Two Commission Delegated Regulations update the conditions under which pet animals may enter the Union, ahead of the expiry of the transitional period on April 22nd
April 13th, 2026 – The EU’s legal framework governing non-commercial movement of pet animals is undergoing a significant structural change this month. Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, which has governed pet travel rules since 2013, ceases to apply on 22 April 2026 following the end of the transitional period provided for in Article 277 of the Animal Health Law (Regulation (EU) 2016/429). From that date, Part VI of the Animal Health Law takes over as the primary legal basis, supported by a package of delegated legislation adopted by the Commission in early 2026.
Two delegated regulations published today in the Official Journal complete that transition by updating the downstream entry requirements for animals and goods arriving from third countries.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/135 amends Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 as regards the specific entry conditions for dogs, cats and ferrets. The substantive requirements (microchip identification, rabies vaccination, rabies antibody titration test, and treatment against Echinococcus multilocularis for dogs entering disease-free Member States) are maintained from the existing framework but updated to reference the new legal instruments replacing Regulation (EU) No 576/2013. Key technical changes include updated microchip standards cross-referencing Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 as recently amended, and a new requirement that rabies antibody titration test reports issued from 1 January 2028 must bear a machine-readable security feature for authenticity verification.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/273 amends Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2122, which governs exemptions from official controls at border control posts for animals and goods carried in passengers’ personal luggage. The regulation integrates the compliance check rules for non-commercial pet animal movements, previously contained in Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 directly into the border control post exemption framework.
It also corrects a longstanding drafting ambiguity in Article 7(c) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2122,where the term “goods” incorrectly captured animal by-products, which carry animal health risks and should not be exempt from border controls, alongside products of animal origin and composite products, which are the intended scope of the exemption. The corrected wording replaces “goods” with the more precise “products of animal origin and composite products.”
Both regulations enter into force on 14 April 2026 and apply from 22 April 2026.
Additional notes:
Operators, veterinarians, and border control authorities handling non-commercial pet animal movements should ensure familiarity with the new legal references ahead of 22 April. The health requirements for pet travel remain largely unchanged, but the legal instruments underpinning them have changed. Documentation referencing Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 will no longer have a valid legal basis after that date.
