this is general information, not legal advice. The authority linked on each line has the final word.

Breed rules in Germany

  • Import banned
    Federal HundVerbrEinfG (2001): Pitbull-Terrier, American Staffordshire-Terrier, Staffordshire-Bullterrier, Bullterrier and their crosses may not be imported or brought into Germany; keeping rules are set by each Land. source
  • Restricted (Baden-Württemberg)
    Presumed fighting dogs (Kampfhunde) unless a behaviour test before an official vet and a police dog handler rebuts it. Keeping needs a permit from the local police authority, which requires a proven legitimate interest, reliability, expertise, secure keeping, identification and liability insurance. Leash and muzzle in public from six months, and breeding or crossing is banned. source
  • Restricted (Bayern)
    Kategorie 1 of the Bavarian Kampfhundeverordnung: fighting-dog status is irrebuttably presumed; keeping requires a permit from the municipality, granted only for a special interest. source
  • Restricted (Berlin)
    Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier and their crosses count as dangerous. Keeping must be reported to the district veterinary office without delay, only people aged 18 or over with the required reliability, suitability and expertise may keep or walk them, and breeding is banned. Outside a secure property they need a bite-proof muzzle from seven months and a leash at all times. source
  • Banned (Bremen)
    These four breeds and their crosses are dangerous dogs. Breeding, trading and acquiring or passing them on are banned, and keeping one is banned unless an exception permit is granted, which needs a passed temperament test and a reliable, suitable keeper aged 18 or over. Outside a secure property they must be leashed and muzzled. source
  • Banned (Hamburg)
    Always presumed dangerous, with no temperament-test way out. Keeping is banned in principle and needs a permit, which requires a special interest shown before keeping begins, reliability, neutering, liability insurance and a microchip. Outside the property they must wear a muzzle and be on a leash. Breeding and commercial trade are banned. source
  • Restricted (Hessen)
    Presumed dangerous. Keeping needs a permit (keeper 18 or over, reliable, expert, a positive temperament test no older than six months, liability insurance, microchip), valid for up to four years. Dangerous dogs must be leashed outside the property, but dogs with a passed temperament test are exempt unless the authority orders a leash or muzzle. source
  • Restricted (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
    LHundG NRW §3 gefährliche Hunde: permit, Sachkunde before the official vet, criminal record check, liability insurance, microchip, leash and muzzle outside fenced property. source
  • Restricted (Rheinland-Pfalz)
    Dangerous by law, with no temperament-test way out. Keeping needs a permit, which requires a legitimate interest, expertise, age 18 or over, reliability and liability insurance; the dog must be microchipped. Breeding, propagation and trade are banned. Outside the property the dog must be leashed and wear a muzzle; the authority can waive the muzzle in individual cases. source
  • Restricted (Saarland)
    Keeping one needs a permit unless a breed test shows the individual dog has no heightened aggression; a passed test must be repeated every three years and lapses when the keeper changes. Permit conditions: age 18 or over, expertise, reliability, escape-proof keeping and liability insurance. Dangerous dogs must be leashed and muzzled outside the property. source
  • Restricted (Sachsen)
    Presumed dangerous from six months unless an officially recognised expert report after a standard temperament assessment rebuts it for the individual dog and keeper. Otherwise keeping needs a permit (age 18 or over, expertise, reliability, special liability insurance, secure housing), and the dog must be leashed and muzzled outside a fenced property. Breeding and trading these breeds is banned. source
  • Restricted (Sachsen-Anhalt)
    Dogs on the federal import-ban list and look-alike crosses are presumed dangerous. Breeding, propagating and trading them is banned since 2016; acquiring and keeping is not banned. The keeper must prove within six months, by a temperament test, that the dog is socially compatible, register it in the central dog register, chip it and hold liability insurance (at least 1 million euros for injury). source

Getting into Germany

From an EU country
Pets need an EU pet passport, a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination (given from 12 weeks of age). The pet must be at least 15 weeks old to travel, and a maximum of five pets per vehicle applies. source
Rabies antibody test
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 3 months before the pet enters the EU, with a result of 0.5 IU/ml or more from a designated lab. Pets from listed countries do not need it. source
Tapeworm treatment
Germany does not require tapeworm treatment on entry. The treatment is required only for dogs entering Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway. source
Quarantine
No quarantine for pets that meet the rules. A pet that does not may be sent back at the owner's expense or placed in official quarantine. source

All rules for Germany →

Rules change. Check the official source linked on each line before you travel.

The American Staffordshire Terrier in Germany

Size: 20.4–31.8 kg, 12–14 years.

Breed page: American Staffordshire Terrier → Pet insurance in Germany: what it costs

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