Travelling to Italy with your pet

In Italy dogs must be microchipped and registered in the pet registry, now merged into the Ministry of Health's national SINAC system. For cats and ferrets the obligation depends on your Region, but registration is always possible and recommended.

• The microchip is implanted by an ASL vet or an authorised private vet, who registers the animal in your name.
• Deadlines vary by Region: usually within the first two months of life, or in any case before the animal changes hands.
• You must report changes of address or owner, loss or death of the animal.

You can check your pet's record at sinac.vetinfo.it. Failing to register the animal or update its data leads to fines.

To travel with your pet within Italy you need neither the EU pet passport nor a rabies vaccination: the animal just has to be identified and registered.

Still, bring along:

• the vaccination booklet (some accommodation, boarding kennels and dog areas ask for it);
• a document showing the microchip number.

The passport becomes mandatory when you leave Italy: it is issued by the ASL (or an authorised vet, depending on the Region) and requires a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination. If you plan a trip abroad, request it a few weeks in advance.

A Ministry of Health order on protection from dog attacks, renewed every year (most recently on 16 July 2026), states that:

• in urban areas and places open to the public your dog must be on a leash no longer than 1.50 m, except in dog areas designated by the municipality;
• you must always carry a muzzle (rigid or soft) to use if there is a risk or when the authorities ask;
• you must pick up after your dog and you are liable for any damage it causes.

Municipalities, beaches, public transport and accommodation may have stricter rules: check them before you leave.

Travel rules depend on how you travel:

• By car the animal must not get in the way of driving: use a secured carrier, a divider net or a pet seat belt.
• Trains, ferries and planes each apply their own conditions (carrier size, maximum weight in the cabin, ticket for the pet, muzzle, dedicated cabins or areas). Airlines decide on their own whether and how many animals they accept in the cabin.

Book early, declare the animal, and check the carrier's conditions shortly before you leave, as they change often. Bring water, the vaccination booklet and, for dogs, a leash and a muzzle.

On a non-commercial trip you can bring no more than 5 dogs, cats and ferrets in total in the same vehicle. Above that number the stricter rules for commercial movements apply.

The exception is travel for competitions, shows or sporting events (or training for them): you need written proof of registration and the animals must be over 6 months old.

The animal must travel with its owner or with a person authorised in writing who travels within 5 days of the owner. Rabbits, rodents, birds and reptiles follow different rules; protected species are also subject to CITES rules.