Pet transport from Vietnam to France
Moving a pet from Vietnam to France means meeting the European Union's non-commercial entry requirements from a non-listed origin. In practice that is the same framework used on other Asia-to-EU corridors: a correctly sequenced microchip and rabies vaccination, the mandatory waiting period after vaccination commonly published as 21 days, and an EU-format health certificate issued and endorsed within its own validity window. The Vietnamese side adds export clearance documentation, which has its own processing time and is the less predictable half of the plan. As with every EU entry, the sequencing constraint is what matters: the vaccination has to be old enough while the certificate has to be recent enough, so the paperwork has to be timed to the flight rather than gathered in advance and held.
Documentation requirements
- ✓ISO-compliant microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination.
- ✓Rabies vaccination given before EU entry, with the mandatory waiting period — commonly published as 21 days — fully elapsed on arrival.
- ✓EU-format health certificate completed and endorsed by an accredited Vietnamese veterinarian within the required pre-travel validity window.
- ✓Vietnamese export clearance documentation as required at the time of departure.
- ✓Confirmation of any destination-specific treatment requirement, such as tapeworm treatment for dogs, per current French and EU guidance.
- ✓Verify current rules: export conditions are set by Vietnam's Department of Animal Health, and entry conditions by French and EU authorities, with movements recorded through the EU TRACES system and national guidance published by ANSES.
Timeline
Plan for roughly four to six weeks door to door. The waiting period after rabies vaccination sets the floor and certificate endorsement processing on the Vietnamese side accounts for most of the variability. Export documentation timing in particular is not fixed, so confirm the current processing time with Vietnam's Department of Animal Health rather than working to a published range.
Crate & airline
IATA Live Animal Regulations crate sizing applies for hold travel, taken from the pet's own measurements. Cabin eligibility for small pets depends on the operating carrier's policy on this long-haul corridor and on the combined pet and carrier weight limit, both of which differ between airlines and can change between seasons.
What affects cost
As a long-haul corridor, cost reflects the pet's size and weight, crate requirements, veterinary documentation handling, and ground transport at both ends. A quote follows a review of the pet's current health and vaccination status rather than a published flat rate, since the documentation position materially changes the work involved.