Information For Travelers

Information about American and Polish Customs Requirements for Pets

 

American Customs Requirements

American customs regulations require that all domestic cats and dogs must be free of evidence of disease communicable to humans when examined at the port of entry. If the animal is not in apparent good health, further examination by a licensed veterinarian may be required at the owner's expense.
Dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days prior to entry into the United States. The certificate should be in English and should identify the dog, specify the date of vaccination and date of expiration, and bear the signature of a licensed veterinarian. If no date is specified, the certificate is acceptable if the date of vaccination is no more than 12 months before the date of arrival. If vaccination has not been accomplished or the certificate is not valid, the dog is confined to a place of the owner's choice and vaccinated; then the animal is confined for at least 30 days at the owners' cost.
Young puppies and kittens, less than 3 months old, cannot be vaccinated but they must be confined at a place of the owner's choice until they are 3 months old and then must be vaccinated. Confinement must then continue for 30 days at the owners' expense.

 

Polish Customs Requirements

Polish authorities require rabies shots and certificates before animals leave the country. Certificates are issued by authorized County Veterinarians, in Warsaw:

Powiatowy Inspektorat Weterynarii
ul. Koszykowa 8, 4th floor
Tel. 622-9193
Open weekdays 10am - 2pm

 

Dogs should be first examined by private doctors, who will issue the animal a health certificate. The certificate should be brought to the County Veterinarian within two days. The veterinarian issues an official document, valid for 2 weeks, which is required by Polish border authorities before departure. Rabies vaccinations must be done 30 days before the departure date, otherwise the regional veterinarian refuses to issue his certificate.

The shipment of cats and dogs to Poland is permitted upon receipt of an official veterinary certificate by border authorities. It is the policy of Polish authorities to recognize this document as valid, as long as the vaccination certificate demonstrates, that rabies shots were given no earlier than 6 months before and no later than 4 weeks before entering Polish territory and that the health certificate was issued within the last 3 days before the entry by a qualified veterinarian. The health certificate should also state that within last 3 months and in the 8 miles radius, no rabies incidents were recorded. It does not concern animals less than 2 months of age; for those over three months of age from the 30th day until the end of the 12th month after the date of the first vaccination. In case of revaccination for 12 months from the date of revaccination.