USA to Sweden
Pet Shipping from the USA to Sweden
We provide international pet transport from the USA to Sweden, planned around its import 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 Sweden with delivery to your new address
Sweden at a glance
Full requirementsSweden’s Board of Agriculture says it sets no deworming requirement for dogs and cats coming into the country, since the fox tapeworm already lives there, though it strongly recommends treating them against it before they travel.
- Microchip
- ISO microchip, fitted before the rabies vaccination
- Rabies vaccination
- Valid, with at least a 21 day wait before travel
- Rabies titer
- Not required. The United States is an EU listed country
- Health certificate
- EU non-commercial movement certificate, completed by a USDA accredited vet and endorsed by USDA APHIS. In English and Swedish for a pet entering the EU in Sweden
- Certificate validity
- 30 days from issue, USDA endorsement in the final 10 days before landing, then up to 6 months of onward travel inside the EU
What to Expect When Relocating a Pet to Sweden
Sweden is one of the more straightforward EU destinations for pet relocation from the United States, largely because the USA holds Annex II status. That classification removes two of the biggest hurdles in international pet travel: the rabies titer test (a blood test that otherwise takes 3 to 4 months to clear) and quarantine on arrival. As long as your pet’s microchip was implanted before their rabies vaccination, and 21 days have passed since that vaccination, Sweden will accept them.
The process does require careful sequencing. Your pet needs an ISO-standard microchip (the 15-digit type used internationally), a rabies vaccination administered after the microchip date, and then a waiting period. A USDA-accredited veterinarian completes the EU health certificate, and APHIS endorses it shortly before the flight. After entry, the certificate covers up to 6 months of travel there while the rabies vaccination stays valid.
Here is what we coordinate for a USA to Sweden pet move:
- ISO microchip verification and rabies vaccination sequencing with your vet
- EU health certificate preparation and USDA APHIS endorsement
- Flight routing through approved entry points (ARN or GOT, or ARN alone for a commercial move) on pet-friendly airlines
- Preparing for the customs check on arrival, or the border control post appointment a commercial move needs
ISO microchip verification and rabies vaccination sequencing with your vet
Approved Routes and Entry into Sweden
This is one of the most important details for a USA to Sweden pet move: pets arriving directly from a non-EU country may only enter Sweden through Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) or Gothenburg Landvetter Airport (GOT). No other Swedish airports are approved for non-EU pet entry, so your routing has to be built around one of those two. A commercial move, meaning a pet flying more than 5 days before or after its owner, more than 5 pets traveling together, or a pet changing owner, has to come in through a border control post, and the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s list of border control posts, dated August 7, 2026 and read October 29, 2026, has Stockholm Arlanda as Sweden’s one post for live animals, so that move lands at ARN.
From the United States, SAS operates direct flights from several cities to Stockholm Arlanda. Lufthansa offers connections through Frankfurt to both ARN and GOT. KLM routes through Amsterdam, and SAS connects through Copenhagen, both feeding into Arlanda. The best route depends on your departure city, your pet’s size (cabin vs. cargo), and the available cargo capacity on each flight.
On arrival, customs check a pet traveling with you, or with someone you authorize, and stamp its health certificate, says the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s guide to bringing pets in from outside the EU, read October 29, 2026. A commercial move books its examination at the Arlanda border control post no later than 1 pm on a working day before arrival, Friday for a Monday landing, and is entered in the EU’s TRACES system before it is sent. We plan the arrival around whichever of the two applies.
If you are connecting through another EU country (for example, landing in Frankfurt and then continuing to Stockholm), your pet is checked and its certificate stamped at that first EU entry point instead. On reaching Sweden you report the pet to Swedish customs in the red channel, and the board warns that a pet not reported can be refused entry or, in the worst case, put down. We plan the paperwork to cover that scenario so the documents are valid at every stop.
- SAS operates direct flights from several US cities to Stockholm Arlanda. Lufthansa connects through Frankfurt to both ARN and GOT. KLM routes through Amsterdam.
- Summer cargo restrictions affect many European carriers. Lufthansa suspends pet cargo June 1 through August 31, and other carriers impose heat embargoes between May and September. Plan around these windows early.
- If connecting through another EU country (Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Amsterdam), your pet is checked at that first stop and then reported to Swedish customs in the red channel on arrival in Sweden. We structure the paperwork to be valid at every border.
Route details: USA to Sweden
- Route
- USA to Sweden
- Arrival airports
- Straight from outside the EU: Stockholm Arlanda or Gothenburg Landvetter. A commercial move: the border control post at Arlanda
- How the pet flies
- With the owner (cabin or hold, same flight) or an authorized person within 5 days of the owner’s trip, up to 5 pets. Otherwise commercial
- Advance notice
- With the owner: shown to customs on arrival. Commercial: book Arlanda’s border post by 1 pm the working day before, plus a CHED in TRACES
- 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 check the pet and stamp its certificate. With wrong papers it can be refused, quarantined at the owner’s cost or put down
- 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: Swedish Board of Agriculture, Movement of dogs, cats and ferrets from countries outside the EU where the rabies situation is documented and monitored; Jordbruksverket, Ta in hundar från länder utanför EU där rabiessituationen dokumenteras och följs; European Commission, Travellers’ points of entry; European Commission, Travellers’ points of entry: Sweden’s list, PDF; Swedish Board of Agriculture, Import and border controls of animals, animal products and feed; Swedish Board of Agriculture, BCPs, 2026-08-07, PDF; 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 Sweden; USDA APHIS, Model Animal Health Certificate for Non-Commercial Movements of Pet Dogs, Pet Cats or Pet Ferrets into a Member State 2026/131 Article 18), United States; European Commission, Listing of territories and non-EU countries.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to Sweden?
The short answer
From the United States, the microchip goes in before the rabies shot, and APHIS asks for 21 days between a first dose and travel, and none after a booster as long as the primary vaccination is listed on the health certificate.
Import Eligibility for Pets
Sweden is a member of the European Union and follows Regulation (EU) 2026/131 for non-commercial pet imports. The United States is on the EU’s Annex II list, which means pets from the USA do not need a rabies antibody titer test (FAVN/RNATT) and are not subject to quarantine.
Your pet needs an ISO 15-digit microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination. Legacy tattoos applied before July 3, 2011 can serve as an alternative identifier, but a microchip is strongly recommended. The primary rabies vaccination must be followed by a 21-day waiting period. Boosters given within the previous vaccine’s validity window skip this wait entirely.
One fact that surprises many travelers: Sweden does not require Echinococcus (tapeworm) treatment for arriving pets. This is different from Finland and Norway, which both require a tapeworm treatment for dogs 24 to 120 hours before entry. If your plans include continuing from Sweden to either of those countries, the tapeworm treatment needs to happen on a specific schedule, and we build that into the timeline.
Sweden forbids keeping or selling a cross between a domestic dog and a wild canine such as a wolf, counting the first to fourth generations as hybrids and the fifth onward as domestic dogs, and the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s guide to keeping a dog, read October 29, 2026, says Sweden bans no individual breed.
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what rules apply to your pet and whether airline policies affect your routing to Sweden. Request a quote to get a plan built around your travel date.
Health Preparation and Documentation
Your veterinarian completes the EU non-commercial movement certificate (the standard EU health certificate for pet travel). The EU requires English plus a language of the country where the pet enters the EU, so a pet landing first in Sweden carries an English and Swedish certificate.
In the United States, the examining veterinarian must be USDA-accredited. After the vet completes the certificate, it goes to your regional USDA APHIS Veterinary Services office for endorsement. APHIS gives the certificate 30 days from the day the accredited veterinarian issues it, and USDA’s endorsement has to fall in the last 10 days before the pet lands in the EU. Once there, it serves for up to 6 months of onward travel while the rabies vaccination stays valid.
The new EU certificate format took effect on October 1, 2026. We track regulatory changes and use the current valid form for your travel date.
| Requirement | Sweden, from the United States |
|---|---|
| Microchip | ISO microchip, fitted before the rabies vaccination |
| Rabies vaccination | Valid, with at least a 21 day wait before travel |
| Rabies titer | Not required. The United States is an EU listed country |
| Health certificate | EU non-commercial movement certificate, completed by a USDA accredited vet and endorsed by USDA APHIS. In English and Swedish for a pet entering the EU in Sweden |
| Certificate validity | 30 days from issue, USDA endorsement in the final 10 days before landing, then up to 6 months of onward travel inside the EU |
| Quarantine | None for a correctly prepared dog or cat |
For the most current requirements, refer to these official sources:
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Sweden
If your pet needs a first rabies vaccination, plan for 4 to 8 weeks from start to departure. That covers the microchip, vaccination, 21-day wait, health certificate, and APHIS endorsement, with a buffer for scheduling.
If your pet already has a current rabies vaccination that was given after the microchip was implanted, the timeline can compress to 2 to 3 weeks. The main constraint becomes the 10-day health certificate window and APHIS processing time.
For a line by line breakdown of what this move costs, from freight to the USDA endorsement fee, see our USA to Sweden pet shipping cost page.
Moving to Norway instead? It sits on its own paperwork rather than the EU set and adds a tapeworm rule for dogs. Start with our Norway page.
Every Pet Travels
Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because timelines, airline rules, and Sweden’s airport restrictions shape every plan differently, we build a custom approach for each pet and each owner.
Destination-Focused Planning
Sweden follows the EU's pet import regulation (Regulation (EU) 2026/131), but it adds its own airport restrictions that shape the entire route. Only two airports accept pets arriving directly from outside the EU: Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) and Gothenburg Landvetter (GOT). That means your flight itinerary needs to be built around reaching one of those two gateways, and around Arlanda alone for a commercial move. We confirm every requirement before anything is booked, so there are no surprises at the border.
Smart Routing and Logistics
From the United States, direct flights to Stockholm operate on SAS from several US cities, and Lufthansa connects through Frankfurt to both ARN and GOT. We also route through Copenhagen or Amsterdam when the timing works better for your pet's comfort. One important note if you're heading onward to Finland or Norway after Sweden: those countries require an Echinococcus tapeworm treatment for dogs that Sweden does not. We factor onward travel plans into the original route so your paperwork covers the full trip.
Personalized Support
Every relocation is different. A puppy flying cargo from Miami to Gothenburg has a completely different plan than an older cat traveling in-cabin from New York to Stockholm. We match the crate size, the airline, the routing, and the vet timeline to your pet, your schedule, and your budget. One advisor handles the entire move, and you get updates at every step.
Questions about moving a pet to Sweden
Request a QuoteWhat does it cost to ship a pet from the USA to Sweden?
The cost of a move depends on several things: your pet’s size and weight, which set the crate and cargo price, the airline and departure city, veterinary fees for the health certificate and any required tests, government endorsement and permit fees, and how much of the process you would like us to coordinate. Because those pieces change from one pet and route to the next, we quote the full journey up front, including government fees, so there are no surprises later. Tell us your pet and your destination and we will send a clear plan and a price.
Does Sweden require a tapeworm treatment for pets?
No. Sweden does not require Echinococcus (tapeworm) treatment for pets entering the country. This is different from Finland and Norway, which both require a documented tapeworm treatment for dogs, given 24 to 120 hours before arrival. If you plan to travel onward from Sweden to Finland or Norway, we schedule the tapeworm treatment within the correct window as part of your pet’s departure plan.
Which airports in Sweden accept pets from outside the EU?
Only two: Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) and Gothenburg Landvetter Airport (GOT). All other Swedish airports are off-limits for pets arriving directly from a non-EU country. Your flight itinerary must route to one of these two airports. A commercial move comes in through Arlanda’s border control post only. If you connect through another EU country (like Germany or Denmark), your pet is checked at the first EU stop instead, and on reaching Sweden you report it to Swedish customs in the red channel.
Does my pet need quarantine in Sweden?
No. Sweden does not require quarantine for dogs or cats arriving from the United States. The USA is on the EU’s Annex II list, which means pets with a valid microchip, current rabies vaccination (with 21 days elapsed), and an endorsed EU health certificate enter without quarantine or isolation. With incorrect or incomplete papers, the Swedish Board of Agriculture warns, a pet can be refused entry, quarantined at the owner’s cost or, in the worst case, put down.
Can I continue traveling with my pet from Sweden to other Nordic countries?
Yes, but there are extra steps for some destinations. Once your pet is in Sweden with a valid EU health certificate, travel to Denmark is straightforward since both are EU members. Finland and Norway, however, require dogs to have an Echinococcus (tapeworm) treatment from a veterinarian 24 to 120 hours before entering those countries. We plan the treatment timing into your schedule if onward Nordic travel is part of the trip. Your EU certificate stays valid for up to 6 months of EU travel, for as long as the rabies vaccination does.
How can Pet Travel Advisors help with a USA to Sweden move?
We handle the full process: confirming your pet’s microchip and vaccination status, sequencing the vet visits and the 21-day timeline, preparing the EU health certificate, managing the USDA APHIS endorsement, booking a route through an approved Swedish airport (ARN or GOT, or ARN for a commercial move), preparing for the customs check on arrival, and coordinating arrival logistics. One advisor manages everything and keeps you updated at each step. Request a quote to get a plan built around your pet and your travel date.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.