The EU Animal Health Certificate (AHC), explained
The EU Animal Health Certificate (AHC) is the single document that lets a pet enter the European Union from the US. A USDA-accredited vet issues it and USDA APHIS endorses it. It is valid for 10 days to enter the EU, then covers onward travel within the EU for 4 months — and you need a fresh one for each trip.
What the AHC is — and its three windows
The EU uses one unified entry template across its member states (plus Norway and Switzerland). The AHC bundles the microchip, the in-date rabies vaccination, and the vet’s health attestation into one endorsed certificate.
Three time windows matter: rabies must be given after the microchip with a 21-day wait before the certificate; the endorsed AHC is valid for 10 days to enter the EU; and once inside, it covers movement between EU countries for 4 months and re-entry to the issuing logic for return travel.
Country-level traps inside the “unified” rules
The template is unified, but country-level details still bite. Dogs entering Finland, Malta, Ireland, Northern Ireland, or Norway need a praziquantel tapeworm treatment administered by a vet 24–120 hours before arrival — every entry. And some commonly-repeated “breed ban” claims are wrong (Italy, for instance, has no national breed ban), so verify against the destination, not a blog.
10 days from endorsement to enter the EU, then 4 months for onward travel within the EU. You need a new AHC for each separate trip.
No. Since Brexit, Great Britain runs its own rules (it is not on the EU AHC). Northern Ireland, however, follows EU rules. Treat GB and the EU as separate destinations.