Canada to Portugal
Pet Shipping from Canada to Portugal
We provide international pet transport from Canada to Portugal, 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 Portugal with delivery to your new address
Portugal at a glance
Full requirementsDGAV, Portugal’s veterinary authority, inspects each pet arriving from a country outside the EU at one of its travellers’ points of entry, and asks for some documents to reach it ahead of the pet.
- Microchip
- ISO 11784, in before the rabies shot; another type needs a reader you supply
- Rabies vaccination
- 21 days after a first shot, which Canada records as valid for one year
- Rabies titre
- Not needed from Canada, listed in Annex II of Implementing Regulation 2026/636
- Health certificate
- Signed by your veterinarian, valid 10 days from that signature, endorsed by the CFIA
- Pet limit
- Up to five pets can travel non commercially with an owner. Larger moves follow the commercial route
Pet Shipping from Canada to Portugal
For Portugal, the EU sequence has to run in one exact order: microchip, then rabies vaccination, then the 21-day wait, then the EU certificate, signed by your vet no more than 10 days before arrival and endorsed by the CFIA.
Which route does a pet take into Portugal?
A pet flying with its owner enters through a travellers’ point of entry, and DGAV’s list of them, read 29 October 2026, names nine airports, Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Funchal and Ponta Delgada among them. The inspection keeps hours: Porto’s point is shut from 23:00 until 7:00 and Lisbon’s from midnight until 6:00, DGAV says. A pet on a commercial move is checked at a border control post instead, and DGAV’s list of those posts, read 29 October 2026, takes live animals at Lisbon, Porto and Faro airports. The connection out of Canada is planned so your pet lands while the check is open, and the airline you fly decides the airport.
Route details: Canada to Portugal
- Route
- Canada to Portugal
- Arrival airports
- With the owner: a DGAV travellers’ point of entry, e.g. Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Funchal, Ponta Delgada. Commercial: Lisbon, Porto or Faro
- How the pet flies
- With the owner on the same flight, cabin or hold, or a person they authorize in writing within 5 days of the owner. Otherwise commercial
- Advance notice
- The owner, not the airline, sends DGAV’s form to the point of entry as early as possible, at least 48 hours before arrival, DGAV says
- Health certificate
- EU certificate signed by your licensed vet, valid 10 days from that signature, endorsed by the CFIA before the pet leaves Canada
- Quarantine on arrival
- DGAV vets check the pet at the point of entry, for a fee. If a rule is not met, it is sent back first, euthanasia last; the keeper pays
- Time to get ready
- At least 21 days: microchip, then rabies shot, then the EU’s 21-day wait after a first shot; the EU lists Canada as needing no titre test
Work out your pet’s dates for this route
From official sources, read 29 October 2026: DGAV, Pontos de Entrada dos Viajantes para controlo de animais de companhia sem caráter comercial, PDF; European Commission, Travellers’ points of entry; DGAV, Border Control Posts in Portugal, PDF; DGAV, Cães e Gatos: Entrar em Portugal a partir de um país fora da UE; European Commission, Dogs, cats and ferrets: FAQs; CFIA, Export of dogs, cats and ferrets to the European Union or Northern Ireland: Non-commercial movements; DGAV, Aviso de chegada: Cães e Gatos; European Commission, Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country; DGAV, Entrar em Portugal a partir de um país fora da UE; European Commission, Listing of territories and non-EU countries.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to Portugal?
The short answer
From Canada, a listed country, Portugal applies the EU’s rules: a microchip, then the rabies vaccination, then an EU animal health certificate endorsed by the CFIA, which counts its 10 days from the day the licensed veterinarian signs.
Which pets can enter Portugal?
Portugal accepts a pet from Canada when its rabies vaccination has become valid; puppies and kittens too young for it are refused from outside the EU. DGAV lists seven potentially dangerous breeds, with their crosses: Tosa Inu, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro. They are let in, but the point of entry asks for a signed declaration of responsibility when the stay is shorter than four months and a notification of stay when it is longer, unless the dog is in an officially recognized studbook, which needs written evidence.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for Portugal?
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. DGAV warns that a first rabies shot given in Canada counts as valid for one year, so a vaccination recorded with a longer validity can stop the certificate being issued here until the pet is vaccinated again and waits 21 days. The EU animal health certificate is signed by your veterinarian, valid 10 days from that signature, endorsed by the CFIA and made out in the owner’s name, and DGAV’s arrival notice page, read 29 October 2026, asks the owner, not the airline, to send its form to the point of entry as early as possible and at least 48 hours before arrival.
| Requirement | Portugal, from Canada |
|---|---|
| Microchip | ISO 11784, in before the rabies shot; another type needs a reader you supply |
| Rabies vaccination | 21 days after a first shot, which Canada records as valid for one year |
| Rabies titre | Not needed from Canada, listed in Annex II of Implementing Regulation 2026/636 |
| Health certificate | Signed by your veterinarian, valid 10 days from that signature, endorsed by the CFIA |
| Pet limit | Up to five pets can travel non commercially with an owner. Larger moves follow the commercial route |
| Falling short | DGAV sends the pet back first, with euthanasia as the last resort, and the keeper pays |
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 Portugal’s own rules come from DGAV, on potentially dangerous breeds, dogs and cats and arrivals from outside the EU.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Portugal
Our own estimate is 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.
Planning the budget? See what shipping a pet from Canada to Portugal costs, fee by fee.
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 Portugal’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 Portugal
Request a QuoteHow much does it cost to move a pet from Canada to Portugal?
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 Portugal lists the government fees, and a quote gives the full figure.
How does Pet Travel Advisors handle a Canada to Portugal move?
One coordinator owns the file, and you decide what to hand over: flights, the crate, the EU certificate with the CFIA appointment and the documents DGAV wants first, check-in in Canada, and collection on arrival in Portugal with the drive to your new home.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.