What is an EU pet passport?
The EU pet passport is an official document certifying your pet's identification (microchip) and vaccination records. It is required for all dogs, cats and ferrets travelling between EU countries – including to Sweden and Estonia. Only a veterinarian can issue it, and at Saari Animal Clinic you take it home at the same visit.
Pet passport price
A dog or cat passport therefore costs €80.50 at a separate visit, or €37.50 when done during another visit such as a vaccination. If your pet does not yet have a microchip or a valid rabies vaccination, these are added at the same visit. All prices are in our price list.
How long is a pet passport valid?
The passport itself does not expire – it is valid for the pet's whole life as long as its entries are kept up to date. What determines whether your pet can travel is the rabies vaccination recorded in it: it must be valid for the entire trip, and its validity is 1–3 years depending on the vaccine. When the rabies booster is given on time, before the previous one expires, the passport stays travel-ready without interruption. If the vaccination lapses, a new one must be given at least 21 days before travel.
How do you get a passport – and how fast?
Book a passport appointment. At the visit we check (or implant) the microchip, give a rabies vaccination if needed and do a health check, after which the vet completes and signs the passport. You take it home the same day. Note, however, that after a first rabies vaccination you must wait 21 days before travel is allowed – so start at least a month before your trip. Rabies vaccination can be given from 12 weeks of age at the earliest, so a puppy's passport is travel-ready at about 15 weeks at the earliest.
Travelling within the EU
Within the EU you need a valid EU pet passport, a microchip and a rabies vaccination recorded in the passport, given at least 21 days before travel. Dogs additionally need a tapeworm (echinococcus) treatment given and recorded in the passport by a vet: when returning to Finland from Sweden, for example, the dog must be treated 1–5 days (24–120 hours) before arrival. For dogs that travel often, the Finnish Food Authority's 28-day rule is an alternative: the dog is treated at least twice before travel, 1–28 days apart, and then regularly at intervals of no more than 28 days – after which it can cross the border freely. No treatment is needed when a dog enters Finland directly from Norway, Ireland or Malta. Finland is echinococcus-free, so a dog travelling directly from Finland to Norway or Great Britain needs no treatment – entering Norway via Sweden requires treatment 1–5 days before the border or the 28-day rule, and Great Britain does not accept the 28-day rule at all.
Travelling outside the EU
When travelling outside the EU, requirements vary by country. Some countries require a rabies titre test (antibody determination), performed at least 30 days after vaccination, with a 3-month wait before travel. A separate veterinary health certificate, import permit or quarantine may also be required. Contact us well in advance – we will clarify the requirements for your destination and schedule the vaccinations and tests correctly.
Passports for cats
A cat's EU pet passport is obtained the same way and at the same price as a dog's: microchip, rabies vaccination (cat RCP + rabies €86) and the passport. Cats do not need tapeworm treatment. Even an indoor cat needs a passport and rabies vaccination if it travels abroad – to a summer cottage in Sweden, for example.
Check the current requirements before you travel
The information on this page was verified on 29 August 2026. Travel requirements – vaccination validity periods, tapeworm-treatment rules and country-specific exemptions – change from time to time, so we recommend confirming the current rules on the official websites before travelling: Finnish Food Authority (entry to Finland and the 28-day rule), Mattilsynet (Norway) and GOV.UK (Great Britain). We are happy to help interpret the requirements for your specific trip.
Frequently asked questions about pet passports
How much does a dog passport cost? An EU pet passport at Saari Animal Clinic costs €80.50 at a separate visit or €37.50 during another visit, such as a vaccination. Microchipping costs €68 (€32.40 with another visit) and the dog DHPPI + rabies vaccination €85.
How much does a cat passport cost? A cat's EU pet passport costs the same as a dog's: €80.50 at a separate visit or €37.50 during another visit. The cat RCP + rabies vaccination costs €86 and microchipping €68.
How long is a dog's EU passport valid? The passport does not expire; it is valid for the pet's whole life. Travel eligibility depends on the rabies vaccination recorded in the passport, which is valid for 1–3 years depending on the vaccine and must be renewed before the previous one expires.
How quickly can I get the passport? You take the passport home at the same visit. If the rabies vaccination is given for the first time, travel is allowed at the earliest 21 days after vaccination – book at least a month before your trip.
Does my pet need a microchip? Yes. The EU pet passport requires a microchip, and the chip number is recorded in the passport. If your pet has no chip, we implant it at the same visit (€68, or €32.40 with another visit).
Is rabies vaccination required? Yes. Rabies vaccination is mandatory for all dogs, cats and ferrets travelling between EU countries, and it must be given at least 21 days before travel. It can be given from 12 weeks of age at the earliest.
What is needed for travel to Sweden or Norway? For Sweden, an EU pet passport, microchip and valid rabies vaccination are enough. When returning from Sweden to Finland, the dog must be treated against tapeworm 1–5 days before arrival, or be covered by the 28-day rule (treated at least twice 1–28 days apart and then at intervals of no more than 28 days). A dog travelling directly from Finland to Norway needs no treatment; entering Norway via Sweden requires treatment 1–5 days before the border or the 28-day rule.
How early should I get the passport? At least a month before travel within the EU, so the 21-day wait after a first rabies vaccination is met. For travel outside the EU, start 4–6 months ahead, as the titre test and its 3-month waiting period take time.