Animal health certificate (AHC)
The official certificate signed by a government-authorized vet that non-EU travelers need to enter the EU with a dog. It must be issued within 10 days of arrival and covers 4 months of travel inside the EU.
This is the document for a dog arriving from outside the EU, where a resident pet would use the passport. An official vet in your country signs it within the 10 days before arrival, and it then covers 4 months of travel inside the EU, or until the rabies vaccination expires if that comes first. You also sign a declaration that the trip is non-commercial. It is the only entry requirement you cannot settle in advance: the chip and the rabies shot are prepared months ahead, but the certificate is signed inside those 10 days.
Guides that use this term
Rules & paperwork
Entering the EU with your dog in 2026: passport, microchip and the 21-day rule
EU entry for dogs: ISO microchip, rabies shot 21 days before travel, pet passport or health certificate, and tapeworm treatment for 4 countries.