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Entering Ireland with a pet bird, rabbit, rodent or other animals
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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The rules on bringing your pets into Ireland change depending on the type of animal and the country you are travelling from.
The following rules apply no matter which country you are travelling from.
All pets must:
- have original paperwork, not copies
- arrive in Ireland with you, or within five days before or after you travel (but it can be accompanied by someone else)
You can bring a maximum of five animals with you.
If you are travelling to Ireland to sell your pet, for a change of ownership, or if the pet is not travelling within five days of your travel, there are different rules.
A pet bird is a bird of any species traded commercially that travels with the owner or with a person representing the owner.
Exceptions to this are:
- fowl
- turkeys
- guinea fowl
- ducks
- geese
- quails
- pigeons
- partridges
- ratites
You may bring your pet bird to Ireland from another EU country or from Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and the Vatican City State if:
- the bird is accompanied by you or a person acting on your behalf
- you fill in an Owner Declaration Pet Birds EU (below) for your pet bird, which you must carry with you
- you fill in and email a Form of Advance Notice of Importation of Pet Birds into Ireland (below) to livetrade@agriculture.gov.ie at least 24 hours in advance of arrival of the bird into Ireland
Owner Declaration Pet Birds EU
You must send this at least 24 hours before the bird arrives into Ireland.
Download
Form of Advance Notice of Importation of Pet Birds into Ireland
You must send this Form at least 24 hours in advance of arrival of the bird into Ireland.
DownloadYou may bring your pet bird into Ireland from a non-EU country if the bird is:
- accompanied by you or a person acting on your behalf
- individually identified
- you have a health certificate signed by an official veterinarian to confirm compliance with the pre-export requirements
Member States shall authorise the movement of live pet birds from third countries only when there are five birds or less, and they come from an OIE member country falling within the competence of a Regional Commission, or they come from an OIE member country falling within the competence of a Regional Commission if they have been:
- isolated for 30 days before arriving at the point of departure in a third country, OR
- quarantined in approved premises for 30 days after arrival, OR
- vaccinated, and revaccinated at least once , against avian influenza using an H5 vaccine, within the last six months and not later than 60 days before leaving, OR
- isolated for at least 10 days before leaving and have been tested for avian influenza no earlier than the third day of isolation
Compliance with the above conditions must be certified by an official (State) veterinarian in the non-EU country of dispatch.
People who want to bring pet birds from non-EU countries are asked to send the Application to Import Pet Birds into Ireland from a non EU country (below) to livetrade.@agriculture.gov.ie for an import permit in order to facilitate the necessary document and identity checks upon import.
Applications should be made with enough time to allow the pre-export requirements be completed.
Send enquiries to: livetrade.@agriculture.gov.ie
Application to Import Pet Birds into Ireland from a non EU country
Please return this form with enough time to allow the pre-export requirements be completed.
DownloadYou can bring a pet rodent or rabbit to Ireland from another EU country or from Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and the Vatican City State if:
- your pet is accompanied by you or someone acting on your behalf
- you fill in and email an Advance Notice Pet Rodent or Pet Rabbit (below) to livetrade@agriculture.gov.ie at least one working day before the arrival time of your pet in Ireland
Advance Notice Pet Rodent or Pet Rabbit from an EU country
You must fill in and return this form at least one working day before the arrival time of your pet in Ireland.
DownloadYou can bring a pet rodent or rabbit to Ireland from certain countries outside the EU but you must apply for a licence by filling in and sending an Application to Import pet rabbit or rodent into Ireland from a non-EU country application form (below) to livetrade@agriculture.gov.ie
You must submit this application at least 2 months before your date of travel to Ireland. The licence sets out the requirements, including a veterinary health certificate, and the type of container which can be used.
An advance notice of import is also required. Application should be made in sufficient time to allow the pre-export requirements to be completed.
For any non-domestic rodent or rabbit kept as a pet which is listed on the CITES list of endangered species, you must check with the National Parks and Wildlife Service if a CITES licence is required.
Application to Import pet rabbit or rodent into Ireland from a non EU country
Download
Advance Notice Pet Rodent or Pet Rabbit from a non-EU country
You must fill in and email this form at least one working day before the arrival time of your pet in Ireland.
DownloadSend any enquiries to: livetrade@agriculture.gov.ie
If you are travelling on holiday or relocating with your pet out of Ireland, you will need to:
- contact the destination country for entry (certification) requirements
- contact the Regional Veterinary Office at least 2 months in advance of travel to ensure that necessary documents are available and can be certified by department officials
- allow sufficient time to ensure the required tests can be performed
- ensure your pet qualifies to return to Ireland
Entry requirements to other EU destinations and non-EU countries will differ from country to country. Check with the embassy of the country you are travelling to for details.
Pets returning to Ireland from holiday must meet the requirements for entering Ireland.
The UK’s departure from the EU will result in a change in the rules for pet travel between Ireland and the UK.
When the transition period ends, the rules around entry of pets from the UK to the EU, including Ireland, will change. It has not yet been decided what new rules will apply to pets entering the EU from the UK after the end of the transition period.
Email address: livetrade@agriculture.gov.ie
- telephone from within Ireland: Land Line (Dublin) 607 2827
- telephone from outside of Ireland: Land Line 00353 1 6072827
Contact details for Dublin Airport
- mobile telephone number from within Ireland: 087 417 8986
- mobile telephone number from outside Ireland: 00353 87 417 8986
Contact details for Lissenhall Veterinary Hospital and Vets Direct
- Lissenhall Vet. Hospital lissenhallvet@eircom.net 00353 1 8900375
- Vets Direct: info@vetsdirect.ie 00353 87 668 6278
