Pet Relocation to 🇮🇹 Italy

Pet birds can enter Italy from approved non-EU countries, but the process is demanding. Birds need an individual ID mark, an official EU-model health certificate, and avian influenza (H5/H7) controls via isolation or testing. CITES-listed parrots also require export and import permits. EU rules require captive birds to be handled under strict quarantine-style conditions.

• Bird must carry a non-removable individual ID (closed leg-ring or microchip/transponder) with a legible alphanumeric code
• Official EU-model bird health certificate, examined by a vet before departure and USDA APHIS endorsed for US-origin birds
• Avian influenza H5/H7 controls under EU rules: under Implementing Regulation (EU) 139/2013 captive birds are tested for H5/H7 with negative results 7 to 14 days before movement, are not vaccinated against avian influenza, and undergo a quarantine period (at least 30 days at an approved EU quarantine establishment for commercial captive-bird imports)
• Bird must originate in a non-EU country/territory listed in EU import legislation (the US is listed)
• CITES export permit (US Fish & Wildlife) and EU CITES import permit for protected species such as most parrots/psittacines
• Veterinary border checks at an EU Border Control Post; entry into Italy is typically only via designated airports
• Birds must move to their destination under official supervision and remain isolated from other birds for the required period under official surveillance

EU import rules distinguish small numbers of pet birds accompanying their owner (non-commercial) from commercial captive-bird imports; the exact quarantine model, AI testing options and approved entry airports depend on the regime and certificate used and should be confirmed with the Italian Ministry of Health (Ministero della Salute) before booking. EU non-commercial pet movement rules and certificate models were being revised in 2026 with a transition period, so check current TRACES/certificate requirements. No specific fee amounts or permit numbers verified.

Horses can be imported into Italy as an EU member state, but only from non-EU countries the EU has approved for equine entry and that are recognised free of key diseases. Each horse needs an official EU health certificate, an identification document/passport, disease testing including EIA (Coggins), and clearance at an EU Border Control Post.

• Horse must come from a non-EU country/territory authorised by the EU for equine entry and listed in EU import legislation (Annex IV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404)
• Country/region must be recognised free of African horse sickness, free of dourine and glanders for at least 6 months, and free of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis for at least 2 years (per the EU summary of equine import health rules)
• Official EU equine health certificate issued by an official veterinarian and registered in TRACES
• Negative Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA/Coggins) test; certification also covering freedom from other listed equine diseases as required
• Equine identification document/passport (e.g. breed registry or FEI passport) accompanying the certificate
• Documented residency in the exporting country for the required period before export
• Veterinary checks and clearance at an EU Border Control Post at the first point of entry into the EU

Exact required tests vary by the horse's origin, sex and status (e.g. an additional Equine Viral Arteritis test is typically required for breeding stallions), and the EU certificate distinguishes permanent imports from temporary admission/re-entry. Specific residency/isolation day-counts at origin depend on the certificate model and exporting country and should be confirmed with the Italian competent authority and an EU-approved equine shipper. No specific fees or quarantine durations verified here.

Italy has sharply restricted private import and keeping of reptiles. Under Legislative Decree 135/2022 (in force from 27 September 2022, implementing EU Delegation Law 53/2021), Italy adopted a positive-list approach: only species on an approved list may be privately kept or traded, and the approved list is extremely narrow. Reptiles fall outside it, so importing one as a pet is effectively not possible.

• Italy regulates keeping, trade and import of wild and exotic species under Legislative Decree 135/2022, implementing EU Delegation Law 53/2021, in force from 27 September 2022
• The framework uses a 'positive list' (elenco positivo): only species on the approved list may be kept or traded by private individuals; an implementing decree of 11 October 2022 set an initial positive list reported to contain only a handful of species (a few fish and a nudibranch)
• Reptiles are not on the narrow approved positive list, and the law's prohibition on import and detention of wild/exotic animals is reported to cover reptiles, so private import and keeping of reptiles is effectively barred
• Any CITES-listed reptile would additionally require US Fish & Wildlife export permits and EU CITES import permits, handled via Italy's CITES authority
• Penalties for unlawful possession/import of prohibited exotic species can apply

The restriction targets private/pet ownership; narrow exemptions can exist (e.g. zoos, research, registered facilities, and animals already lawfully held before the cut-off). Implementation of the decree, its lists and an expanded prohibition list faced delays after 2022, and the official lists are set by ministerial decrees that change over time, so the precise current status of any specific reptile species must be verified with the Italian Ministry of Health (Ministero della Salute) and Ministry of Environment. Because of this framework, importing a reptile as a pet into Italy is not realistic. No specific fine figures independently verified here.