Veterinary Certificate for Animals; Application

Live animals and products of animal origin that are to be moved within the EU or from a third country into the EU must meet specific animal health requirements. This prevents the introduction of animal diseases into the EU or the spread of animal diseases from one EU country to another.

Businesses must ensure that animals intended for transport to another Member State are accompanied by a veterinary certificate (TRACES certificate).

The veterinary certificate is 

• for the entry of breeding and livestock animals from a third country into Germany (import) as well as
• for the export of breeding and livestock animals from Germany to third countries (countries outside the European Union) (export)

.

It provides information about the general health status of a breeding or livestock animal.

The veterinary certificate must be reviewed, stamped, and signed by an official veterinarian. Before signing, the official veterinarian must verify, through document checks, identity checks, and physical inspections, that the terrestrial animals covered by the certificate meet the required animal health standards. If the relevant requirements are met, the veterinary certificate can be issued in TRACES NT and handed over to the operator.

The requirements for issuing a veterinary certificate vary widely. Therefore, please contact the appropriate authority as early as possible. The authority can issue a veterinary certificate only if all requirements are met.

For most certificates, the animal must be presented in person. 

You must notify the relevant authority of the arrival of a shipment of animals well in advance of its arrival.

For the Receiving Department:

• The application for a veterinary certificate is submitted electronically via the “TRACES NT” database system.
• An “EU Login” is required to access TRACES NT. To obtain this, the business operator must register once and will be activated by the competent authority.
• The animals are imported into Germany via a border inspection post authorized to receive animals.
• All required veterinary examination and treatment certificates must be presented.

For export:

• The business operator is required to comply with the laws, regulations, standards, and procedural and import requirements applicable in the country of destination.
• This results in the business operator’s obligation to obtain the relevant current requirements of the third country, if necessary, and to submit them to the certifying authority for review.
• When exporting animals, the animals must be examined by an official veterinarian at the relevant authority or on-site. Compliance with the requirements applicable to the third country in question must be certified. 
• Certain third countries permit exports into their territory exclusively from establishments that are already known to them through prior registration or authorization and have been included in corresponding lists of registered or authorized establishments. 
• Establishments that must register with the authorities of the third country and/or be officially listed by those authorities are subject to the official listing procedure. To this end, officially certified export applications must generally be submitted, in which, in many cases, compliance with the requirements specified by the third country must also be certified. 
• Once the third-country authorities have reviewed the applications and, if necessary, conducted a successful on-site inspection, the establishments are authorized and listed for export by the respective third country and may then export.

The timeframes within which certain inspections must be carried out by official veterinarians prior to the planned movement vary depending on the animal species.

To ensure compliance with the health requirements that must be certified in Germany or the country of origin, very different deadlines and quarantine conditions may apply depending on the animal species and country of origin. Please contact the responsible veterinary office as early as possible.

within 48 hours

• current veterinary examination and treatment certificates, if applicable

The fees depend, among other things, on the species and the number of animals. If necessary, check with the relevant authority.