Canada to Spain
Pet Shipping from Canada to Spain
We provide international pet transport from Canada to Spain, 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 Spain with delivery to your new address
Spain at a glance
Full requirementsSpain’s agriculture ministry says a pet from outside the EU arrives through an authorized travellers’ point of entry, where the owner declares it to the Guardia Civil’s fiscal guard or to customs staff and shows its documents for checking.
- Microchip
- ISO 11784, in before the rabies shot; another type needs a reader you supply
- Rabies vaccination
- 21 days after a first shot; a booster given 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, valid 10 days from that signature, endorsed by the CFIA, in Spanish at least
- Pet limit
- Up to five pets can travel non commercially with an owner. Larger moves follow the commercial route
Pet Shipping from Canada to Spain
A Spain move follows the EU rules step by step, and getting the sequence right is everything: the microchip before the rabies shot, a 21-day gap before travel, and the CFIA-endorsed EU certificate issued within 10 days of arrival.
Approved Routes and Entry into Spain
Whatever the connection, the flight has to end at a point of entry Spain has designated for travellers with pets, and the routing is planned to land at one of them. The declaration to the Guardia Civil described above happens there.
Route details: Canada to Spain
- Route
- Canada to Spain
- Arrival airports
- A travellers’ point of entry on MAPA’s list (26 Oct 2026), e.g. Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Málaga, Valencia, Palma, Seville
- How the pet flies
- With the owner (cabin or hold) or a person they authorize in writing, within 5 days of the owner; up to 5 pets. Otherwise commercial
- Advance notice
- With the owner: declare the pet to the Guardia Civil or customs at the entry point. Commercial: one working day’s notice to the border post
- Health certificate
- Your vet signs the EU form, valid 10 days from signing; CFIA endorses before departure. In Spanish at least (MAPA), with English (CFIA)
- Quarantine on arrival
- Guardia Civil or customs read the chip and check papers. A failing pet may be quarantined, sent back or put down, at owner cost (MAPA)
- Time to get ready
- At least 21 days: microchip, rabies shot at 12 weeks or older, then 21 days; no titre from Canada; Spain admits no pet under 15 weeks
From official sources, read 29 October 2026: Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets; MAPA, Viajar con perros, gatos y hurones; MAPA, Lista de puntos de entrada de viajeros autorizados para el control de animales de compañía en movimientos no comerciales / List of travellers’ points of entry, PDF; MAPA, Travelling with dogs, cats and ferrets: more information and FAQ; European Commission, Travellers’ points of entry; 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 or Northern Ireland: Commercial movements; European Commission, Dogs, cats and ferrets: FAQs; European Commission, Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country; European Commission, Entry into the EU; CFIA, Instructions for completing the animal health certificate for non-commercial movements of dogs, cats and ferrets to the EU; CFIA, EU non-commercial animal health certificate, English/Spanish version 2026/131 Article 18), PDF; European Commission, Listing of territories and non-EU countries; European Commission, EU countries’ decision regarding rabies vaccination exemptions for young dogs, cats and ferrets.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to Spain?
The short answer
From Canada, Spain follows the EU’s requirements for a listed country: a microchip first, a rabies vaccination after it, and an EU animal health certificate that the CFIA endorses, reaching the EU no more than 10 days after it is issued. Spain also wants that certificate presented in Spanish at least.
Which pets can enter Spain?
Up to five pets can travel with one owner from Canada to Spain on the EU’s non-commercial paperwork, each vaccinated against rabies long enough ago for the vaccination to be valid. No dog, cat or ferret under 15 weeks old may enter Spain, according to the agriculture ministry’s FAQ, read 29 October 2026: the earliest age for the rabies shot is 12 weeks, and Spain grants no exception for unvaccinated animals.
For dogs, Spain adds a second check: Royal Decree 287/2002 treats eight breeds and their crosses as potentially dangerous, namely the Akita Inu, Tosa Inu, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Rottweiler, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Pit Bull Terrier. Their owners need a five-year licence from the local council, the dog goes on the municipal register, and it is muzzled in public.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for Spain?
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, valid 10 days from that signature and endorsed by the CFIA. The CFIA, read 29 October 2026, asks for it in English and in the official language of the country where your pet first enters the EU, which is Spanish when that country is Spain. You travel with the pet, or someone you authorize in writing moves it within five days of you; otherwise the commercial certificate applies.
| Requirement | Spain, 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; a booster given 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, valid 10 days from that signature, endorsed by the CFIA, in Spanish at least |
| Pet limit | Up to five pets can travel non commercially with an owner. Larger moves follow the commercial route |
| Quarantine | Spain’s agriculture ministry, read 29 October 2026, describes none for a pet that meets the requirements. Its FAQ says a pet that does not may be detained in a quarantine facility, returned to its country of origin or, as a last resort, euthanized, at the owner’s expense |
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 Spain’s own rules come from the agriculture ministry’s pet travel page and the royal decree on potentially dangerous dogs.
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Spain
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.
For a line by line breakdown of what this route costs, see our cost page for Canada to Spain.
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 Spain’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 Spain
Request a QuoteHow much does it cost to move a pet from Canada to Spain?
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 Spain lists the government fees, and a quote gives the full figure.
How does Pet Travel Advisors handle a Canada to Spain move?
One coordinator owns the file, and you decide what to hand over: flights, the crate, the EU certificate in Spanish with the CFIA appointment, check-in in Canada, and collection on arrival in Spain with the drive to your new home.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.