Canada to Italy
Pet Shipping from Canada to Italy
We provide international pet transport from Canada to Italy, planned around the EU’s entry rules, the Canadian winter and your move date.
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- The travel crate
- The CFIA export paperwork
- Check-in at your Canadian airport
- Pickup in Italy with delivery to your new address
Italy at a glance
Full requirementsThe CFIA endorses the EU health certificate as the very last step before your pet leaves Canada, by appointment at a local animal health office, and it cannot endorse once the pet has left the country.
- Microchip
- ISO 11784, in before the rabies shot, or a legible tattoo from before 3 July 2011
- Rabies vaccination
- 21 days after a first shot; a booster before the last one lapsed counts straight away
- Rabies titre
- Not needed from Canada, listed in Annex II of Implementing Regulation 2026/636
- Health certificate
- Signed by your veterinarian and endorsed by the CFIA; 10 days to the check on arrival, counted from the signature on the CFIA’s page and from the endorsement on HA2693 IT
- Pet limit
- Up to five pets can travel non commercially with an owner. Larger moves follow the commercial route
Pet Shipping from Canada to Italy
Every Italy move runs on the EU sequence, and the order is what trips people up: the microchip first, then the rabies vaccination, then a 21-day wait before travel, then the CFIA-endorsed EU certificate inside its 10-day window.
Which route does a pet take into Italy?
Italy’s list of points of entry for pets, as updated in September 2026 and read 29 October 2026, has 58 places on it, 42 airports and 16 ports, from Venice Marco Polo to Rome’s Fiumicino and Ciampino and Milan’s Malpensa and Linate. The airline that carries your pet out of Canada decides which one it lands at, and the connection is planned around the time of year.
Route details: Canada to Italy
- Route
- Canada to Italy
- Arrival airports
- A point of entry on Italy’s list (September 2026): 42 airports, Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Venice among them, and 16 ports
- How the pet flies
- With the owner (cabin or hold, same flight) or an authorized person within 5 days of the owner’s trip, up to 5 pets. Otherwise commercial
- Advance notice
- With the owner: contact the officials at the point of entry on arrival. Commercial: one working day’s notice to the border control post
- Health certificate
- EU form in English and Italian, signed by a licensed vet, CFIA-endorsed before departure; valid 10 days from the vet’s signature (CFIA)
- Quarantine on arrival
- Papers and identity checked at the point of entry; the CFIA says a pet that fails may be sent back, isolated or put down at the owner’s cost
- Time to get ready
- At least 21 days: microchip, then rabies shot at 12 weeks or older, then the 21-day wait; the EU lists Canada as needing no titre test
From official sources, read 29 October 2026: European Commission, Travellers’ points of entry; Ministero della Salute, Elenco dei Punti di Entrata designati per l’ingresso nell’Unione di animali da compagnia a carattere non commerciale 2026/131; Ministero della Salute, In viaggio verso l’Italia, incl. Cani, gatti e furetti provenienti da Paesi terzi; CFIA, Export of dogs, cats and ferrets to the European Union or Northern Ireland: Non-commercial movements; CFIA, Export of dogs, cats and ferrets to the European Union and Northern Ireland: Commercial and in-transit commercial movements; European Commission, Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country; European Commission, Dogs, cats and ferrets: FAQs; European Commission, Entry into the EU; CFIA, HA2693 IT, Animal health certificate for non-commercial movements into a Member State 2026/131 Article 18), English/Italian, PDF; CFIA, Book an appointment for CFIA pet export certification endorsement; European Commission, Listing of territories and non-EU countries.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to Italy?
The short answer
Italy uses the EU’s rules for a pet from a listed country such as Canada: identification by microchip, a rabies vaccination given once the chip is read, and an EU animal health certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian and endorsed by the CFIA.
Which pets can enter Italy?
From Canada, Italy applies the EU’s age test: the European Commission’s young animals page says a dog, cat or ferret under 12 weeks without a rabies vaccination, or one vaccinated and not yet protected, cannot enter the EU from outside it, and Italy’s Ministry of Health says the country has not taken up the EU’s young-animal derogation.
Once there, every dog in towns and public places goes on a lead of 1.5 metres or less, with a muzzle carried, and the ministry’s page setting those rules out, read 7 October 2026, names no breed.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for Italy?
Start with the microchip, ISO 11784 compliant or with a reader you supply, then the rabies vaccination; a first shot has to be 21 days old by arrival. The EU animal health certificate is signed by your veterinarian and endorsed by the CFIA, and it has 10 days to reach the check at the EU point of entry. The CFIA’s page counts those days from the licensed veterinarian’s signature; the certificate itself, HA2693 IT, counts them from the CFIA’s endorsement when an authorized veterinarian signs, which is what the CFIA considers a Canadian licensed veterinarian to be (both read 29 October 2026). We plan on the vet’s signature, the earlier of the two. You travel with the pet, or someone you authorize in writing moves it within five days of you; otherwise the commercial certificate applies.
| Requirement | Italy, from Canada |
|---|---|
| Microchip | ISO 11784, in before the rabies shot, or a legible tattoo from before 3 July 2011 |
| Rabies vaccination | 21 days after a first shot; a booster before the last one lapsed counts straight away |
| Rabies titre | Not needed from Canada, listed in Annex II of Implementing Regulation 2026/636 |
| Health certificate | Signed by your veterinarian and endorsed by the CFIA; 10 days to the check on arrival, counted from the signature on the CFIA’s page and from the endorsement on HA2693 IT |
| Pet limit | Up to five pets can travel non commercially with an owner. Larger moves follow the commercial route |
The export side follows the CFIA’s page on taking a pet to the EU, EU entry follows the European Commission’s guidance on pet movements, and the Italian rules are the Ministry of Health’s, on its pages about dogs in public places, points of entry and pets arriving in Italy.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Italy
By our own estimate, plan for 4 to 6 weeks for a straightforward move when the microchip and rabies vaccination are already current, or about 7 weeks if the vaccination needs to be redone, since the 21 day immunity wait and the 10 day certificate window both have to line up with the flight.
For a line by line breakdown of what this route costs, see our cost page for Canada to Italy.
Every Pet Travels Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because timelines, airline rules, and the EU’s entry requirements can vary, we build a plan that fits your pet and your move date.
Destination-Focused Planning
We use Italy’s official EU import guidance as the baseline, then turn it into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
Smart Routing and Logistics
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Personalized Support
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Questions about moving a pet to Italy
Request a QuoteHow much does it cost to move a pet from Canada to Italy?
That comes down to how big your pet and its crate are, the airline, the time of year and how much of the move you book with us. Our cost page for Canada to Italy lists the government fees, and a quote gives the full figure.
How does Pet Travel Advisors handle a Canada to Italy move?
One coordinator owns the file, and you decide what to hand over: flights, the crate, the EU certificate with the CFIA appointment, check-in in Canada, and collection on arrival in Italy with the drive to your new home.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.