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Last updated: September 6, 2026: verified against official sources (European Commission, USDA APHIS).
Moving to France, or just visiting with your pet, means following EU pet travel rules (Regulation (EU) 2026/131, in force since 22 April 2026). The good news: France has no quarantine for dogs and cats that arrive with the correct paperwork. The bad news: the paperwork has strict deadlines: the EU health certificate is only valid for 10 days, and the rabies vaccination must be at least 21 days old. Miss a deadline and your pet stays home (or worse, goes into quarantine).
France applies the EU rules in full: four requirements, no quarantine for compliant pets.
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The EU sets the baseline. France applies it, and adds national conditions that decide whether a specific pet can enter at all. These are the ones that catch people out, and they come from the French Ministry of Agriculture, not from the EU text.
Dogs of the first category cannot enter or transit France. French law classes certain dogs as 1ère catégorie, the category that includes dogs without a recognised breed resembling a type listed in the rules. These dogs are prohibited from entry, and transit through France is prohibited too. If your dog looks like one, this becomes the first question, before any certificate. The Ministry answers the category question directly in its import FAQ.
Bengal and Savannah cats need a CITES permit at F1 to F4. France treats generations F1 to F4 of these breeds as non-domestic animals, so they require a CITES permit. From F5 onwards they count as domestic, provided you hold a pedigree proving the breed is recognised by an approved studbook. A Savannah or Bengal cat is therefore not a paperwork detail: it is a different procedure.
Under 12 weeks is refused. The Ministry states that bringing dogs, cats or ferrets under 12 weeks old into France without a rabies vaccination is prohibited. The 15-week practical minimum on this page comes from that floor plus the 21-day wait, not from a French-specific extra delay.
Only from 15 weeks old: the rabies vaccine is given at 12 weeks minimum, then a 21-day wait applies before entry. The French Ministry states explicitly that dogs, cats and ferrets under 12 weeks without a rabies vaccination are refused entry.
No, if your pet arrives with a valid microchip, rabies vaccination and endorsed EU health certificate, there is no quarantine.
For an ordinary domestic cat, no: the same three requirements apply, and no tapeworm treatment is needed for France. The exception is a Bengal or Savannah cat, where generations F1 to F4 need a CITES permit.
No. French law prohibits entry and transit for dogs of the first category (1ère catégorie), whatever the health paperwork says. This is a national rule on top of the EU requirements.
From F5 onwards, yes, treated as a domestic cat with a pedigree. Generations F1 to F4 are treated as non-domestic and require a CITES permit.
Go deeper: EU health certificate · Puppy age rules · FAVN titer explained
