Bringing pets to Türkiye is very doable, but the paperwork starts months before you book a flight. Türkiye asks every cat, dog and ferret arriving with a passenger for a microchip, a rabies vaccination and a rabies antibody titre test, followed by a waiting period. Once you live here, your pet must also be registered in the Agriculture Ministry’s national pet database. This guide reflects the position in November 2026.
- Step 1: Check that your pet can come at all
- Step 2: Microchip first
- Step 3: Rabies vaccination
- Step 4: Rabies antibody titre test
- Step 5: Health certificate and documents
- Step 6: Book the flight and choose your entry point
- Step 7: Register your pet in PETVET after arrival
- Step 8: Taking your pet back to the UK or EU
- Summary
- Frequently asked questions
**Key points**
– **Two pets per passenger**, travelling with you. – An **ISO 11784 microchip**, then a **rabies vaccination**. – A **rabies antibody titre test**, then a **90-day wait** after a first test. – A **veterinary health certificate** from the exporting country. – Some dog breeds are banned outright. – After arrival, registration in **PETVET**, the Ministry’s pet database.
This is general information, not veterinary or legal advice. Confirm current rules with your vet, the Turkish consulate and the veterinary border post before you travel.
Step 1: Check that your pet can come at all
The rules are set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı) in its regulation on non-commercial movements of pet animals, published in the Official Gazette on 5 December 2011.
**Number of animals.** The Ministry’s border posts and the Trade Ministry’s customs FAQ both give a limit of two pets per passenger. The customs FAQ lists cats, dogs and birds as pets, so check with the border post before travelling with a ferret. Animals you plan to sell or give away fall outside the non-commercial rules.
**Banned breeds.** Under Article 14 of Animal Protection Law No. 5199, as amended in July 2021, importing dogs classed as dangerous is prohibited. The Ministry’s circular names the American Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, American Staffordshire Terrier and American Bully. The Turkish Consulate General in Los Angeles also lists the Staffordshire Terrier and "the same species as these animals". If your dog is one of these breeds or a cross, do not plan to bring it.
**Transit only.** If you are only changing planes in Türkiye and do not enter the country, the Ministry says you only need to meet the rules of your final destination.
Step 2: Microchip first
The microchip must meet **ISO 11784** (HDX or FDX-B technology) and be readable by an **ISO 11785** reader. If your pet has another type of chip, the regulation says the owner must provide a reader that can read it.
The order matters. The Ministry states that the rabies vaccination must be given **after** the microchip is implanted. If your pet was vaccinated before it was chipped, your vet will normally need to vaccinate again after chipping.
Step 3: Rabies vaccination
Your vet gives an inactivated or recombinant rabies vaccine and records it with the microchip number. Under the 2011 regulation, a first vaccination only counts once at least 21 days have passed. Keep boosters on schedule: if one lapses, the next dose counts as a new first vaccination.
Step 4: Rabies antibody titre test
This step catches most people out. Türkiye requires a rabies antibody titre test (often called a FAVN test) and the Ministry’s border post pages list no exempt countries, so plan on needing it whether you come from the UK, the EU or elsewhere.
– The blood sample is taken **at least 30 days after** the rabies vaccination. – It is tested at an **accredited laboratory**. The Ministry links to the European Commission’s list of approved rabies serology laboratories. – The result must be **above 0.5 IU/ml**. – After a **first** titre test, you must wait **90 days from the result date** before travelling to Türkiye. – On later trips, the 90-day wait does not apply as long as the rabies vaccine has been renewed within its validity period.
The 30-day gap and the 90-day wait alone take four months, plus lab turnaround. The 2011 regulation lets the Ministry admit unvaccinated animals under three months old on conditions it sets, so confirm any such case with the border post in advance.
Step 5: Health certificate and documents
The exporting country’s competent authority must issue a **veterinary health certificate** in the format annexed to the Turkish regulation. The Ministry’s border post pages say it must be issued **within the two days before travel**. Some Turkish consulates publish their own document lists and legalisation rules, so check yours.
Carry, in paper form:
– the health certificate – the pet passport or identity document showing the owner – the rabies vaccination record – the original titre test report
Step 6: Book the flight and choose your entry point
Pets may enter only through Ministry-designated entry points, where a veterinary border post (veteriner sınır kontrol noktası, VSKN) checks documents, identity and the animal with customs. The Ministry runs VSKN pages for Istanbul Airport and land crossings such as İpsala on the Greek border.
Cabin and hold rules are set by each airline. Weight limits, carrier sizes, breed restrictions (especially for snub-nosed breeds) and fees vary, so check your airline’s pet page and reserve the pet’s place early. Driving in, keep the documents to hand, not in the boot.
**If something is wrong.** The regulation allows officials to send a non-compliant animal back to its country of origin or, where possible, quarantine it until it complies. If neither is possible, the animal can be put down without compensation. The owner pays inspection and quarantine costs. For Istanbul Airport questions, the Ministry lists the veterinary border post at [email protected].
Step 7: Register your pet in PETVET after arrival
The regulation on identifying and registering cats, dogs and ferrets (26 February 2018, last amended March 2025) requires owners to register their animals. Records go into PETVET, which holds the chip number, passport, vaccinations and owner details.
– For animals brought from abroad, the regulation says the owner applies **within 60 days**, with a copy of the import document and any existing passport. A Turkish pet passport is then issued. – Your vet, or the provincial or district agriculture directorate, makes the entry. Chips that already meet ISO 11784 and read on an ISO 11785 reader do not need replacing. – The owner pays the identification and registration costs. – Report a lost pet within **7 days**, a death within **30 days** and a change of owner within **60 days**. – The Ministry says a pet passport is required when transporting your pet within Türkiye, and you should show it on request.
Failing to register a dog or cat can lead to an administrative fine under Law No. 5199. Amounts are updated every year, so check the current figure with your directorate.
If you are still house-hunting, our guide to renting a home in Turkey covers what to ask the landlord, including whether pets are allowed, and our moving house guide covers removal firms and costs.
Step 8: Taking your pet back to the UK or EU
Neither Great Britain nor the EU lists Türkiye among the countries with lighter rules, so a pet coming from Türkiye needs a titre test and a waiting period.
**Great Britain (gov.uk):**
– A rabies blood test is taken at least 30 days after vaccination, at an EU-approved laboratory, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml. – You must wait **3 months from the date the blood sample was taken** before travelling. This wait does not apply if your pet was vaccinated, blood tested and issued a pet passport or GB health certificate in the EU before travelling to a non-listed country. – Pets from Türkiye need a **Great Britain pet health certificate** signed by an official veterinarian, and must enter Great Britain **within 10 days** of it being issued. – Dogs need **tapeworm treatment** between 24 hours and 5 days before arrival.
**European Union (European Commission):**
– Rabies vaccination at **at least 12 weeks old**, not dated before the chip. – The titre sample is taken at least 30 days after vaccination, tested at a designated laboratory, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, and taken **no less than 90 days before** the health certificate is issued. – That rule does not apply to EU-resident pets returning with a pet passport showing the test was done before they left. – The health certificate is valid for **10 days** from issue until the entry check, through a designated travellers’ point of entry. – Dogs going to Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway need tapeworm treatment 24 to 120 hours before entry.
**On the Turkish side**, your provincial or district agriculture directorate issues the export health certificate after a vet check. Samples must go to a Ministry-approved lab in Türkiye; the Ministry names the Etlik Veterinary Control Central Research Institute in Ankara as the only one performing this test with international validity, and since 1 January 2024 its reports carry a verifiable QR code. Start at least three months ahead. Some native breeds, such as Kangal dogs and Van and Ankara cats, need prior permission to leave.
Summary
Chip, vaccinate, test, then wait. Check the breed ban, get the health certificate in the two days before you fly, register in PETVET within 60 days, and never let rabies boosters lapse. Our moving to Turkey checklist covers the rest of the move.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Does my pet need a rabies titre test to enter Türkiye from the UK or EU?
A: Yes. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry requires a titre test for cats, dogs and ferrets travelling with passengers and lists no exempt countries. After the first test, wait 90 days from the result date before travelling.
Q: How many pets can I bring to Türkiye?
A: Two pets per passenger, according to the Ministry’s veterinary border posts and the Trade Ministry’s customs guidance. The pet must travel with you.
Q: Which dog breeds are banned in Türkiye?
A: Importing the American Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, American Staffordshire Terrier and American Bully is prohibited under Law No. 5199 and a 2021 Ministry circular.
Q: Do I have to register my pet after arrival?
A: Yes. Animals brought from abroad should be registered within 60 days through a vet or the agriculture directorate. The pet is recorded in PETVET and gets a Turkish pet passport.
Q: Can I take my pet back to the UK from Türkiye straight away?
A: Not usually. Gov.uk requires a rabies blood test and a 3-month wait from the sample date, unless the pet was tested in the EU before it left, plus a GB pet health certificate and, for dogs, tapeworm treatment.
Moving with pets and buying a home? Download our free property guide for a step-by-step checklist.
Sources
- Pets with passengers (cats, dogs, ferrets): passport/ID, microchip, rabies vaccine after chip, titre test at least 30 days after vaccination at accredited lab, result above 0.5 IU, 90-day wait after first test (not on later trips if vaccine renewed), health certificate from exporting country within 2 days before travel, max 2 animals, transit exemption; Istanbul Airport VSKN contact (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Istanbul Airport VSKN)
- Same rules for land crossing (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, İpsala VSKN)
- Regulation on animal health conditions for non-commercial movements of pet animals: ISO 11784/11785 chips, vaccination validity after 21 days, EU-approved labs and 0.5 IU/ml, designated entry points, return/quarantine/euthanasia of non-compliant animals, owner pays costs, under-3-month animals (Official Gazette, 5 December 2011)
- Animals brought by passengers: 2 pets or 10 aquarium fish, cats/dogs/birds, must accompany passenger, vet check at entry (Trade Ministry customs FAQ)
- How to take your pet into Türkiye: banned breeds list, microchip, titration test, legalisation, Istanbul Airport VSKN email (Turkish Consulate General Los Angeles, 18 January 2025)
- Dangerous dog breeds circular 2021-48: American Pitbull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully; import banned under Law 5199 Art. 14 (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)
- Regulation on identification and registration of cats, dogs and ferrets (26 Feb 2018, amended 5 March 2025): ISO chips, passport, animals from abroad within 60 days, loss 7 days, death 30 days, owner change 60 days, owner pays costs (consolidated text, Lexpera)
- Digital identification of owned pets: PETVET system, passport needed for transport within Türkiye, reporting deadlines (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 27 December 2022)
- Taking cats and dogs out of Türkiye: export certificate from provincial/district directorate, samples to Ministry-approved lab in Türkiye, protected native breeds need permission (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)
- QR-coded verification of FAVN reports from 1 January 2024; Etlik institute only lab with internationally valid test; start 3 months ahead (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 3 January 2024)
- Bring your pet to Great Britain: microchip before vaccine, tapeworm 24 hours to 5 days for dogs (gov.uk)
- Rabies blood tests: 30 days after vaccination, EU-approved lab, 0.5 IU/ml, 3-month wait from sample date, EU exemption (gov.uk)
- Which pet travel document: Türkiye not in listed countries, GB pet health certificate needed (gov.uk)
- GB pet health certificate: official vet, enter GB within 10 days of issue (gov.uk)
- Non-commercial movement from non-EU countries: vaccine at 12 weeks, titre 30 days after vaccine and at least 90 days before certificate, EU-resident exemption, 10-day certificate, tapeworm countries (European Commission)
- Listed non-EU countries (Annex I and II of Implementing Regulation 2026/636): Türkiye not listed (European Commission)
- Approved rabies serology laboratories (European Commission)
Photo: Pizza98 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
