Q: We would like to bring our dog to Barcelona, but do not know what we need to do for it. Can you help?

A: There is a specific legislation regarding the non commercial transport of pets from one country to another. This legislation may vary depending on the country you come from. To bring your pet to Spain, you need to fulfil specific conditions and have specific official health documents with you for your pet. You will need to show this documentation at the border when entering the country. Make sure to inform yourself well at the Spanish embassy of your country to meet all the conditions and avoid your pet not being admitted to enter Spain.

Conditions you need to check are the following:

• your pet needs to have a microchip or tattoo for identification
• it needs to travel in a specific travel container
• your dog may need to wear a muzzle
• inform yourself if your dog is of the dog breeds considered as dangerous and what conditions you need to match in that case
• you need to have vaccinated your pet against rabies (make sure not to exceed the limit dates!)
• your pet needs a veterinary certificate issued by an officially recognised veterinarian (ask at the Embassy who to address to) which contains most of the necessary travel information for your animal: it identifies the owner or responsible person for the pet, the description of the origin of the animal, microchip or tattoo number, location and date of insertion, information on the rabies vaccine (make sure to check this point carefully with the Spanish Embassy).

Also inform yourself about the validity period of the veterinarian certificate and vaccines. The best thing is to ask for the guideline of conditions at the Embassy. In case your animal does not have a valid certificate its entry to Spain will be denied.

To help you find the Spanish Embassy of your country, please click on the following link:

Spanish Embassies in Europe, includes contact details

Bear in mind that in Spain many restaurants do not allow the entrance of pets and make sure that you find an appropriate accommodation where to stay with your pet.   Follow the link below for Pet Friendly Hotels

Pet friendly hotels in Barcelona