Bringing your dog or cat from Australia to Greece: easy in, hard back

Australia is rabies-free, which makes the EU relaxed about your pet arriving. Australia is not relaxed about it coming home. Plan both directions now.

The short version

• The EU treats Australia as a low-risk country, so a dog or cat flying to Athens needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination and an EU health certificate, but usually no rabies blood test [1][2].
• The rabies jab must be given after microchipping, at 12 weeks or older, and becomes valid 21 days later [1][2].
• The vet-signed health certificate must be endorsed by the Australian Department of Agriculture, and is valid for 10 days from issue until entry checks in the EU [1][2].
• In Greece, a vet registers your pet in the National Companion Animal Registry, and you manage it on pet.gov.gr with your TAXISnet login [3].
• Bringing the same pet back to Australia means an import permit, a rabies blood test and at least 10 days in quarantine in Melbourne. Do the blood test before you leave Australia [4].

Going to Greece: the EU rules for Australian pets

Greece follows the EU's rules for the non-commercial movement of pets, which now sit in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636 [2]. "Non-commercial" means your own pet, moving with you, not for sale.

Countries like Australia that are on the EU's list of exempt territories skip the rabies antibody test that pets from higher-risk countries need [2]. The Department of Agriculture's export guidance confirms a titre test only comes into play if your pet transits a country that isn't on the EU's list and you choose that option [1].

What your pet needs

Cats have one extra Australia-specific item: a declaration that they haven't been on a Hendra-confirmed property in the previous 60 days [1].

Rabies vaccines in Australia

Rabies vaccination is not routine in Australia, so not every clinic stocks it. The Department of Agriculture notes that Australian rabies vaccines are often registered only for animals aged three months or older [1]. Ring around early, and book a vet who regularly does export work. Your pet needs the microchip scanned at every step, so take your vet's scanner reading as gospel.

The paperwork timeline, step by step

Work backwards from your flight date. Here's a realistic order for a dog or cat flying to Athens:

1. Three to six months out: confirm the microchip reads, and check it's ISO standard. Get the rabies vaccination.
2. Same visit, if you might ever bring the pet home: ask about a rabies antibody blood test for the Australian return (more on this below) [4].
3. Two to three months out: book the flight. Pets from Australia to Europe usually fly as cargo through a hub such as Dubai, Doha or Singapore, so check the airline's live-animal rules and crate sizes.
4. 21 days or more after vaccination: the rabies jab is now valid for EU entry [2].
5. Within 10 days of arrival in Greece: your vet completes the EU health certificate in English and Greek, and the Department of Agriculture's regional office endorses it [1][2].
6. Fly. You travel within five days of your pet [2].
7. Arrival in Athens: pets travelling as cargo are cleared at Athens International Airport. Have the original certificate and vaccination records ready.

The Department of Agriculture won't endorse a certificate that isn't in English, and certificates going to an EU country should carry its official language as well [1]. The department publishes ready-made bilingual templates for EU member states; use the current version.

Settling in: registering your pet in Greece

Greece overhauled its companion animal law in 2021 (Law 4830/2021). Two things matter for new arrivals:

• Registration is compulsory. Owned dogs and cats must be microchipped and registered in the National Companion Animal Registry. Initial registration is done only by a certified vet, who scans the chip and creates the animal's electronic file [3]. A microchip alone isn't enough [3].
• Fines are serious. The penalty for failing to mark and register a dog or cat is listed at €3,000 [5]. The law also sets obligations around sterilisation, with penalties for breaches [5]. Ask your Athens vet how the sterilisation rules apply to your pet, especially if it's young and entire.

Once registered, log in to pet.gov.gr with your TAXISnet codes to see your pet's file, its digital health booklet, report it lost or transfer ownership [3]. No TAXISnet codes? See our AFM and gov.gr guide first.

The EU pet passport

Your Australian health certificate gets your pet into Greece and is valid for onward travel within the EU for up to six months, or until the rabies vaccination expires [2]. After that, ask your Athens vet for an EU pet passport. It records the microchip and rabies vaccinations and lets you take your dog to Italy or your cat to Cyprus without new export paperwork.

Life with a pet in Athens

• Heat: Athens pavements in July burn paws. Walk early and late, and never leave a dog on a sunny balcony.
• Apartments: many leases and building rules restrict pets. Get permission in writing before signing.
• Vets: there are private veterinary clinics in every neighbourhood, and the Attica region has a 24-hour pet hospital line listed by the official tourism site [6].
• Strays: Athens has many street cats and dogs. Keep your own vaccinations up to date.

Coming home: the hard part

This is where Australians get caught. Your pet loses its Australian health status the moment it leaves the country [4]. Greece is an approved country for pet imports, but bringing an animal into Australia from Europe involves an import permit, a rabies antibody test from an approved lab, and mandatory post-entry quarantine at the government facility in Mickleham, Melbourne.

The single best thing you can do is prepare before you leave Australia:

1. Rabies vaccinate in Australia and keep the vaccination current for the whole time you're away. The department warns that a lapse, even by one day, makes the pet ineligible for the returning-pet route [4].
2. Do the rabies antibody test (RNATT) in Australia through the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, with a result of 0.5 IU/ml or more, before departure [4].
3. Keep the export health certificate or its number. With it, you won't need identity verification overseas [4].

Do this and, if the pet comes home within 12 months of the blood draw, you won't need extra tests overseas, and a pet returning from a Group 3 country such as Greece may be eligible for 10 days of quarantine [4].

Skip it and the pet must do its rabies preparation in an approved country overseas and live there for 180 days before it can return [4]. That can derail a quick move home.

Import permit fees and Mickleham quarantine fees add up to a significant cost, so budget for them early. Questions go to the department on 1800 900 090 or imports@aff.gov.au [4]. Our bringing your pet home guide covers the full return process.

Want tips on pet-friendly flats, vets who speak English or dog-friendly beaches? Join Cooee Greece, our Facebook group for Australians in Greece, at /join/.

Sources

1. Dogs and cats to the European Union – Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (MICoR)
2. Non-commercial movement of pets from non-EU countries – European Commission
3. pet.gov.gr and the National Companion Animal Registry – Athens Times, August 2026
4. Cats and dogs returning to Australia – Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
5. Animal Welfare Act 4830/2021, Greece – Eurogroup for Animals
6. Health and safety: emergency numbers – Visit Greece

Keep reading

• Moving to Athens from Australia: the complete guide
• Renting in Athens as an Australian
• AFM, AMKA and gov.gr: the numbers that run life in Greece
• Bringing your pet home to Australia