The Netherlands has been a tourist hub for decades. Whether It’s picturesque views, delicious cheese, charming canals or gorgeous flower fields, the Netherlands continue to attract millions of tourists every year. They’re also known to be a pet friendly country, so it’s the perfect destination to travel to with your fur baby. If you’re someone who plans to visit or move to the country, you may be thinking of taking your pet with you. Let’s see how you can do this.
Your pet should get microchipped before, or at the same time as their rabies vaccination. If not, they’ll have to be vaccinated again. The dutch requires your pet to have an ISO 11784/11785 compliant, 16-digit pet microchip. Fortunately, we in India use the same microchips for our pets, so just remember to get your pet microchipped before traveling.
The vaccination book of your pet must be kept up-to-date with the following details:
An International Health certificate & EU Health certificate is required for a pet to enter Holland. An animal health certificate can be completed and issued by an authorized vet, which can then be verified by the necessary authorities. This certificate documents an alpha-numeric code, details of vaccination, and treatment against tapeworm. It is valid for ten days from the date of issue. You will also need the following to obtain a no objection certificate (NOC) from the Animal Quarantine and Certification Services in India before flying. Make sure to make an appointment a week before visiting the office, and submit all mentioned documents to the quarantine office along with your pet 7 days before departure to obtain an NOC.
A Rabies antibody test or Rabies Titer test is a way of finding out whether your pet dog / cat has received a rabies vaccination and has developed sufficient antibodies to defend against rabies. Also, the pet must wait 3 months from the date the blood sample was taken before you travel, so make sure to get this done as soon as possible. The results of the blood test must show that the vaccination was successful (rabies antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml).
Tapeworm treatment is necessary and treatment must contain praziquantel or an equivalent proven to be effective against the Echinococcus Multilocularis tapeworm. You must get this treatment done no more than 120 hours and no less than 24 hours before the scheduled time of entry in the country.
Make sure to carry your original documents and a copy of each to ensure hassle free travel, the same goes for your pet.
Your pet may be put into quarantine or returned to the country of departure if not accompanied with complete documentation, at the importer’s expense. Your pet must have a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination and send the blood sample to an EU-approved blood testing laboratory, so make sure you do this well ahead of time.
Pets flying into the country can arrive as cabin and accompanied baggage or as manifested air cargo. Standard crate sizes should be used for pet’s travel with proper crate training to be provided prior to travel. In Holland, animals must pass through a traveler’s point of entry. As the owner, you must contact the authorities at the time of entry so as to complete all the documentation and identity checks.