Pet Transport Argentina to France: 2026 Guide

The EU maintains a list of countries whose animal health standards are equivalent to EU requirements for pet travel purposes. Argentina is on that list, alongside Chile and Mexico in Latin America. Colombia and Peru are not.

For a pet travelling from Buenos Aires to Paris, listed status means the FAVN titre test is not required. Neither is the blood sampling nor the 3-month wait from sampling date. The five-month preparation window that Colombian and Peruvian owners must plan for does not apply.

What remains is straightforward: an ISO microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination, a current rabies vaccination with the 21-day post-primary wait satisfied, and the SENASA-endorsed EU-format certificate issued within 10 days of travel. French customs at CDG checks these three items on arrival. If they are correct, clearance proceeds without quarantine.

The financial saving is also real: no titre test laboratory fee of EUR 85-170, and months of planning time returned to you.

SENASA (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agraria) is Argentina’s government agricultural and food safety authority. The SENASA endorsement is what converts your vet’s health certificate into a document that French customs will accept. Without it, the certificate has no official standing at the EU border.

The endorsement is obtained at the SENASA Lazareto Capital Quarantine Station in Buenos Aires, or at a regional SENASA office. The key point is that SENASA endorsement is not always same-day processing. Allow at least one to two days between your vet appointment and the endorsement, and plan so that both the certificate issuance and the endorsement fall within the 10-day pre-travel window.

A well-run pet relocation agent with Argentina experience will schedule this correctly. If you are managing it yourself, book the vet appointment about five to seven days before travel. That leaves room for SENASA to process the endorsement and still land within the 10-day validity.

France classifies dogs into two categories under its breed restriction law. Category 1 covers attack dogs without official breed registration (LOF or FCI pedigree) - predominantly Pit Bull type dogs. Category 1 dogs cannot be imported into France under any circumstances.

Category 2 covers guard and defence dogs including Rottweiler and American Staffordshire Terrier with pedigree. These can enter France but require a muzzle and leash in public, and the owner must hold liability insurance.

Dogo Argentino, Argentina’s national breed, is not on France’s Category 1 or Category 2 federal lists. Owners of Dogo Argentinos can move to France without the breed-specific restrictions that apply to Germany’s Bavaria or Spain’s PPP regime. Confirm the current status with French customs before travel, as regulations can change.

For all other breeds, the standard import process applies: microchip, vaccination, SENASA certificate.