India → Netherlands
Bringing your pet from India to the Netherlands
A dog or cat can absolutely come with you — but India is classified as a high-rabies-risk country by the EU, so the process is longer and more paperwork-heavy than most people expect. Plan for at least five months.
What you actually need to know
- India is not on the EU's list of low-risk third countries, so a rabies antibody (titer) test is required — and you must wait at least 90 days from the blood draw before travelling.
- Puppies and kittens must be at least 7 months old at travel (12 weeks vaccine age + 30 days to titer + 90-day wait).
- Your pet needs an EU Animal Health Certificate per journey. Non-EU residents cannot use EU pet passports.
- Schiphol is the Netherlands' designated travellers' point of entry for dogs and cats arriving from a high-risk third country — in practice, that is where you will land and clear customs.
- There is no quarantine on arrival if your paperwork and titer result are in order.
The timeline: five to six months, minimum
The single rule that drives the whole calendar is the rabies titer test: the blood draw must happen at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, and you must then wait at least 90 days from the blood draw before your pet enters the EU. There is no way to compress that window. Working backwards from your move date:
Month −7
Microchip (if not done already)
ISO-standard 15-digit microchip (ISO 11784 / 11785). The chip must be implanted before or on the same day as the rabies vaccination — a chip implanted later invalidates the vaccine for EU purposes.
Month −7
Rabies vaccination
Must be administered on or after the microchip date. The vaccine has to be at least 21 days old by the time your pet enters the EU, and within the validity window stated on its certificate.
Month −6
Rabies antibody (titer) test
Blood drawn at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination and sent to an EU-approved laboratory. The result must read at least 0.5 IU/ml. A failed result means re-vaccinating and re-testing.
Months −5 to −3
Mandatory 90-day waiting period
You must wait at least 90 days from the date of the successful blood draw before your pet may enter the EU. The clock runs in calendar days — not approximate months — and cannot be shortened.
Weeks −4 to −2
Book the airline pet slot
Pet slots are capped per flight and fill weeks ahead. Confirm in writing — a pet appearing only on a baggage note will be refused at the gate.
Day −7 to −10
AQCS NOC application
Submit documents and pet to the Animal Quarantine & Certification Service station (typically Mumbai or Delhi) about a week before embarkation. The NOC is typically issued within roughly five working days — apply 7–10 days ahead to leave a buffer.
Day −2 to −1
EU Animal Health Certificate
Issued by an authorised veterinarian and endorsed by the competent Indian authority (AQCS). Valid for 10 days from issue to first EU border check — get the timing right.
Travel day
Schiphol arrival + NVWA inspection
Declare your pet to Customs at Schiphol. NVWA inspects at Freshport (airside) and verifies microchip, certificate and titer. No quarantine if compliant.
What you actually file and carry
The paperwork stack is small but unforgiving — a single missing endorsement at Schiphol can lead to your pet being returned or held. The four documents that matter:
EU Animal Health Certificate
One per journey, valid for 10 days from issue. Lists the microchip code, vaccination details, blood sampling details and (where required) tapeworm treatment.
Rabies titer test result
Lab report showing antibody level ≥ 0.5 IU/ml, with the EU-approved lab named on the result. Carry the original.
AQCS NOC
No Objection Certificate from the Animal Quarantine & Certification Service station handling your departure airport. Five working days to issue; apply seven days before travel.
Microchip + vaccination records
Microchip ID, rabies vaccination certificate showing the date is after the microchip date, plus any other vaccinations recorded in the pet's regular health book.
What it actually costs
The honest range for moving a medium dog from India to the Netherlands is roughly ₹2.5 lakh to ₹7 lakh (about €2,800–€7,800), depending almost entirely on whether the pet flies in-cabin or as cargo, and whether you DIY the paperwork or hire a relocator. Cats are cheaper because they fit cabin weight limits more easily. The biggest single line item is almost always the flight.
Microchip
One-off, done in India
₹1,500 – 3,000
€17 – 34
Rabies vaccination
Routine vet fee
₹500 – 1,500
€6 – 17
Rabies titer test
EU-approved lab + sample shipping
₹10,000 – 30,000
€110 – 340
EU Animal Health Certificate
Authorised vet + AQCS endorsement
₹3,000 – 8,000
€34 – 90
AQCS NOC
Government processing fee
₹1,000 – 3,000
€11 – 34
Airline-approved carrier
Soft-sided cabin or IATA hard crate
₹5,000 – 30,000
€55 – 340
Flight: in-cabin
Up to ~8 kg total with carrier
₹30,000 – 50,000
€340 – 560
Flight: cargo (medium dog)
Larger dog with IATA crate
₹1,50,000 – 4,00,000
€1,700 – 4,500
Pet relocator (optional)
End-to-end coordination
₹1,00,000 – 2,50,000
€1,100 – 2,800
Typical range (medium dog)
₹2.5 – 7 L
€2,800 – 7,800
Conversions use a working EUR/INR rate — check the live mid-market rate on our remittance page before budgeting. The wide cost range reflects size category (a Labrador-sized dog rarely fits cabin limits, so cargo is mandatory) and the choice between DIY and a professional relocator like AnVis Pet Relocation, Carry My Pet or Tail Wind Global. Relocators typically add ₹1,00,000–₹2,50,000 but take the AQCS and airline coordination off your plate.
Airlines: cabin vs cargo
For a flight out of Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru into Amsterdam, the sensible shortlist is short:
KLM
Cabin up to 8 kg / cargo for larger dogs
Direct from Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru into Amsterdam. Cabin tickets are roughly €70–€500 per journey (pet and carrier together, up to ~8 kg). For larger dogs that need cargo, Air France–KLM Cargo's Animal Hotel handles the arrival end — confirm crate dimensions and the current weight limit on klm.com when booking.
Air India
Cabin up to 10 kg (carrier included)
Direct from Delhi to Amsterdam. The 10 kg cabin allowance is genuinely higher than KLM's — useful for borderline cats and small dogs. Cargo also available.
Lufthansa
Connection via Frankfurt or Munich
Lufthansa Cargo's Animal Lounge in Frankfurt is the largest in Europe and is sometimes a smoother cargo path than Amsterdam. Adds a transfer leg.
Request the pet slot when you book — airlines cap the number of pets per flight and these slots fill weeks ahead. Confirm a written booking with the airline at least 48 hours before departure; KLM and Air India both require formal confirmation rather than just a note on your ticket.
Arriving at Schiphol
Schiphol is the Netherlands' designated travellers' point of entry for dogs and cats arriving from a high-risk third country. In practice this means a direct route via Schiphol is simplest. If your itinerary connects through Frankfurt or Paris with a final leg to Eindhoven or Rotterdam, your pet still needs to clear customs at the first EU airport on the route — talk to your airline early about this. The Air France–KLM Cargo Animal Hotel at Schiphol handles unaccompanied cargo arrivals.
On arrival, declare your pet to Dutch Customs in the "goods to declare" channel. Customs and the NVWA (the Dutch food and consumer-product safety authority) verify the microchip, the health certificate, the rabies titer result and the timing relative to vaccination. Inspections happen at Freshport, the border inspection post on the airside of Schiphol. If everything checks out, your pet walks out with you — there is no quarantine.
The first weeks in the Netherlands
Within the first two weeks, find a Dutch vet (dierenarts) for a settle-in check and, if your microchip is not already in a Dutch-readable register, register it. Pet insurance is widely available — Petplan, ProteQ and OHRA are the names you will see most often, and a typical policy runs €15–€30 per month for dogs and €10–€20 for cats.
Most Dutch municipalities no longer charge hondenbelasting(the local dog tax), but a handful still do — check your gemeente's website. The Netherlands has been developing a High-Risk Dog Assessment (HHRA) framework for certain larger or higher-risk breeds; the rules are evolving and have not settled into a national breed-specific regime, so check your gemeente's current guidance if you are bringing a breed that might be listed.
Owning a pet in the Netherlands, monthly
Once the relocation is behind you, the ongoing monthly cost is the easier number. The Budget Planner has a pet toggle that adds typical NL running costs to your monthly total — roughly €160/month for a dog (food + vet + insurance + grooming) and €80/month for a cat.
Add a pet to your monthly budget →Official sources
Pet-import rules change. The links below are the authoritative ones we cross-checked when writing this guide — go to them before any final decision, and confirm directly with your authorised veterinarian and your airline.
This page is general information, not legal or veterinary advice. EU and Dutch pet-import rules change, and final entry decisions are at the discretion of NVWA inspectors. Always verify the latest requirements with NVWA, the European Commission's Pet Travel pages, your authorised veterinarian in India, and your airline before travelling.