🇦🇱Taking a dog or cat to Albania: entry rules and flights

✓ Rules checked: September 17, 2026Official sources only

Preparing from scratch takes 3 weeks to 4 months, depending on where you fly from.

Albania sets its own requirements for bringing in dogs and cats. There is no single set for everyone: what exactly is needed — microchip, rabies vaccination, rabies antibody titre test and veterinary health certificate — depends entirely on the country you fly from. The rules are the same for dogs and cats.

The titre test sets the pace: blood is drawn no earlier than 30 days after the vaccination, and entry is allowed no earlier than 90 days after the draw. Order matters more than the list: the microchip goes in before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination does not count. 13 carriers in our directory fly direct to Albania, and their pet conditions differ.

Check your own route

Free, no signup: timings, documents and airlines for your pet

🐕 🐈 Same rules for dogs and cats

Airlines with direct flights

13 airlines in our directory fly direct to and from Albania. Their conditions differ — the cabin weight limit, whether they carry pets in the hold, the fee and breed restrictions — so it is worth choosing the carrier before buying the ticket.

Airline	Cabin	Hold	Cabin fee	Direct flights
Transavia France no snub-nosed breeds in the hold · banned breeds: 5	✓ up to 8 kg	✓ up to 75 kg	—	from 4 cities in 1 country
Norwegian	✓ up to 8 kg	✓ up to 14 kg	75 EUR per flight	from 4 cities in 4 countries
Smartwings Poland sp. z o.o.	✓ up to 8 kg	✓ up to 32 kg	100 EUR per flight	from 4 cities in 1 country
Aegean Airlines	✓ up to 8 kg	✓ up to 25 kg	—	from 3 cities in 1 country
AJet no snub-nosed breeds in the hold · banned breeds: 17	✓ up to 8 kg	no pets	65 EUR per flight	from 3 cities in 1 country
Eurowings banned breeds: 6	✓ up to 8 kg	no pets	—	from 3 cities in 1 country
Enter Air Sp. z o.o. no snub-nosed breeds in the hold	✓ up to 8 kg	no pets	300 PLN per flight	from 3 cities in 1 country
LOT Polish Airlines no snub-nosed breeds in the hold	✓ up to 8 kg	✓	65 EUR per flight	from 3 cities in 1 country
Wizz Air Malta	no pets	no pets	—	from 50 cities in 14 countries
Ryanair	no pets	no pets	—	from 39 cities in 14 countries

Showing the 10 carriers serving the most cities out of 13 with direct flights. Schedules: AeroDataBox, AirLabs, Travelpayouts; pet conditions come from our airline directory.

Restrictions

The limits people find out about last: how many animals one person may bring, the minimum age and which breeds are turned away at the border.

Quarantine Not stated in the rules

Banned breeds No bans +

These are the country's rules. Airlines refuse some breeds on their own — their limits are in the carrier table above.

Pets per person up to 5 +

A non-commercial trip covers no more than 5 animals. More than five only for shows and competitions, with proof of registration.

Minimum age no limit; vaccination from 12 weeks

Points of entry Not stated

What you need to enter Albania

The full list of documents and procedures for entering Albania. Every item carries its official source and last-checked date, and is marked as always required or required only from some departure countries.

Identification

Microchipdepends on origin+

Not required from every departure country — checking your own route gives the exact answer.

The microchip is implanted before the rabies vaccination; a tattoo is accepted only if applied before 3 July 2011.

«the marking of the animals concerned by the implantation of a transponder or by a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011 must be verified before any entry is made in this certificate and must always precede any vaccination»

Source ↗Rules checked: September 17, 2026

Vaccination

Rabies vaccinationdepends on origin+

Not required from every departure country — checking your own route gives the exact answer.

Rabies vaccination at no younger than 12 weeks; at least 21 days must have passed since the primary vaccination.

«the animals described in Box I.28 were at least 12 weeks old at the time of vaccination against rabies and at least 21 days have elapsed since the completion of the primary anti-rabies vaccination»

Source ↗Rules checked: September 17, 2026

Tests and treatments

Rabies antibody titre testdepends on origin+

Not required from every departure country — checking your own route gives the exact answer.

From countries not on the EU list (including Russia), a rabies antibody test of at least 0.5 IU/ml at an EU-approved laboratory is required: blood no earlier than 30 days after vaccination and at least 3 months before the certificate is issued. No repeat is needed if boosters were kept on time.

«a rabies antibody titration test (8) , carried out on a blood sample taken by the veterinarian authorised by the competent authority on the date indicated in the table below not less than 30 days after the preceding vaccination and at least three months prior to the date of issue of this certificate, proved an antibody titre equal to or greater than 0.5 IU/ml»

Source ↗Rules checked: September 17, 2026

Documents

Veterinary health certificatedepends on origin+

Not required from every departure country — checking your own route gives the exact answer.

The veterinary certificate on the Albanian model is valid for 10 days from issue by the official veterinarian until the border check. The owner's declaration of a non-commercial trip is attached.

«This certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian until the date of the documentary and identity checks»

Source ↗Rules checked: September 17, 2026

The order of preparation

The order matters more than the list: a step done too early has to be repeated. The intervals come from the same rule fields the engine uses for the earliest departure date.

Microchip depends on origin

before the rabies vaccination
Rabies vaccination depends on origin

pet at least 12 weeks oldvalid after 21 days
Rabies antibody titre test depends on origin

no earlier than 30 days after the vaccinationentry 90 days after the blood draw
Veterinary health certificate depends on origin

no earlier than 10 days before entry

Steps marked “depends on origin” are not needed by everyone — see the table above or check your own route.

Compared by departure country

Lapaport's engine on six examples, counted from zero: a dog of no particular breed with nothing done yet — no microchip, no vaccination, no tests — starting preparation today. Columns marked “always” are required from anywhere.

From	Microchip	Rabies jab	Titre test	Health certificate	Earliest departurepreparing from scratch
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	✓	✓	—	✓	October 16, 2026	Plan →
🇫🇷 France	✓	✓	—	✓	October 16, 2026	Plan →
🇹🇷 Turkey	✓	✓	✓	✓	January 24, 2027	Plan →
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	✓	✓	—	✓	October 16, 2026	Plan →
🇨🇳 China	✓	✓	✓	✓	January 24, 2027	Plan →
🇺🇸 United States	✓	✓	—	✓	October 16, 2026	Plan →

If the microchip and vaccination are already done, the wait is shorter: the clock runs from the vaccination date, not from today. Breed, weight and connections change the answer too — check your own route with the form above.

Arrival airports

The country's rules place no restriction on the arrival airport. Below are airports with direct flights; marked where we have documented the arrival procedure.

Not documented yet1

TIARinas

Leaving Albania

How to take a pet out of Albania: what is arranged at home before the flight.

How to take a dog or cat out of Albania when the owner travels with the pet (non-commercial). Steps run in order; some depend on the destination country. The competent authority is the National Authority for Veterinary and Plant Protection (AKVMB), which also issues and endorses export veterinary certificates.

1. Microchip (ISO 11784/11785)+

The pet is identified with an ISO 11784/11785 (15-digit) microchip. This is the first step: for the EU and most destinations the chip date must NOT be later than the rabies vaccination date — implant the chip BEFORE the first vaccine (or at the same time). If the animal was vaccinated before being chipped, the vaccination must be repeated for the EU. If the chip is non-standard, the owner must bring their own reader.

2. Rabies vaccination+

Required for any destination. The shot is given by an authorised vet; the pet must be at least 12 weeks old at vaccination. The vaccination date cannot precede the microchip date. For the EU the primary vaccination is valid no sooner than 21 days after it is completed — you cannot travel before that. A booster given while the previous shot is still valid needs no wait. The vaccination is recorded in the pet passport/certificate.

3. Rabies antibody titer (serology test)+

Albania is NOT on the EU's 'listed' list (Annex II to Regulation 577/2013 and its current amendments), so for any EU/EEA destination an antibody test is MANDATORY. Level must be ≥ 0.5 IU/ml. Blood is drawn by an authorised vet no sooner than 30 days after the vaccine; entry to the EU no sooner than 3 months after the blood draw. The test is run by an EU-approved laboratory (Albania has none of its own — the sample is normally sent to a foreign lab). Japan, the USA, the UAE and several other countries also require it. For destinations that do not require a titer, skip this step.

4. Vet examination and local pre-travel vet document+

Before travel the pet is examined by an authorised (state or accredited) vet — general condition, chip, validity of the rabies vaccination and, if needed, treatments. The findings are recorded in the pet passport/health record; this examination is the basis for issuing the international export certificate. The exam is done shortly before departure so it fits within the export certificate's validity (usually 10 days).

5. International export veterinary certificate (AKVMB)+

To export the pet, an international veterinary health certificate is issued. The (bilingual) form, modelled on the EU non-commercial movement certificate for dogs/cats/ferrets, is approved by the competent authority — the National Authority for Veterinary and Plant Protection (AKVMB). The certificate is issued by an authorised/state vet and endorsed by AKVMB; it confirms the chip, rabies vaccination and, where required, the titer result. It is valid for 10 days from issue. Departure vet control is at Tirana International Airport 'Nënë Tereza' (Rinas, TIA). It is advisable to confirm the exact document set and the vet-control point in advance with AKVMB / your authorised vet.

Source ↗

FAQ

What documents do I need to enter Albania?+

Depends on the departure country: microchip, rabies vaccination, rabies antibody titre test, veterinary health certificate.

Is a rabies titre test required for Albania?+

It depends on the departure country. From Turkey, for example, it is required; from United Kingdom it is not. The form above gives the exact answer for your route.

How many pets can one person bring?+

No more than 5.

Which breeds are banned from entry?+

The country's rules list no breed bans. Individual airlines have their own restrictions — see the carrier table.

Which airlines take pets in the cabin?+

For example: Transavia France, Norwegian, Smartwings Poland sp. z o.o., Aegean Airlines, AJet, Eurowings. The full list with conditions is in the table above.

Для редактора (в демо): текст — 0 слов; цифр, набранных руками мимо данных: 0. Все числа и даты в тексте — подстановки из справочника; правило поменяется — текст поменяется сам.