If your dog is an American Staffordshire terrier (often called a pit bull), a Tosa, a Mastiff-type dog or a Rottweiler, or looks like one, settle its French category before you do anything else. France sorts these dogs into two groups, and the papers you hold decide whether your dog can enter at all.
For every other dog and for cats, the move follows the EU framework, and the decisions are about timing and about who presents your pet at the border.
Check your dog’s category first
France’s agriculture ministry sets two categories of restricted dog:
- Category 1, the “attack dogs.” Dogs of American Staffordshire terrier type, Mastiff type or Tosa type. “Type” means the dog looks like the breed but is not registered in a pedigree book the ministry recognizes. Bringing one into France is prohibited.
- Category 2, the “guard and defense dogs.” Dogs of the American Staffordshire terrier, Rottweiler or Tosa breed, and Rottweiler-type dogs. These can be brought in. A Staffordshire bull terrier is a different breed and is not restricted.
For a Category 2 American Staffordshire terrier or Tosa, French customs says you must show a birth certificate or pedigree from the central canine society of the dog’s country of origin. According to the agriculture ministry’s information note, Rottweilers and Rottweiler-type dogs are Category 2 with or without a pedigree.
If your dog has no pedigree but resembles a Category 1 type, the ministry says you should have a veterinarian sign a statement before arrival, translated into French where needed, confirming the dog is not in those categories. French police can ask for it and can order a second examination. Have your veterinarian check your dog’s registration and appearance against the ministry’s page before you choose a date.
Once in France, a Category 2 owner needs a permit from the town hall, and the dog must be muzzled and leashed in public. The ministry’s page also lists restrictions on air travel for these dogs. Ask any airline you are considering about your dog’s category before you plan around it.
Bengal and Savannah cats are treated separately. The note says a cat without a birth certificate or pedigree proving the breed counts as a hybrid and needs an advance import permit from the regional environment directorate.
An adult tooth, and a minimum age
The information note adds a rule the EU pages do not: a dog imported from outside the EU may enter only if it has at least one adult tooth. French customs’ traveler page also says pets under 16 weeks old are barred even if vaccinated. That page predates the 2026 EU rules, so confirm the minimum age with customs before you book a puppy or kitten.
Both sit on top of the EU rules: a microchip before the rabies vaccination, a pet at least 12 weeks old at vaccination, and a 21-day wait after the primary vaccination, or the manufacturer’s longer period. The note lists the United States among the countries exempt from the rabies antibody test.
The certificate clock and the owner question
According to the note, the health certificate is valid for 10 days from issue, or from endorsement where an authorized veterinarian issues it, until the document and identity check on arrival. For onward travel to another EU country, the note allows six months from that check or until the rabies vaccination expires, whichever is earlier. USDA’s page says 30 days from issue, so build your calendar on the shorter 10.
A form signed at the clinic is not yet endorsed. USDA ink-signs and embosses the paper original, processes endorsements Monday through Friday, and cannot confirm delivery. If your departure date moves, the certificate may have to be returned and redone, so ask your veterinarian how that would work.
A pet may travel with an authorized person if the owner’s own trip falls within five days before or after the pet’s, and customs accepts proof such as a boarding pass. A pet traveling outside that window, or one that is sold on the way, is commercial and must be inspected at a border control post.
So is a group of more than five animals, unless the animals are entered in a competition or exhibition, the owner can prove it in writing, and each is over six months old.
Our timing article reports operators preparing a commercial certificate whenever the owner is not on the pet’s flight. That is practice, not law. If the pet travels before you, EU guidance permits it within the stated conditions, but USDA’s owner/designated-person summary does not clearly describe that sequence. Confirm the certificate type with your accredited veterinarian before booking.
What customs expects on arrival
When you travel with your pet, the French authorities say you present it to customs yourself before leaving the international zone, with no appointment. Customs makes the document and identity checks at points open to international passenger traffic. French customs also warns that not every border control post is authorized to check pets, so confirm your arrival airport before you book.
A pet that fails the checks can be sent back, quarantined or euthanized at the owner’s expense. Guide dogs and service animals get no exemption from the import requirements.
If your pet arrives as cargo under an authorized person or a commercial certificate, the steps differ. Ask your shipper who presents the animal, to which authority, and where you collect it.
Planning the arrival
Our Paris page lists customs clearance and delivery to your home as services. In practice a local agent that we introduce handles the airline side of the arrival and the paperwork check at the French end, and quotes separately from our flight and service price.
In some of our past Paris jobs, the client completed the border post visit after the official veterinarian’s inspection, and the agent’s scope did not extend to delivery beyond the airport. Scope can differ by agent and by commercial or non-commercial certificate, so ask in writing who handles the border post step and the delivery.
Arrival hours and weekdays are set by whoever handles your pet locally. At Nice, our local partner has asked that pets arrive before 2 p.m. on a weekday that is not a public holiday. That is a handling constraint, not French law. At whichever airport you choose, ask for the actual handling hours and which weekdays are possible, and build your schedule around them, because USDA does not endorse certificates on weekends.
Summer heat can cancel a flight. Do not fix a firm June-to-September date until the airline confirms the booking.
What to budget
Budget $2,500–$3,500 for pet shipping services and freight from California to France.
These items sit outside that range and are quoted separately:
- the travel crate
- the veterinary exam and certificate
- USDA endorsement, at USDA’s current rates
- clearance and any border post step at the French end
- ground transport and boarding in the US, and delivery from the airport
A reinforced crate for a restricted breed adds to the list. Ask for a written quote that says what is included at each end.
What to send with your quote request
Send your US starting city, your French arrival airport and final address, and whether you will travel with your pet. Add species, breed, age, weight, standing measurements and your crate. For a dog of a restricted breed or type, include its registration and pedigree papers. If it is a puppy, give its age.
Related reading: Why you need a USDA-accredited vet, Why pet agents matter in international relocation
Planning a move with your pet? Get a quote from Transcon Pet Movers.