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Route guide

New York → Paris

Lead time: 45-day lead time
Total steps: 7
Difficulty: Moderate
New York → Paris

One of the smoothest transatlantic routes for pets: EU entry rules are well-defined, several carriers fly it non-stop, and a compliant dog or cat needs no quarantine on arrival in France.

What this route involves

Flying from New York to Paris means clearing France entry rules on arrival and meeting your airline’s own conditions on departure. Below are both, plus the order to do them in.

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Leaving United States

Requirements differ sharply depending on where your dog has been in the previous six months. Cats face no federal rabies requirement, though individual states may add their own.

See full entry rules
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Entering France

France applies the EU pet-travel scheme. From most countries your dog or cat needs an ISO microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and an EU animal health certificate; a rabies titer test is only required for animals arriving from certain non-listed countries.

European Commission — Movement of pets ·
See full entry rules

Airlines on this route

AF
Air France
In-cabin ✓ · from $200
UA
United Airlines
In-cabin ✓ · from $150

Airline rules stack on top of the country rules above. Confirm both before you book.

Your chronological checklist

Work backwards from your travel date. Start the earliest step first — some cannot be rushed.

  1. 1
    Implant an ISO 11784/11785 microchip
    22 days before travel

    It has to come first: every later certificate references this number, and a rabies shot given before the chip usually does not count.

  2. 2
    Rabies vaccination
    21 days before travel

    Must be given after the microchip and be valid on the day you travel. Most destinations also require a minimum of 21 days between the shot and entry.

  3. 3
    Book the flight and reserve the pet slot
    30 days before travel

    Airlines cap how many animals travel per flight. The pet slot runs out well before the seats do.

  4. 4
    Health certificate and official endorsement
    2 days before travel

    Issued by an accredited vet close to departure, then endorsed by your government authority. This endorsement cannot be done at the airport.

  5. 5
    Travel day
    Travel day

    Carry the originals plus copies of everything, arrive early, and keep the crate documents attached to the crate.

Build my France checklist