Pet Shipping from the USA to Turkey

Not with a valid rabies titer result. A dog or cat that arrives with one continues with you. APHIS is explicit that without a valid titer test, a 21 day quarantine and rabies titer testing on arrival in Turkey may occur, so the test is the thing that keeps your pet out of a holding facility. Puppies and kittens under 12 weeks have a separate route, where the owner declares a 21 day home quarantine at the border.

Yes. Türkiye requires a rabies antibody titration test showing 0.5 IU/ml or more, from a laboratory approved by the European Union for rabies testing. The blood has to be drawn at least 30 days after a rabies vaccination, and your pet cannot enter until 3 months after the draw. The Turkish Ministry treats a passing result as valid for the animal’s lifetime, as long as the rabies vaccination never lapses afterwards.

Plan on 4 to 6 months from a standing start, or about 3.5 months if your pet’s rabies vaccination is already current and the blood can be drawn straight away. The titer wait is fixed and cannot be shortened, so it sets the earliest arrival date, and landing at İstanbul Airport or Ankara Esenboğa it runs from the day the result is issued rather than from the draw. Everything at the American end takes days rather than months.

Türkiye’s diplomatic missions state that a traveler may bring 2 pets. Each animal needs its own International Veterinary Health Certificate, because the certificate covers one pet and multiple animals cannot be listed on it. A household moving three animals needs to plan around that limit rather than expect it to be waived at the counter.

Yes. Turkish law prohibits four breeds and their crosses: the Pitbull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and Japanese Tosa. The prohibition sits in Law 5199 as amended in July 2021, and it covers bringing these dogs into the country as well as breeding and selling them. The Sabiha Gökçen Airport border post also bars the American Staffordshire Terrier and American Bully. If your dog is one of these breeds or a cross of one, or is likely to be identified as either, that is the first thing to resolve.

For a pet traveling with you, there is no import permit to apply for in advance. Türkiye’s regulation covers the non commercial movement of pet animals and treats entry as an accompanied process, handled at a designated entry point with a veterinary border control unit. An animal that is not traveling with its owner, or that is being sold or transferred, falls outside that regulation and is handled under different rules, so tell us early if your pet may need to fly unaccompanied.

Cost depends on your pet’s weight and crate size, the airports at both ends, whether the animal travels in cabin, as checked baggage or as cargo, and the vet work the file needs. A Turkish move also carries the laboratory fee for the titer test, which many destinations do not require at all. We price each move individually rather than publish a band that would not fit your pet. Tell us the two airports, your pet’s breed and weight, and when you need to be there, and we will send a plan and a price.

We plan Turkish moves backwards from the titer test, because its dates decide the earliest day your pet can land. We confirm the rabies history first, book the draw so it falls at least 30 days after a vaccination, track the laboratory result, place the tick and tapeworm treatments inside their 30 day window, and prepare the certificate so it is ready the moment the 2 day endorsement window opens. We also check that your arrival airport is an approved entry point before anyone books a flight.