USA to Italy
Pet Shipping from the USA to Italy
We provide international pet transport from the USA to Italy, planned around the EU’s entry rules, the season and your move date.
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- The travel crate
- The export and import paperwork
- Check-in at your US airport
- Pickup in Italy with delivery to your new address
Italy at a glance
Full requirementsOnce your dog is in Italy, the Ministry of Health’s ordinance on dog aggression applies: a lead no longer than 1.5 meters in towns and places open to the public, and a muzzle carried at all times, to put on if there is a risk.
- Microchip
- ISO 11784 and 11785, fitted before the rabies vaccination, or a legible tattoo applied before July 3, 2011
- Rabies vaccination
- After the chip; a first shot needs 21 days, a booster with no lapse none
- Rabies titer
- Not asked of pets from the United States, an Annex II country under Implementing Regulation 2026/636
- Health certificate
- Endorsed by USDA within 10 days of arrival in the EU
- If the rules are not met
- APHIS says the pet may be refused entry or quarantined at the owner’s expense
Pet Shipping from the USA to Italy
A pet goes to Italy on the EU’s sequence, first the microchip, the rabies vaccination after it and the EU animal health certificate last, checked at the point of entry. For a plain overview of international moves first, start with our international pet relocation page, and for a pet coming the other way, into the United States, see our US import guide.
Which route does a pet take into Italy?
A pet from the United States has to land at one of Italy’s points of entry for pets, and the Ministry of Health’s list, updated to September 2026 and read October 29, 2026, numbers 58 of them: 42 airports, Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Venice among them, and 16 ports. The airline and the routing are chosen from those around your pet’s size and the season.
Route details: USA to Italy
- Route
- USA to Italy
- Arrival airports
- A point of entry on Italy’s list (September 2026): 42 airports, Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Venice among them, and 16 ports
- How the pet flies
- With the owner (cabin or hold, same flight) or an authorized person within 5 days either side of the owner; up to 5 pets. Else commercial
- Advance notice
- With the owner: report to the officials at the point of entry on arrival. Commercial: one working day’s notice to the border control post
- Health certificate
- EU certificate from a USDA-accredited vet, valid 30 days from issue (APHIS); USDA endorses it in ink within 10 days of arrival in the EU
- Quarantine on arrival
- Papers and identity are checked at the point of entry; APHIS says a pet that fails may be refused or quarantined at the owner’s expense
- Time to get ready
- At least 21 days: microchip, then rabies shot at 12 weeks or older, then the 21-day wait; the EU lists the USA as needing no titer test
From official sources, read October 29, 2026: European Commission, Travellers’ points of entry; Ministero della Salute, Elenco dei Punti di Entrata designati per l’ingresso nell’Unione di animali da compagnia a carattere non commerciale 2026/131; Ministero della Salute, In viaggio verso l’Italia, incl. Cani, gatti e furetti provenienti da Paesi terzi; European Commission, Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country; European Commission, Dogs, cats and ferrets: FAQs; USDA APHIS, Pet Travel From the United States to Italy; European Commission, Entry into the EU; European Commission, Listing of territories and non-EU countries.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to Italy?
The short answer
Italy follows the EU’s entry rules, and with the United States on the Annex II list a pet needs an identifying microchip, the rabies vaccination that follows it, and an EU animal health certificate endorsed by USDA, timed so the pet lands in the EU within 10 days of that endorsement.
Which pets can enter Italy?
The Ministry of Health’s page on dog aggression, read October 7, 2026, names no breed, so a pet from the United States qualifies on the EU’s terms: one of no more than five traveling with their owner, and old enough for its rabies vaccination to count. Italy turns away an unvaccinated puppy, kitten or young ferret under 12 weeks, and one from 12 to 16 weeks whose vaccination has not yet taken effect, and it does not use the EU’s exception for young animals.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for Italy?
Your pet needs a microchip fitted before the rabies vaccination, ISO 11784 and 11785 compliant or read with a scanner you bring, a rabies vaccination that has had 21 days to take effect if it is a first shot, and the EU animal health certificate, issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian, valid for 30 days, and endorsed by USDA within 10 days of your pet’s arrival in the EU. The pet travels with you, or with a person you authorize in writing, and the European Commission and Italy’s Ministry of Health, both read October 29, 2026, let it move up to 5 days before or after you do. Before travel, microchip numbers, dates, names and signatures are checked against each other.
| Requirement | Italy, from the United States |
|---|---|
| Microchip | ISO 11784 and 11785, fitted before the rabies vaccination, or a legible tattoo applied before July 3, 2011 |
| Rabies vaccination | After the chip; a first shot needs 21 days, a booster with no lapse none |
| Rabies titer | Not asked of pets from the United States, an Annex II country under Implementing Regulation 2026/636 |
| Health certificate | Endorsed by USDA within 10 days of arrival in the EU |
| If the rules are not met | APHIS says the pet may be refused entry or quarantined at the owner’s expense |
The export side follows USDA APHIS guidance for US to Italy travel and the EU entry rules the European Commission’s pages on moving pets. Italy’s own rules come from the Ministry of Health, on traveling to Italy with a pet, its points of entry and dog aggression.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Italy
A straightforward Italy move takes about a month to six weeks once the chip and the rabies shot are current; a shot that has to be redone adds three weeks while its 21-day wait runs again. The certificate comes last: USDA endorses it within 10 days of your pet’s arrival in the EU, so the endorsement and the flight are booked together.
Planning the budget? See what shipping a pet from the USA to Italy costs, fee by fee.
Rule change
The EU Rewrote These Rules in 2026
None of this changes what Italy asks of your pet. It changes which form your accredited veterinarian completes and which form the APHIS endorsement office will accept, so we confirm the version in force before the vet appointment is booked. APHIS dates the new non-commercial certificate from 1 October 2026 and the new commercial one from 17 October 2026.
Read the full regulation history
Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 and its companion 577/2013 set the rules for moving a pet into the EU until 21 April 2026. Recital 1 of the act now in force records that 576/2013 was repealed in 2021 but that Article 277 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 kept it applying to non-commercial pet movements until that date. The framework in force is Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131, with the country lists in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636 and the document models in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705, both applying from 22 April 2026.
Two consequences matter to a move booked now. The animal health certificate model is now Part 1 of Annex III to 2026/705, and a certificate on the older Annex IV model counts as compliant only if it was issued before 1 October 2026, and then only for a transitional period ending 31 March 2027. And once your pet has been checked at the point of entry, the same certificate covers onward movement inside the EU for up to six months, or until the rabies vaccination expires if that comes sooner.
Every Pet Travels
Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because timelines, airline rules, and the EU’s entry requirements can vary, we build a plan that fits your pet and your move date.
Destination-Focused Planning
We use Italy’s official EU import guidance as the baseline, then turn it into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
Smart Routing and Logistics
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Personalized Support
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Questions about moving a pet to Italy
Request a QuoteWhat does it cost to ship a pet from the USA to Italy?
It depends on your pet’s size and crate, the airline, the season and which parts of the move you book. Our full cost breakdown for this route lists the government fees with the authority that publishes each, and a quote gives the figure for your move.
What crate does my pet need to fly to Italy?
The airline sets the crate rules, building on IATA’s container standard, and your pet has to be able to stand, turn round and lie down in it. Our crate size calculator works out IATA’s minimum inside size from four measurements of your pet.
How can Pet Travel Advisors help with a USA to Italy move?
With any part of it, or all of it: the airline booking, the travel crate, the USDA paperwork, check-in at the departure airport, and pickup at the Italian airport with delivery to the new address. Learn more about our services or contact us.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.