How do I bring my dog or cat?

Bringing a dog or cat from Great Britain to Portugal is far simpler than moving one to Australia: no blood test and no quarantine if the paperwork is right. You need an animal health certificate for the journey, you must warn the airport vets in advance, and once you live in Portugal your pet goes on the national register.

How it works from Great Britain

Portugal’s veterinary authority, the DGAV (Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária), treats the UK, except Northern Ireland, as a country outside the EU. New EU rules for pets (Regulation (EU) 2026/131) have applied since 22 April 2026, but the main conditions are the same as before. GOV.UK says that if you live in England, Scotland or Wales you can’t use a pet passport to enter the EU, even one issued in the EU; Northern Ireland residents still can.

Your move counts as non-commercial if you bring no more than 5 dogs or cats, they are not for sale or rehoming, and they travel with you or with someone you authorise in writing, within 5 days before or after your own journey. Outside those limits, the stricter trade rules apply.

Countdown

The DGAV’s list of conditions for pets from the UK doesn’t include a tapeworm treatment or a rabies blood test. The blood test is only for pets coming from countries with a higher rabies risk. Check GOV.UK and the DGAV page before you travel, because rules for countries on your route may differ. Check the official page

Points of entry

Pets from outside the EU must arrive through a travellers’ point of entry (Ponto de Entrada dos Viajantes, PEV). The DGAV’s March 2026 list includes the airports of Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Beja, Cascais, Funchal (Madeira), Ponta Delgada, Terceira and Santa Maria (Azores), and the ports of Lisbon, Porto, Funchal and Ponta Delgada, plus Cascais and Ponta Delgada marinas. Other marinas are not entry points, so pets arriving by private boat can’t go ashore there. The Lisbon airport vet post is closed from midnight to 6am and Porto’s from 11pm to 7am, so avoid late arrivals. Pets that don’t meet the rules are sent back at the owner’s cost.

What it costs

There is no fixed price for an AHC in the UK. In April 2026 The Connexion found UK vets charging £110 to £384 for one pet, with extra pets from £30 each. At the Portuguese point of entry, the veterinary check costs €43.17 (about £37) for one animal or €86.34 for two or more; assistance dogs are exempt. Add the microchip, rabies jab, crate and travel. Estimate

Once you live in Portugal: SIAC

Portugal’s pet database is SIAC (Sistema de Informação de Animais de Companhia), set up by Decreto-Lei 82/2019. Dogs, cats and ferrets that arrive from abroad and stay 120 days or more must be registered on it by a vet accredited on SIAC, in the name of the owner on the health certificate. The vet gives you an identity document (DIAC) that should go everywhere with your pet. Update SIAC if you move house or the pet changes owner, goes missing or dies.

Dogs are also licensed every year by the parish council (junta de freguesia) where you are registered. For most dogs, the first SIAC registration counts as the licence for its first year. Parishes can add their own rules. Ask your parish council

“Potentially dangerous” dogs

Portugal lists seven breeds, and their crosses, as potentially dangerous (Portaria 422/2004):

• Cão de fila brasileiro (Fila Brasileiro)
• Dogue argentino (Dogo Argentino)
• Pit Bull Terrier
• Rottweiler
• American Staffordshire Terrier
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier
• Tosa Inu

The DGAV says the American Bully is also treated as potentially dangerous. These dogs can come from the UK. Staying 4 months or more, the DGAV says you must take the dog to the municipal vet to be registered on SIAC and get a keeper’s licence from your parish council within 30 days of SIAC registration, renewed every year. You need to pass a training course run by the GNR or PSP (police) or a certified private trainer; enrolling gets you a 3-month provisional licence. You also need third-party liability insurance (Portaria 585/2004). Dogs of these breeds that are not in a recognised pedigree register must be neutered. In public they must be on a short lead and muzzled. Ask your parish council

Renting and travel later

Check that your rental allows pets before you sign: see How do deposits and rental contracts work? If you later take your pet back to the UK, read How do I take my pet back to the UK?