Moving to Austria with pets
Austria is known to be a very pet-friendly country, and most house owners have various of them. So there should be no reason to worry if you want your four-legged furry best friend to be part of your new adventure. Learn about the conditions to be met and formalities to fill in.
Planning your move to Austria with your pet
To move to Austria with your cat or dog, you must have an identification microchip and proof of rabies vaccination for your pet. If rabies paperwork and all other documents are provided and are current, then the 21-day quarantine period is usually not required. A health certificate from your pet's veterinarian is also required. If your pet is from a high-risk rabies country, a Titer rabies test is required before entering. Austria does not have a list of pet breeds that are banned from entry.
The animal health certificate must be stamped and signed by the competent officer who is carrying out the checks. At the border crossings where you will find these checkpoints, they are carried out are the airports of Vienna, Salzburg, Graz, Linz, Innsbruck, and Klagenfurt, as well as customs offices in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
If you are re-entering Austria with your furry friends from a third country, you have to show a pet pass for each pet, a valid and up-to-date vaccination against rabies, and also a serological test for the rabies antibodies that has been stamped into your pet's passport. If that test has been carried out before your animal has left the EU, it is not necessary to provide this information.
Other pets, such as rodents, fish, and reptiles are not subject to the rabies vaccine but must meet other requirements and have a health certificate. This only applies to pets entering from EU states.
Living with pets in Austria
Cats are the most popular pets in Austria: according to a recent survey, 22 percent of Austrians own a cat. Behind them, with a share of 13 percent, are dogs, followed by reptiles and fish. Overall, 35 percent of Austrian households keep pets.
In Austria, you have to register your dog and pay an annual fee. The costs are different from city to city and usually get cheaper after the second pet. You can do that at any municipal office. As soon as your dog reaches the age of three months, you have to register it. All dogs must be registered with a chip that holds data about the animal and its holder. It is not mandatory in all municipalities that your dog has to wear a tag. However, in some, it might be compulsory in public. If you have a certain breed of dog that is considered dangerous, you have to get a pet-holder license to be able to keep it.
You can also bring your dog with you on all public transport in Austria, but only if it has a muzzle and a lead.
Exotic animals in Austria
Since the beginning of 2023, a certificate of competence is mandatory for you if you keep reptiles, amphibians or parrots. You will receive the certificate if you attend an appropriate course.
Good to know:
Cruelty against animals is explicitly forbidden in Austria, and will be fined! You have to make sure to provide your pet with all the necessities it needs and keep it in a healthy state.
It is also mandatory to pick up after your dog on the street; if not and authorities will see it, they can make you pay a fine, which is usually around 50 €.
Useful contact and link:
Hotline lost & found animals (Vienna): 43 1 4000 8060
