Skip to content

Export of animals

When exporting animals from Iceland, the conditions depend on the country of import. It is important that the exporter gathers information regarding  requirements in a timely manner to prevent problems during the exportation. In some cases an official endorsement of documents is required.

Export of cats and dogs to EU/EEA countries

The same requirements apply to the importation of cats and dogs from Iceland to all EU/EEA member states.

  • Microchip: the animal must be microchipped before being vaccinated
  • Rabies vaccination: vaccination against rabies must be carried out when the pet is over 12 weeks of age. It is necessary to wait at least 21 days after the Rabies vaccination before export.  Contact a practising veterinarian well in advance to order the vaccine.
  • Anti-Echinococcus treatment (dogs only): 1-5 days (24-120 hours) prior to entering the destination country, i.e. should not be performed during the last 24 hours. Required for export to Malta, Ireland, Finland, UK, Norway.
  • Official veterinary certificate: a special certificate form issued by the EU is to be used for this purpose. The certificate must be completed and signed by an authorised veterinarian and endorsed by the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST). The certificate cannot be issued until at least 21 days after the pet was vaccinated against rabies. Appointment must be booked by filling out form 2.40 in the MAST portal. Those who do not have Icelandic kennitala cannot log in to the portal and must call +354-530-4800 to book an appointment.

  • The endorsement fee is ISK 5,081. Please note that this is the minimum fee, applicable only if satisfactory documents are submitted within the specified time frame. If these conditions are not met, additional costs may be incurred, billed at the hourly rate.

  • Please visit ESCCAP for information on parasites that your pet might encounter in Europe. We recommend contacting a vet in the country of your destination for futher information.

     

Commercial export or unaccompanied pets to the EU

  • In addition to microchip, rabies vaccination and deworming (when applicable), dogs and cats that are exported to the EU unaccompanied must undergo a clinical examination by an official veterinarian (MAST) within 48 hours of export. , 
  • Please contact petimport@mast.is for further information. 
  • The endorsement fee is ISK 10.162 . Please note that this is the minimum fee, applicable only if satisfactory documents are submitted within the specified time frame. If these conditions are not met, additional costs may be incurred, billed at the hourly rate.
  • Please visit ESCCAP for information on parasites that your pet might encounter in Europe. We recommend contacting a vet in the country of your destination for futher information.

Export of cats and dogs to the UK - non commercial

  • Similar requirements as for the EU - Gov.UK - Pet health certificate for the non-commercial movement to Great Britain
  • Animals can go to other airports (the exporter/importer should contact the destination airport of their upcoming arrival)
    • Appointment must be booked by filling out form 2.40 in the MAST portal. Those who do not have Icelandic kennitala cannot log in to the portal and must call +354-530-4800 to book an appointment.
  • Please visit ESCCAP for information on parasites that your pet might encounter in the UK. We recommend contacting a vet in the country of your destination for futher information.

Export of cats and dogs to the UK - commercial

If you are exporting a dog from Iceland to the UK unaccompanied, this movement is considered a commercial import. The process below will need to be followed. For advice on any import taxes for the movement, please contact HMRC. 

    • Appointment must be booked by filling out form 2.37 in the MAST portal. Those who do not have Icelandic kennitala cannot log in to the portal and must call +354-530-4800 to book an appointment. 
    • This is the list of airlines and the airports of arrival for pet travel.
    • A commercial GB Pet Health Certificate will be required, which must be issued by an official vet in Iceland.
    • Commercial Process: The movement requirements for dogs, cats and ferrets are set out in Import Information Note (IIN) BLLV/5b, which can be found at this link .
    • Please note that although the Import Information note states that it is for use by veterinary staff, we do also send these to importers as they set out all of the conditions you must comply with in order to proceed with your import.
    • Notifying APHA of your imports : You must submit an import notification on the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS) to notify the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) about imports of live animals and germinal products.
    • You must do this at least one working day before the animal(s) are expected to arrive at the point of entry.
    • You’ll get a Unique Notification Number (UNN) when you submit your import notification for the animal or product. The format of this number will be CHEDA.GB.2024.XXXXXXX. You must give the UNN to the exporter or official vet (OV) who will add it to the health certificate for your animal and give you a copy. A scanned copy of the signed health certificate should then be uploaded to IPAFFS by the exporter/importer.
    • The endorsement fee is ISK 10.162 . Please note that this is the minimum fee, applicable only if satisfactory documents are submitted within the specified time frame. If these conditions are not met, additional costs may be incurred, billed at the hourly rate.
    • Please visit ESCCAP for information on parasites that your pet might encounter in the UK. We recommend contacting a vet in the country of your destination for futher information.

Export of cats and dogs to other countries

Exporters must familiarize themselves with the import conditions of the destination country when preparing to move their pet to another country. These rules along with instructions are generally made available on the internet by the relevant competent authority, see examples below.

We recommend contacting a vet in the country of your destination for futher information on parasites your pet might encounter.

Export of horses

Every year hundreds of Icelandic horses are exported, mostly to countries within the EU. This is practised under the law 27/2011 on the export of horses.

  • General requirements regarding the export horses: The required age span of exported horses is 4 months to 15 years. It is prohibited to export pregnant mares of more than 7 months gestation
  • Examination in the port of export: Horses should be examined and cleared for export by a Veterinary Officer in the port of export. The horses’ markings/microchip should be validated, and their fulfilment of requirements in the destination country confirmed. All exported horses should be microchipped or freeze marked. They should furthermore be accompanied by a horse passport issued by the Icelandic Farmers’ Association, confirming the origin and ownership of the horse.
  • Horse passport: The horse passport is an official document confirming the identity of the horse for travelling purposes as well as identity checks at equestrian events, vaccinations and other medicinal information. The horse passport contains a description of the horse, detailed enough so that it clearly is issued on this horse. Using an international system, various individual identifying attributes are carefully written and drawn in the passport. The passport is issued singularly and accompanies the horse for the rest of its life. The passport may only be issued by a veterinarian authorised in the country of origin. The exporter of the horse should have a practising veterinarian fills in the individual identifying attributes, which are then endorsed by a Veterinary Officer in the port of export. If the appearance of the horse changes for some reason, a replacement passport should be issued by authorities in the country of origin, in this case by sending the original passport to the Icelandi Farmers’ Association, which will then issue a new one and destroy the original one.
  • Fees: Fees covering the export examination and the issuing of export certificates are payable to Matvælastofnun and are based on regulation 220/2018.
Updated 16.12.2024
Can we improve the information on the page?
Share page Print page