Vaccination schedule for international pet transport to Finland

Pet vaccinations are a vital step during international pet travel. All countries in the world require your pet to be fully vaccinated before travelling. Vaccinations help keep your pet healthy and free of disease. More importantly, from a pet travel point of view, it helps check the spread of dangerous diseases from one country to another.

Finland is a rabies-free country, and all pets travelling to the country must be vaccinated against rabies and other animal diseases. If you are travelling to Finland with your pet cat or dog, here’s the vaccination schedule for international pet transport to Finland.

Know your country category

Finland recognises three country categories for international pet transport based on rabies status, and it is important to know your country category before making pet travel plans.

• Category 1 – European Union member countries and other European countries which are rabies-free.
• Category 2 – Non-European countries that are rabies-free or have a low incidence of rabies.
• Category 3 – Non-listed countries with a high incidence of rabies.

Vaccination schedule for pet transport to Finland

Pet dogs and cats flying to Finland from category 1 and 2 countries need their rabies vaccinations before travelling. The pet dog or cat must be at least 12 weeks old when they receive their vaccination and must wait for a minimum of 21 days after the date of vaccination before flying to Finland.

All pet dogs and cats must receive a WHO-approved inactivated rabies vaccine according to the manufacturer’s instructions before travelling to Finland. Your vet must record vaccine details like batch number, validity, and other information in the Pet Passport. If your pet is travelling from a non-EU country, these details must be mentioned in the health certificate.

If your pet dog or cat is travelling from a non-listed category 3 country, the vaccination process is slightly different and more time-consuming. Pet cats and dogs from non-listed countries need a rabies neutralising antibody titre test (RNATT) after they receive their rabies shot. The rabies titre test assesses the pet’s immune response by checking the level of antibodies in the blood after the pet has received the rabies vaccination.

The blood sample for the rabies titre test must be drawn not less than 30 days after the vaccination and sent to an EU-authorised laboratory for analysis. Your pet must have a minimum antibody level of 0.5 IU/ml to travel to Finland. If your pet fulfils all pet import conditions, they can travel to Finland after a mandatory waiting period of three months from the date of the titre test.

International pet transport to Finland

Pet travel to Finland is possible only if all pet import regulations, including the vaccinations, are met satisfactorily. If you fail to comply with the conditions or if there are inaccuracies in the documentation, your pet will be denied entry into Finland and sent back to the country of origin.

You can make the process of international pet transport simpler by partnering with an experienced pet travel agency that can help you through all the steps in the process and make sure your pet has a safe and comfortable pet travel experience.

If you are moving to Finland with your pet dog or cat, reach out to Petraveller for more information on international pet transport and a free pet travel quote.