Pet Travel from Georgia: 10 Things You Need to Know

Want to take your furry friend with you on your travels internationally from Georgia (the Republic)? You came to the right place. This post is dedicated to everything you need to know about pet travel from Georgia, including what documents you’ll need, the preparation process, tests, etc. 

Generally speaking, traveling with pets internationally depends on where you live and where you’d be traveling to. It could be manageable or quite overwhelming. There are many things to consider, and I will do my best to go through them. 

But before I get into how to travel with your pet from Georgia, I want to talk about how to bring your pet to Georgia, as I get a lot of comments regarding this issue.

Pet travel to Georgia

Georgia has very relaxed entry requirements for pets. You should be fine if your pet has all the essential vaccinations and an international passport. 

According to the Revenue Service website, one person could bring no more than five pets that are not intended for selling or other economic activities. 

The only requirements for bringing your pet to Georgia are as follows: 

• The pet must be healthy.
• Have a microchip of 15-digit ISO.
• Have all preventive vaccinations, including rabies, between 30 days to 12 months before entering the country. 
• A veterinary certificate accredited by USDA or CFIA if traveling from USA or Canada. In other cases, ask the Government Authority of your country responsible for exporting and importing pets to give you a particular document. 

NOTE: Titer test is not required to bring your pet to Georgia, nor is Import Permit for those pets accompanied by a human.

Georgia doesn’t list any banned breeds of pets, either.

And if you want pet insurance in Georgia, Irao is the only company that offers the package for 30 GEL a month.

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Unfortunately, Georgia is not a very pet-friendly country, meaning that traveling with your pet using public transport can be pretty challenging. There were cases when I got denied entering the metro if Louie didn’t have a dog muzzle. The same can go with buses and marshrutkas. Some taxi drivers also refuse to take dogs, but thankfully Bolt taxi has a designated pet taxi service.  

A similar goes with some cafes, restaurants, and shops where entering with your dog is not allowed. However, there are some pet-friendly venues too.

Taking your dog or cat via train is possible. It also depends on the size of your pet; they need to be in the kernel or bag and fit in the luggage compartment. Big-size dogs need to have muzzles as well. 

And if you have any more questions regarding traveling with your dog or cat internationally, let me know in the comments, and I’ll be happy to answer. 

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10 Things to know about Pet travel from Georgia

Georgia is a high-risk Rabies country

Many countries view others as high-risk rabies countries and customize their pet import terms accordingly. Georgia is considered a high-risk rabies country by European Union, so traveling with pets internationally to EU countries from Georgia could be difficult. 

Check the destination country’s policy

As every country has its own policy to import pets, you need to check their conditions on traveling with your dog or cat to that country. Depending on where you are coming from, these destination countries may put your pet into a several-day quarantine. For some, it’s a mandatory procedure, while others put pets in quarantine if specific requirements are not met. 

Some countries even have a blacklist of pets that they don’t allow to import. So make sure you do your research accordingly. 

Check airline policies 

Just like countries, airlines have their policies when traveling with pets internationally. Some airlines do take your pets, while others don’t. And those who do, have their own requirements and restrictions. For instance, depending on the size of your pet, they can come into the cabin or go to a cargo compartment. Also, some companies don’t take pregnant pets either. 

If your pet with a Pet Carrier weighs up to 8kgs, you can take it as your “onboard” luggage. Otherwise, it goes to the cargo compartment. 

You also need an airline-approved Pet Carrier, which I’ll explain below. 

Get a passport for your pet

If you already own a pet, you should have a passport with all the vaccinations your furry friend has. If not, then this would be your next step. 

There are many veterinary clinics in Tbilisi, but I take Louie to Aibo Clinic on S. Tsintsadze street. If you already have a veterinarian go to their clinic and tell them about your travel plans to ensure that your pet passport meets the requirements. 

Clinics to consider: 

• Vet House
• Veterinary Clinic AB-Vet Buneba
• Vet clinic at Agriculture University
• Vet Life
• Lucy Paw

And if your dog or cat needs any grooming, I highly recommend BarberPet. 

Microchip your pet

It’s standard to have your pet microchipped in Georgia. Unfortunately, those chips don’t track your pet in case they wander out of your house. But they have information about the owner if someone finds them and calls the appropriate authorities to scan the chip and call you. 

When planning pet travel from Georgia internationally, consider that most countries require your pet to be microchipped. Therefore, go to the vet clinic and do it. 

Vaccinate your pet

Depending on the destination country’s specifications, your pet should be vaccinated in a particular timeframe. Most countries require a rabies test at least 30 days before entering. Additionally, pets might need to get certain vaccines after you enter that country too. So checking country policies is vital for pet travel from Georgia. 

Your pet might need a rabies titer test

Many countries do require an additional step – a rabies titer test, especially if you are coming from a high-risk rabies country like Georgia. Unfortunately, this test is an important step but only do it if you plan on relocating to a specific country. Don’t put your pet into this procedure if you plan to have a 2-3 week vacation somewhere. 

The test needs to be carried out at the exact advised time by an authorized laboratory. Several rabies-free countries will not allow your pet to enter even if vaccinated and fulfill all veterinary demands if these test results are unsatisfactory. 

The rabies titer test is usually performed 30 days after the rabies vaccine for the antibodies to form. Your pet needs to be microchipped before. The vet draws blood from your pet and sends it to an authorized laboratory to examine the levels of antibodies in the sample. There are around 40 laboratories in the world certified to run rabies titer tests. 

In case of traveling to EU countries, Georgia’s Mrcheveli Laboratory, also known as Limbach Lab, helps you get the rabies titer test for 500 GEL. They send the blood sample within 24-48 hours to Germany, that’s why the price is so high. A digital certificate of the results comes in one month, while the original copy takes another month to arrive in Georgia.

Check the complete list of non-EU and EU member countries with such labs.

Most countries want a level of 0.5 IU/ml or higher to prove that your pet is well immunized against rabies. If your pet fails the test, you can give it a booster vaccination and retry the test in 14-28 days. 

If your pet needs the test, I would advise looking at the destination country’s regulations to see the minimum period between the rabies vaccine and the blood sampling. Additionally, your pet might need occasional rabies titer tests depending on the country. For example, the EU requires a one-time test if the usual rabies vaccination is kept current, while for Australia, the results are suitable for a specific time. 

Usually, the laboratory sends results within four weeks of receiving the blood sample. 

ADVICE: always travel with comprehensive travel insurance that also covers COVID. I personally use SafetyWing. 

Buy a Pet Carrier

To use any transportation, you’ll need to have a pet carrier. Depending on the size of your pet and means of transportation, this can be a kernel or a bag. If you are flying out, they should be airline-approved ones that have their own specifications. 

If your pet is small and can go with you in the cabin, the pet and the carrier should fit under the seat. In the case of the cargo compartment, the kernel should have a specific durable lock, bowls for water and food, stickers saying “live animal,” designated holes to mount it to the hooks, and should be well-ventilated and of durable material. 

There are plenty of airline-approved kernels or bags on Amazon. There are some in Georgian vet clinics or shops, but sometimes the price could be lower when shipped from Amazon with a logistics company. When I purchased the kernel in May 2019, the exchange rate of Lari-USD was not this bad, so I didn’t pay extra import VAT. 

When buying a pet carrier, you need to measure your dog/cat and buy one where the pet can comfortably stand, sit and lay down. There are plenty of YouTube videos to watch. 

Train your pet for the carrier

Even if you are traveling a short distance, you must train your pet to get used to the carrier. Therefore, get it at least several weeks ahead so you have some time to do the training. Your dog or cat needs to get used to being there alone. We watched several videos on YouTube, but we are still training Louie as he gets very excited and anxious while in the carrier. 

Get an export document for pet travel from Georgia

Once everything I have mentioned above is ready, you’ll need to physically go to the National Food Agency office within the territory of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia. And don’t forget to bring your pet with you along with its passport. Here you’ll need to get the Veterinary Certificate from the Ministry. 

This is an official document stating the breed of your pet, the destination country, means of transportation when traveling, and the vaccines the pet had. It’s verified with a stamp. 

The document is valid for 72 hours and can be issued on the same day. It costs 100 GEL. It is also valid for three months to bring your dog or cat back to Georgia without additional documentation. 

What your pet needs during traveling

We don’t give Louie anything while traveling. We don’t even feed him in the morning because he gets sick. We give him a few valerian drops mixed with water to calm his excitement and anxiety.

I can’t give you the exact dosage; I just tried and tested what worked for Louie and what didn’t. Amazon sells some relaxant dog treats, but I haven’t tried those yet. This and this have the highest reviews on the website.

If your dog or cat doesn’t get sick while traveling, you can pack their favorite snacks and food to keep the hunger at bay. And don’t forget the water!

Our Experience

Traveling with a dog from Georgia to Turkey through a land border

Crossing the Georgia-Turkey land border in Sarp with a dog was very easy. We had all those documents mentioned above, but the Turkish side only checked Louie’s passport and didn’t look at the Veterinary Certificate. 

Louie was not allowed on board, so he traveled in a luggage compartment of the bus for around 10-12 hours.

On our way back from Turkey to Georgia, we came back within three months, and not a single soul checked Louie’s documents – neither Turkey nor Georgia. Turkish border security just asked if he was vaccinated when we left the country. Georgian border police said they don’t require checking pet’s documents. 

I am not sure how the air travel works yet, but once we travel with Louie with the airline, I’ll make sure to update the post.