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.
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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.
Check out WayAway to find cheaper flights
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.
More Georgia posts
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:
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.
Thank you! I’ve been so confused about how to bring the dog we adopted here in Tbilisi to the US. DOG organization has been a bit of help, but I couldn’t figure out where to take her tomorrow to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Hey, I am glad I could be of help 🙂
In my situation of adopting 2 feral street kittens. I didn’t need to take the kittens for the exit health check only their passports. Traveled from Tbilisi to Batumi so went to the Nation Food Agency in Batumi which didn’t require that I bring the kittens with me to the office. Also since I was going to continue travel in Eastern Europe via sea & land I had 7 days to leave Georgia for Europe. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to stay with my kittens throughout the process & it took longer since both were sick. I didn’t find the process bad as I had excellent advise from the Vet Clinic.
Hey! I am planning to take my dog with me to visit georgia and then fly back with him to the US, i read that you wanted to take the dog to the US could you let me know about any difficulties you faced, and what all steps you took?
Hi Saagar, I never took my dog to USA. But I know a few people did. What are you mostly interested in?
Thank you for the information! My husband and I are in Gerogia on the ‘Remotely from Georgia’ program and we got a puppy…whoops! I’m confused about how to get the titer test done – is there a special vet clinic here in Tbilisi that will do it and send it to Turkey/ Russia? Should we just take the dog to one of those countries to have it done there? I thought dogs couldn’t enter Turkey without a titer test already done, but from what you wrote it sounds easy.
Thank you!
Yaay, welcome to the pup family :)) Yes, Turkey is easy to enter, but we did the land border crossing as explained in the post. However, flying shouldn’t be a problem either. As for the titer test, I would go to the vet clinics and ask them if they can help you. I am sure one of them can! Also if you do, would love to include your experience in the post if you don’t mind 🙂
What documents I need to travel Kazakhstan with a cat? Got only vaccination passport
Hi, you will need to check Kazakhstan’s entrance documents for pet travel.
Hi, I have 2 cats coming from South Africa to Georgia, the are chipped and fully vaccinated. Because of COVID, they have to travel through Ukraine then on to Tbilisi by air, do i need to get an import permit for them here in Tbilisi? We, unfortunately cannot travel with our cats due to restrictions. Please help?
Hi, according to my research: “An import permit is not required when entering the Republic of Georgia with a personal pet. A permit is required for pet entering Georgia when unaccompanied.”
However, you might want to double-check with National Food Agency https://nfa.gov.ge/En/MainOffice/
Hi! My husband and I plan to travel for one week from Azerbaijan to Georgia with our dog and finding your article was a blessing! Thank you! 😀
I just have two related questions: do we have to go to a vet clinic and let our dog be visited before going to the National Food Agency? (I ask because this is the procedure in Azerbaijan instead). And also, do I have to book an appointment to go to the Agency or I can just go during the opening hours? If so, can you share the contact details please?
Thank you so much in advance! If you have any more tips on what to do with a dog in Georgia with a dog, they are also more than welcome! 🙂
Thanks, Enri for your comment! I am happy you found this very useful 🙂 Hmm, I was not asked by the National Food Agency for any other document for Louise other than his passport. You can just go there and do it one day before the departure. Bring cash and note that they might be having a lunch break either from 1-2 pm or 12-1 pm. If you google the National Food Agency, you’ll get their call center phone number. I don’t have any other contacts, unfortunately.
Hi Baia,
Great article. A lot of interesting info. The thing is I am doing things in reverse e.g. I am coming from EU and want to bring my two dogs into Georgia. The have all the things you mention, microchip, vaccinated, pet passport etc.
The plan is to come via sea, arriving in Batumi. Do you know what else would be required in this case? Titer test? or something else?
Any help or guidance would be amazing.
Thanks
Sven
Hi Sven,
Thanks for the comment. I can’t find any specific information on entering by sea. However, all things I have mentioned are the requirements to bring pets to Georgia. There is no information about the titer test. The passport should also have information on the treatment of ectoparasites and endoparasites
I’m traveling from U.S., with my cat to Georgia for a month, 34 days.
The health certificate is good for 30days.
So by the time I’m coming back it’s going to be expired, what should I do?
Do I need to get another health certificate in Georgia?
Or could I use the one I have since it’s only few days difference? Cause it takes 2days roughly for flying anyways.
Does Georgia require any other vaccinations? Besides rabbis for a cat?
Hi Anar, thanks for your comment. I suggest asking your vet in the US what to do when the certificate expires as the US might have strict rules bringing back your cat from a high rabies country. You might need to get another health certificate in Georgia after it expires at the ministry as I describe in the post. No, Georgia doesn’t require any specific tests to bring a pet
Hi Baia,
Maybe you could help me with a pet question, I failed to find any specific info 🙂
I plan to travel from Tbilisi to Batumi by train with my dog, he is 10kg, 40 cm height, shiba-inu breed. Does he have to travel in kennel or carrier? Do we need to buy any special place for him?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Maria, sorry for my late response. Unfortunately, I don’t have a proper answer either. I think it would be best to call the Georgian Railway and ask them as I am finding different answers even in Georgian sources.
Superb article!
My only confusion if my pet needs a titler test to enter Turkey by land?
We are going travelling for two weeks and then back to Georgia (I believe same as you). Have you done it?
Hi Oksana, yes I have done it. From Georgia to Turkey and back. No titer test was needed to enter Turkey last year. We came back within 3 months, so we didn’t need to take another export document from Turkey. The one we had from Georgia was enough
What an informative article!
Have been in Tbilisi for the past few days and will be leaving in three days. Have been feeding this beautiful puppy at the Metekhi church, I want to bring him home to Canada. Looks like it would quite complicated for me to do that, unless I was prepared to stay here for another month so that he can get the rabies shots and tests. Total bummer!
Thanks for the great article!
I also fell in love with a street dog in Georgia and decided to adopt him and to bring him to Europe.
Do you have experience with getting the health certificate approved at the LEPL National Food Agency with only the digital version of the titer result? Or is the printed version necessary? I was wondering if I will have to wait about one month (digital) or two to three months (printed) for the results to arrive before going there.
Thanks again!
Nik
Hi Nik, I am honestly not sure; I never needed a titer test for my dog yet. I’d advice you to contact the lab I mention in the article to get more updated information.
I cannot say for a dog however I adopted 2 kittens in Tbilisi. I was able for the blood for both to be drawn after 2 complex vaccines 21 days apart, then microchipped so many days before the blood draw which the vet clinic did & I took the vials to an approved lab & paid the fee(500 gel per kitten) Received the email copy within 3 weeks and the hard copy followed. National Food Safety Office in Batumi only required the email copy however wanted it printed out(I had my hard copies). Regarding the health certificate also done in Batumi, only requirement was to bring in the Pet Passport, proof of the rabies lab results, which this information was transferred to the health certificate document. You need to find a Vet for this service(no appointment & didn’t need to bring my kittens. The cost was 40 gel. I then took pet passports, printed or hard copy of the rabies antibodies test results along with my passport to the National Food Safety Office. I did need to go to Georgia Bank & pay 100 gel cash there & bring the receipt back to the National Food Safety Office. Process took about 2 hours to gather & obtain the documents. The typing of the exit document took maybe 20 minutes which was then stamped. Since I was leaving Georgia by sea to Eastern Europe to continue travel I had 7 days to leave Georgia with my kittens which I did. Funny, leaving Georgia, entering Bulgaria, on to Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro to currently am in Croatia, not one border agent has asked to see any documents of the documents that I got. I don’t offer and have yet to be asked.
Hi Susanne,
Thanks so much for the detailed explanation of your experience with the kittens. Do you mind if I reach out over the email to ask you a few more questions so that I can include them in the post?
Hello Susanne. Thank you for your post :). Most people seem to say you must take your pet for examination at the National Food Safety Office in Tbilisi. So it was very helpful to read that you could do this is Batumi. I wonder if there is an NFSO office in Kutaisi or any other city? It would be much easier for our pets not to have to travel to Tbilisi or Batumi just for this certificate.
Also, did you need to physically take your cat to the Batumi NFSO in Batumi?
Thank you and safe and happy traveling :).
Hi Ron, please see my answer below your comment 🙂
Hello
Thank you for the very usable article. I’ve read that the rabies vaccine is not required for rabbits to enter Georgia. Do you have any information about it?
Hi Alexey, thanks for your comment, and I am glad you found it helpful. Unfortunately, I am not sure about the rabbits
Hi Baia, thank you for your article!
I’m travelling from EU to Georgia soon, we have EU passport^ all vaccinations and titer test, but I’m not sure if I need to visit a vet doctor 3 days before the flight for some kind of health certificate. I believe it’s too much because we have all that I’ve mentioned but I wouldn’t like to not be approved in the airport because of this small thing.
Thank you!
Hi Anna, I am glad you found this helpful. According to my experience, Georgia is very relaxed at bringing your dog/cat. For peace of mind, I would still get the certificate, just in case. No one really looked at it on the Georgian side when we crossed the Turkey-Georgia land border, but I am not sure how strict they are at the airport as we haven’t flown with Louie anywhere just yet.
I got it. Thank you very much!
Very helpful article! I am moving from Kazakhstan to Georgia next month. I will be using a pet shipper to fly my two cats in as cargo and I was told that they are required to enter in Tbilisi. I cannot find any information to confirm this information. Do you know if this is correct and which agency would I need to contact to find out? Thank you.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for your comment. I am not quite sure I understand your question, though. You were told that your cats in a carrier in cargo should only enter Tbilisi and no other city such as Batumi, for instance?
I did have a question on transporting a kitten from Georgia to the EU (Germany). Is there a restriction from the National Food Safety Office on the length of time that one must wait to bring the kitten into an EU member state after the rabies vaccine and titer test? I cannot find any details on this, but one of my friends mentioned something. I’m assuming once I have the test results, I can go to the National Food Safety Office in Tbilisi and get the export document, then go to the vet for the health certificate (or is it vice versa?) I will be flying from Tbilisi to Germany for reference. Any information or updates on this would be amazing-some of the answers on this thread and the article already have been excellent!!
Hi Ashley,
Once you do the titer test and get the vet’s health certificate, you need to go to the National Food Safety Office because the document they give you is valid for 72 hours. Basically, that’s the very last thing you do to be able to travel with your pet.
Thank you so much for the reply! My friend just took my cat to the vet for the blood test, and the vet said that it is Georgian law to wait three months before they will issue the health certificate. Do you know of a recent change? I was hoping to bring my cat to Germany sooner than august and this news is unfortunate!
Hi Ashley, did the vet say why? Doesn’t the cat have all the vaccines necessery? Honestly, one time I went to the National Food Agency and they didn’t ask for the health certificate. so if you can double check with them somehow, I’d advice to do that.
Hello, I came to Tbilisi on a long trip with my dog Is there a separate period of stay for dogs in Georgia?
Hi Joy, not that I know or heard of.
Hi! Thanks for your blog, it is incredible helpful.
I would like to ask which bus company you use to travel from Georgia to Turkey? And what documents do you need to bring for NFA certificate?
Thank you, I’mean about to go Turkey by land border but I’m quite nervous
Hi Michael, thanks for your comment!
We used Metro Georgia to travel to Turkey. As for the NFA, we just brought Louie’s passport, and it was fine.
Thanks for your beautiful blog!
I need to travel urgently to Turkey by land, so I don’t have time to take titer test neither wait for the observation period. I ask to authorities in Turkey and they told me that my dog can come without it but may be subject to quarantine.
But what about Georgia? Is it a requirement to present this document to get the NFA certificate?
And so, as you’ve make this route before I would like to ask if there is a big control in the border? I’ll go by bus also. Have I to take out of the bus my dog in immigration?
Thanks for helping all of us and I thank you if you can reply my doubts.
Hi Dimka,
We didn’t do Titer test for Louie to go by land to Turkey and he didn’t go under the quarantine either. It is not required by NFA either for Turkey. There was no big control either, Georgian side didn’t look at the documents while Turkey kind of did, but they didn’t make any issues with it. And yes, you need to take your dog out of the bus to go through the immigration process. Wish you safe travels
Hi and thank you for the informative article :).
The National Food Agency (NFA) website english version is not very useful. However, it does seem to say they have offices across Georgia in many regions. https://nfa.gov.ge/En/RegionalOffices
One person who made a comment (Susanne) said she could obtain the NFA pet certificate in Batumi, and apparently Susanne did not need to take her pet to their office to obtain the certificate. It would be great if anybody could confirm which NFA regional offices will issue the certificate and whether or not physically taking the pet is actually required. Sometimes requirements such as taking the pet physically to the NFA office can become the common practice through other people doing it before, but is it actually the legal requirement? Thanks :).
Hi Ron, thanks for the comment. The official document says you need to take the pet to the office, it’s a requirement. I called the central office in Tbilisi right now to doublecheck and the lady also mentioned bringing a pet is a must. Also you can take them at a Kutaisi office and they’ll also issue the certificate there. Here is the address: Nikea’s 3rd dead end No 5. Approximate location on the map: https://goo.gl/maps/TMH6D9NTuizivYf77 Hope this helps and please let me know if you have more questions.
Hello again Baia, hope all is well :). Can you tell me the phone number for the agency that issues the pet export certificate? Thanks :).
Hi Gozo, according to their website this is the hot line: 1501