Pet Relocation to 🇩🇪 Germany

Yes, you can bring a pet bird to Germany. As an EU member state it follows the harmonized pet-bird rules, but Germany applies a national limit of three pet birds per owner. You need an EU identification document/health certificate and must meet one of three avian-influenza options: 30-day pre-export isolation, vaccination, or 14-day isolation plus H5/H7 testing.

• EU pet-bird identification document/health certificate based on Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1938, signed by an official veterinarian and valid 10 days from issue (APHIS-endorsed for US origin)
• Meet one of three EU avian-influenza options under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1933: at least 30-day pre-export isolation in a listed country; complete vaccination within 6 months and not later than 60 days before dispatch; or at least 14-day isolation plus H5/H7 antigen/genome test on a sample taken no earlier than the seventh day
• Owner's written declaration that the movement is non-commercial
• Clinical inspection within 48 hours before departure with no contact with other birds afterward; individual identification (leg-ring or microchip) where applicable
• CITES export and import permits for protected species such as most parrots (many are CITES-listed)
• Enter the EU at a designated traveller point of entry for veterinary/customs inspection

Germany's competent authorities are the BMEL (federal agriculture ministry) and German Customs (Zoll); CITES matters go through the Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN). Germany limits tourist pet-bird movements to three birds (the general EU non-commercial limit is five). A post-arrival quarantine pathway existed under the older Decision 2007/25/EC but the current harmonized rules list three options. Confirm the chosen AI option and exact fees with BMEL/APHIS before booking.

Yes, you can import a horse to Germany. As an EU member state it accepts equines from listed third countries on the model EQUI-X health certificate, requiring negative disease testing (including equine infectious anaemia), a pre-dispatch residency period, and no contact with diseased equines before departure. The APHIS-endorsed certificate is cleared at an EU border control post.

• Model EQUI-X animal health certificate, completed by an accredited vet and endorsed by USDA APHIS; the third country must be listed in Annex IV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404
• Negative test for Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA/Coggins) before export, plus any additional disease tests required for the country's sanitary group
• Residency in the country of dispatch for at least 40 days before dispatch (or since birth, or since entry from the EU)
• No contact with equines suffering transmissible diseases during the 15 days before departure
• Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) testing for uncastrated males as required by the certificate/sanitary group
• Clear inspection at an EU Border Control Post via TRACES; horse must be microchipped/identified per the certificate

Requirements vary by the third country's sanitary group and the horse's status (registered, breeding, slaughter); additional residence, quarantine, test or vaccination conditions may apply. The official EU rule sets a 40-day residency and a 15-day no-contact window before departure; quarantine, transport and inspection fees are not fixed flat amounts. Confirm current EQUI-X conditions with APHIS and the German veterinary authority before shipping.

Yes, reptiles can generally be imported into Germany, but admissibility is heavily species-dependent. You need a veterinary health certificate and a non-commercial declaration, and for the many CITES-listed reptiles (tortoises, many turtles, some snakes and lizards) valid CITES export and import permits. Some species are restricted or banned, so confirm each animal's status with German authorities first.

• Veterinary health certificate from an official/accredited vet covering species, identification and fitness to travel
• Owner's written declaration that the movement is non-commercial (companion animal, not for trade)
• CITES export permit (origin country) and CITES import permit/document for species listed in CITES Appendices or EU Annexes (e.g. many tortoises and turtles)
• Enter the EU at a designated traveller point of entry for customs/veterinary inspection
• Verify the species is not prohibited under EU Invasive Alien Species rules or national restrictions before travel
• Contact the Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN) for CITES permits on protected or unusual species

Marked 'allowed' because reptiles are not categorically banned, but admissibility is entirely species-dependent: CITES Appendix I species are effectively non-importable for pets, and EU invasive-species or national rules can bar others. There is no harmonized EU pet health certificate specific to reptiles, so a general veterinary certificate plus CITES documentation applies. No standardized fee or permit-number list exists; confirm each animal's CITES/Annex status with BfN before any plans.