Visit the website for the Embassy of France to find the most up-to-date information on pet regulations. Each family can only bring five pets into the country. Each animal must have a valid rabies vaccination, even if the pet is less than 3 months old. If it is the first rabies vaccination for your pet, you must wait 21 days between the last shot and your date of departure.
Visit your veterinarian. Each pet you bring into the country must be identified by a microchip or a tattoo. The microchip can be either a standard ISO 11784 or an annex A ISO standard 11785; but it must be implanted by a veterinarian. In the United States, you can buy the standard ISO microchip online at the Pet Travel Store. If you use a different microchip, you must bring your own scanner so that officials can read it.
Ask your veterinarian to give your pet a thorough check up and sign a health certificate. You can print the health certificate you need from The Embassy of France website. That certificate will be valid for 4 months after the date of the signature. Make sure that your regular veterinarian is certified by the United States Department of Agriculture. If she or he is not, you will need to find one who is to sign the health certificate. The USDA website lists all the area offices across the country.
Know the different regulations for different pets. All the information in Steps 1 through 3 pertains to dogs, cats, and ferrets. For pet rodents (rabbits, hamsters, and mice) and pet reptiles, the health certificate must be signed no more than ten days before your date of departure. Also, they cannot be sold for any reason and cannot have any skin lesions or any visible sign of disease.
Understand the specific regulations for birds. Each family is limited to bringing five birds. Each bird must do or have done one of the following four options: each bird must have undergone a 30-day pre-export isolation before your departure; must undergo a 30-day quarantine upon your arrival in France; must be vaccinated, and at least re-vaccinated on one occasion, within the last six months against avian influenza using an H5 vaccine approved for your bird's species; or must have been in isolation for at least 10 days before departure and must have undergone a test to detect the H5N1 antigen or genome carried out on a sample taken not earlier than the third day of the bird's isolation. Many birds are registered as "Endangered Species" according to the Washington Convention. If your bird qualifies, you need to have a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) import permit. Contact the Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior at 800-358-2104 for an application.
