USA to the Netherlands
Pet Shipping from the USA to the Netherlands
We provide international pet transport from the USA to the Netherlands, 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 the Netherlands with delivery to your new address
The Netherlands at a glance
Full requirementsThe NVWA’s page for arrivals from outside the EU, read September 22, 2026, says owners traveling with their own pet do not have to notify it before arriving. At the airport you report the pet to Customs through goods to declare, where the chip and the documents are checked.
- Microchip
- ISO 11784 and 11785, fitted before the rabies vaccination, or another type with a scanner you bring
- 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, with the owner’s declaration
- On arrival
- Customs, through goods to declare; no advance notice for a non-commercial move
Pet Shipping from the USA to the Netherlands
A pet goes to the Netherlands on the EU’s sequence, first the microchip, the rabies vaccination after it and the EU animal health certificate last, and Dutch Customs checks them on arrival. 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 the Netherlands?
A pet from the United States has to land at one of the Netherlands’ travelers’ points of entry, and the NVWA’s list names six airports: Amsterdam Schiphol, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Maastricht, Groningen Eelde and Lelystad. A pet moving on commercial paperwork can only come in through one of the two inspection centers at Schiphol designated for dogs and cats, so how your pet travels decides the airport as well as the airline.
Route details: USA to the Netherlands
- Route
- USA to the Netherlands
- Arrival airports
- Non-commercial: Schiphol, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Maastricht, Groningen Eelde or Lelystad. Commercial: Schiphol’s border control post only
- How the pet flies
- With you, or a person you authorize within 5 days: a small pet in the cabin, a larger one as baggage; up to 5 pets. Commercial: always cargo
- Advance notice
- Non-commercial: no notice before arrival, NVWA says. Commercial: a pet shipper pre-notifies and books a Schiphol inspection center
- 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
- Customs checks chip and papers. No quarantine if EU rules are met, NVWA says; if not, sent back or quarantined at the owner’s cost
- 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: NVWA, Punten van binnenkomst / Points of Entry, PDF; European Commission, Travellers’ points of entry; NVWA, Is de reis van mijn huisdier commercieel of niet-commercieel?; NVWA, Honden en katten invoeren; NVWA, Travelling from third countries to the Netherlands with your cat or dog; European Commission, Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country; USDA APHIS, Pet Travel From the United States to the Netherlands; NVWA, Ik neem mijn hond of kat mee uit een land buiten de EU; European Commission, Entry into the EU; European Commission, Listing of territories and non-EU countries.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to the Netherlands?
The short answer
The Netherlands expects of a US pet what the EU asks of any listed country: its microchip, a rabies vaccination that follows the chip, and an EU animal health certificate endorsed by USDA, with arrival in the EU inside 10 days of the endorsement.
Which pets can enter the Netherlands?
The Netherlands takes pets from the United States on the EU’s terms: a first rabies shot needs 21 days to count, so a pet arrives at 15 weeks old at the youngest, the NVWA says. The Dutch government’s page on dog bites, read October 7, 2026, names no banned breed: towns can order a dog kept on a lead or muzzled, and the cabinet is working on stricter rules for dogs with particular traits, which would then need a pedigree. A dog staying longer than three months is registered with RVO within two weeks of arrival, through a veterinarian.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for the Netherlands?
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, with every page signed and stamped. An owner’s declaration travels with it, and a person you authorize carries proof, such as a copy of your boarding pass, that you travel the same route within 5 days. Before travel, microchip numbers, dates, names and signatures are checked against each other.
| Requirement | The Netherlands, from the United States |
|---|---|
| Microchip | ISO 11784 and 11785, fitted before the rabies vaccination, or another type with a scanner you bring |
| 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, with the owner’s declaration |
| On arrival | Customs, through goods to declare; no advance notice for a non-commercial move |
| If the rules are not met | Return to the country of origin or a quarantine location, at the owner’s cost, the NVWA says |
The export side follows USDA APHIS guidance for US to the Netherlands travel and the EU entry rules the European Commission’s pages on moving pets. The Dutch rules come from the NVWA’s page on bringing a dog or cat from outside the EU, its list of points of entry and the government’s page on dog bites.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to the Netherlands
A straightforward Netherlands 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, since the 21-day wait restarts. The certificate closes it: 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 the Netherlands costs, fee by fee.
Rule change
The EU Rewrote These Rules in 2026
None of this changes what the Netherlands 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.
Taking a Dog or Cat to the Netherlands: Start Here
A search for taking a dog to the Netherlands and a search for pet shipping to the Netherlands lead to the same list. The document that carries the whole move is the EU health certificate your vet completes and USDA endorses, and the moment that tests it is the customs desk at the arrival airport, through goods to declare. Read the timeline section first, because the certificate has a short life and everything upstream of it has to be finished before it is signed.
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 the Netherlands’ 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 the Netherlands
Request a QuoteWhat does it cost to ship a pet from the USA to the Netherlands?
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 the Netherlands?
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 the Netherlands 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 Dutch 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.