Animal transport abroad; registration

An animal transport of cattle, pigs, equidae, sheep, goats and poultry to another Member State or third country must be notified to the local competent veterinary office.

An official veterinary certificate is required for any transport of livestock or equidae, as well as for travel with equidae to another member state or third country. In addition, a so-called equine passport must be carried for equidae.

It is irrelevant here whether the animals are taken abroad permanently or only temporarily, such as in the context of a vacation trip or a tournament.

The animal health requirements to be met by the animals in each case are laid down uniformly in Union law for all Member States of the European Union. Before the transport and the issuance of a corresponding veterinary certificate, appropriate controls are carried out by the competent authorities, by which a disease spread is to be excluded. These include, for example, identity checks, document checks and clinical examinations. In addition, the planned transport is checked according to animal welfare aspects.

If animals are exported to third countries, the animal health requirements and veterinary certificates of the recipient countries must be observed. They must be obtained by the animal keeper from the authorities of the recipient states or their embassies, unless there are already coordinated veterinary certificates in TRACES NT for the planned movement. Transports must be planned in good time and the competent authority must be notified in good time beforehand so that all necessary examinations or similar can be carried out. Furthermore, the necessary documents are to be completed in full by the animal keeper. Customs regulations are to be observed.

In principle, transport companies must be registered or licensed (see under "Related topics").

For transports that last more than 8 hours, a transport plan must be submitted.

Drivers of animal transports, if they drive more than 65 km, require a certificate of competence, which can be applied for at the responsible veterinary office after appropriate training in facilities approved for this purpose (see under "Related topics").

An animal transport must be reported to the veterinary office responsible for the place of business.

The start of loading (not the departure time) must be indicated.