Bringing a dog or cat to Türkiye
No country is exempt: every cat, dog and ferret needs a microchip, rabies vaccine and a titer test from an EU-approved lab, plus a 90-day wait after a first titer. Each passenger can bring at most 2 animals, and six dog breeds may not enter at all.
Which rules apply to you
Türkiye sorts arriving pets by where they travel from. Find your group, then follow its steps.
| Arriving from | Titer test | Wait after sample | Permit | Quarantine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All countriesSame rules for every origin country, including the EU. | Yes | 3 months from the result | No | Only if rules not met |
Step by step
Microchip, then vaccinate
ISO 11784/11785 microchip first, then an inactivated rabies vaccine. Bring a reader if the chip is not ISO.
Titer test at an EU-approved lab
Blood sample at least 30 days after the rabies vaccine, tested at a lab on the EU list of approved rabies serology labs. Result must be above 0.5 IU/ml.
Wait 90 days after a first titer
If this is the pet's first titer test, travel no earlier than 90 days after the result date.
Get the Turkish health certificate
Have your country's veterinary authority issue Türkiye's veterinary health and origin certificate (from the annex of the pet movement regulation) within 2 days before travel. The clinical exam must be within 24 hours of departure.
Carry the pet passport
Bring a pet passport or health booklet that names the owner. Maximum 2 animals per passenger.
No quarantine stated for compliant pets. Non-compliant pets may be refused entry or held at the owner's expense.
Good to know
- Cats
- Same as dogs (the rules cover cats, dogs and ferrets). The breed ban applies only to dogs.
- Banned breeds
- American Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully
- How many pets
- Maximum 2 animals per passenger.
- Parasite treatment
- None required by the ministry page.
- Arrival
- Through border points with a veterinary border control post (for example Istanbul Airport). The ministry page does not list all of them.
- Since 2021, Law No. 5199 (Article 14(l), amended by Law 7332) bans owning, selling, gifting and bringing into the country dogs designated as dangerous. Ministry Circular 2021/48 designates the six breeds above.
- Transit passengers who do not enter Türkiye only need to meet the requirements of their final destination.
- Governing regulation: Ev ve Süs Hayvanlarının Ticari Olmayan Hareketlerinde Uygulanacak Hayvan Sağlığı Şartlarına Dair Yönetmelik (2011).
What we could not confirm
- The ministry pages give the wait as 90 days from the titer result, not '3 months', and do not number the certificate annex, so 'EK-2' could not be confirmed.
- Certificate timing conflicts: the ministry page says it is issued within 2 days before travel, while the certificate's own footnote requires the clinical exam within 24 hours of movement.
- No minimum age at entry was found on official pages.
- Whether the dangerous-dog entry ban has any exception for foreign visitors' dogs (e.g. short stays or transit) is not stated.
Sources
- Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı - Istanbul Airport Veterinary Border Control Point: cat, dog and ferret travel (official)
- Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı - Ipsala VBCP: pets accompanying passengers (official)
- Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı - Circular on dangerous animals, Dec 2021 (official)
- Bavarian KBLV - Türkiye entry certificate for dogs, cats and ferrets, 2025 (government, secondary)
- USDA APHIS - Türkiye health certificate for dogs, cats and ferrets (government, secondary)
Checked against official sources on 2026-10-28. Rules change: confirm with Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı) - Veterinary Border Control Points before booking.