Need to move your pet to Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS)?

Our Amsterdam pet shipping services include:

• Door to door transport, both international and domestic
• Assistance with health certificates, import certificates, and other travel documents.
• USDA endorsement of all relevant documents where required
• Airline approved flight kennels provided with personalized labels, identification and emergency notification instructions
• Customs clearance and delivery to your home
• Local pet taxi service to and from the airport, your home, veterinarian or kennel/boarding facility – available in the Amsterdam area
• Travel consultation and cargo flight reservations

We will inform you of your pet’s full itinerary before the trip and we will update you as your pet travels to or from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).

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Paperwork and Veterinary Requirements

It’s best to have Transcontinental Pet Movers or an equally qualified IPATA agent help guide and plan your pet’s pre-move preparations. For now, the following information serves as a guide in order to prepare your pet to enter Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Health/Veterinary Requirements

Must be completed at least 21 days before departure

Microchip

Must be administered at least 21 days before departure, and must be completed before Rabies Vaccination.

• Dogs, cats, and ferrets must be identifiable by microchip. There are no exceptions to this rule.
• The microchip should be ISO compliant and 15 digits long.
  • If your pet does not have an ISO compliant chip, your pet will have to travel with a microchip reader attached to the crate. Alternatively, your vet can implant a new ISO compliant chip in addition to the existing non-ISO compatible chip.
  • After implanting the chip, your pet will have to be revaccinated in order for the new vaccination to be valid.

Vaccinations

Must be conducted at least 21 days prior to departure

• Rabies vaccination must occur on the same day or after microchip implantation. Any rabies vaccine given prior to the microchip implantation is considered invalid and will not be accepted for the purpose of travel.
  • For pets vaccinated in the United States, a primary rabies vaccination is valid for 1 year for EU travel, even with a 3-year product; an on-time booster is valid for 1–3 years according to the manufacturer.
  • There is a mandatory wait of at least 21 days, or the manufacturer’s longer recommended immunity period, after the primary (or first) vaccination before your pet can enter the EU. If your pet’s most recent vaccination is a booster without a lapse in coverage, a 21-day wait will not be needed.
• Other vaccines are not required, but the vaccines below are recommended, particularly if your pet may need to be boarded before or after travel.
  • Dogs: Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza and Parvovirus (DHLPP) and Bordetella.
  • Cats: Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus and Panleukopenia (FVRCP).

Paperwork Requirements

Must be completed 2-28 days before departure

Health Examination

Must be conducted 2 – 28 days prior to departure

• At this point in your pet’s move, one of our pet shipping specialists will pre-complete the correct health certificate and email it to your veterinarian for signature at the physical appointment. We provide all documents and are available to answer any questions and troubleshoot issues that may arise.
• Amsterdam, Netherlands has two health certificate options. Non-commercial certificates are for five or fewer pets traveling with the owner on the same flight, or with an authorized designated person no later than five days after the owner; event exceptions apply to larger groups. Commercial certificates apply when the owner or designated person cannot accompany the pets, to non-exempt groups of six or more pets, and to pets changing ownership. New non-commercial certificates took effect October 1, 2026; new commercial certificates take effect October 17, 2026.
  • Noncommercial health certificate: For pets traveling within 5 days of owner or designated person. Valid for 30 days after USDA Accredited Veterinarian issues it.
  • Commercial health certificate: For pets traveling more than 5 days before or after the owner or designated person and for pets changing ownership or intended for resale in the EU. The pet must be inspected by a USDA Accredited Veterinarian within 48 hours before departure, and USDA endorsement must occur within 48 hours after certificate issuance.

USDA Endorsement

Must be completed before departure and within 10 days of arrival for non-commercial health certificates. For Commercial health certificates, please inquire with us.

• After your pet has been examined by your veterinarian and the correct health certificate has been completed and signed, the health certificate must be submitted to the USDA office to be endorsed. Transcontinental Pet Movers will coordinate this process with your doctor.
• If a military veterinarian completes your pet’s health certificate, the USDA endorsement is not needed. A military veterinarian is a Veterinary Corps Officer or civilian GS-0701 series government veterinarian employed by the U.S Army Veterinary Service.

In addition to all the requirements above, the following destinations ALSO require tapeworm treatment for dogs: Finland, Ireland (including Northern Ireland), Malta and Norway.

TAPEWORM TREATMENT – For dogs, must be completed within 24-120 hours of arrival into Finland, Ireland (including Northern Ireland), Malta, and Norway. Norway is not an EU member but applies these pet travel rules. This treatment can be administered before or after the USDA endorsement of the health certificate depending on your pet’s unique timeline for travel. USDA will endorse the health certificate with or without this treatment.

The requirements above for moving your pet to Amsterdam Netherlands can also be found on USDA’s website and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority website.

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Airport Information

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the main international airport in the Netherlands. You can learn more about the airport by following this link. If you are looking for information around pet shipping to Schiphol, then please just follow the link provided!

If your pet is transiting via Amsterdam, he/she may also enjoy a short stay at the KLM Cargo Animal Hotel. Click the link for a video on Schiphol’s Animal Hotel.