SHORT ANSWER
To bring a pet dog or cat from the United States into France, you need the European Union animal health certificate for the non-commercial movement of pet dogs, cats, or ferrets from a third country. A USDA-accredited veterinarian completes it, USDA APHIS endorses it, and it must reach the documentary and identity checks at a French travellers' point of entry within 10 days of being issued. It travels with a signed owner declaration confirming the move is non-commercial. Because the U.S. is exempt from the EU rabies titer test, the certificate mainly records your pet's microchip, rabies vaccination, and fitness to travel.
France does not issue its own separate import form for pets arriving from the United States. As an EU member state, it follows the EU rules for non-commercial pet movement, which are now set out in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131. The certificate itself is the model found in Annex III, Part 1 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705, titled the model animal health certificate for non-commercial movements of pet dogs, pet cats or pet ferrets into a Member State from a third country or territory.
"Non-commercial" is the key word. According to the European Commission's guidance on bringing a pet into the EU, this certificate is for pets that travel with their owner and are not being sold or transferred to a new owner. A family relocating to Paris or Lyon with their own dog and cat fits this category.
A quick note on format: this regulation replaced the older certificate model from Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013. Under the transitional rules in Regulation 2026/705, older-format certificates were only accepted if issued before 1 October 2026. Any certificate issued today should be on the current model, which your accredited vet will generate through the USDA system.
Two different veterinarians touch this document, and each has a distinct role.
First, a USDA-accredited veterinarian examines your pet, confirms the vaccine and microchip records, and fills out the certificate. Not every general practice vet is accredited for international health certificates, so confirm this early.
Second, the certificate goes to USDA APHIS for endorsement. APHIS uses the Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS), which the agency describes as the system that "facilitates creation and endorsement of animal health certificates for export." The EU requires the certificate to be issued by an authorized veterinarian and then endorsed by the competent authority, and for U.S. exports that authority is APHIS.
The USDA APHIS page for pet travel from the U.S. to France is the official starting point for the U.S. side of the process, including the current endorsement steps.
The European Commission lists what the certificate has to document:
For a U.S. dog or cat headed to France, the last two lines generally do not apply, which we cover below. The first two carry most of the weight, and they have to line up exactly. Under EU rules, your pet must have been at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated, the vaccine cannot be dated before the microchip was implanted or read, and the vaccination only becomes valid 21 days after the primary vaccination is completed.
If the vaccine record shows a date earlier than the microchip, or a single digit of the chip number differs between documents, the certificate cannot be correctly completed. That is why the paperwork that feeds the certificate matters as much as the certificate itself.
The EU's wording is precise. The certificate is valid "for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian until the date of the documentary and identity checks" at the travellers' point of entry, per the Commission's entry guidance. If you travel by sea, that 10 days is extended by the length of the sea journey.
Two practical points follow from this. The clock runs to your arrival and entry checks in the EU, not to your departure from the U.S. And the date that starts the clock is the official issue date, so the timing of the APHIS endorsement matters. Book your accredited vet appointment and endorsement so that your pet lands in France with days to spare inside that window, accounting for overnight flights and any connections.
The certificate does not travel alone. The EU also requires a written declaration, completed by the owner or an authorized person, confirming the non-commercial nature of the trip. The model for this is in Part 2 of Annex V to Regulation 2026/705.
If you cannot fly on the same day as your pet, an authorized person can accompany the animal instead. In that case, the owner must travel within five days before or after the pet, and a written declaration confirming this must be attached. If neither the owner's travel nor an authorized person's arrangement fits these conditions, the EU treats the pet under its general entry rules for animals, which follow a different set of requirements.
The non-commercial route has a cap. No more than five dogs, cats, or ferrets may move together under it. The only exception is for animals over six months old traveling to compete in or train for a competition, exhibition, or sporting event, with written proof of registration.
Families moving with six or more pets, or pets traveling without the owner and outside the five-day window, need to follow the EU's commercial entry rules under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692. That is a separate certificate and a different process, so settle this question before your accredited vet starts any paperwork.
The United States appears in Annex II of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, the list of non-EU countries whose pets are exempt from the rabies antibody titration test. U.S. territories named in that annex, including Puerto Rico and Guam, are covered as well. That removes the long waiting period that applies to pets from many other countries.
France also does not require tapeworm treatment. The EU limits that treatment to dogs entering Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland, and Norway. And quarantine is not among the EU entry conditions for compliant pets arriving from the U.S.
A correct certificate does not override French breed law. According to Service-Public, the French government's official information site, importing or bringing a Category 1 attack dog into metropolitan France is an offense punishable by six months in prison and a €15,000 fine. Category 1 covers dogs without a pedigree that resemble the American Staffordshire Terrier (commonly called pit bulls), Mastiff (commonly called boerbulls), or Tosa. Category 2 dogs can enter but come with registration and handling obligations. The French site also notes that only a veterinarian can determine a dog's breed type, so get that confirmation early if there is any doubt.
The 10-day rule is the part that trips up owners most often. In a r/Expats_In_France thread on moving a pet from the U.S. to France, one owner explained that the USDA must endorse the certificate "no more than 10 days prior to your arrival to the EU," and stressed that the deadline is tied to arrival rather than the U.S. departure date. Mixing those two dates up is an easy way to lose a day you thought you had.
Adam Melton, VP of Strategic Initiatives at Starwood Pet Travel, says the certificate is only as strong as the records behind it: "The health certificate is the last thing you do, but it's built on everything you did months before. If the microchip number on the rabies record doesn't match the certificate, or the vaccine was given before the chip was scanned, no endorsement can fix that. We check those dates in the first week of planning so the final 10 days are about logistics, not surprises."
After your pet clears entry checks in France, the same certificate keeps working. The EU allows it to cover further movement into other EU countries for a total of six months from the date of the entry checks, or until the rabies vaccination expires, whichever is earlier. If you plan to live in France long term, ask a French veterinarian about an EU pet passport for future travel within Europe.
For the full list of vaccines and supporting documents, read our guide on what vaccines and documents your dog or cat needs to enter France from the U.S.. To see how the certificate fits into the entire move, see our complete timeline for moving your dog or cat from the U.S. to France.