Spain is visible from the beach at Tangier, and your dog is still legally four months away. Morocco is an unlisted third country under the EU pet rules, which means the full sequence applies: microchip, rabies vaccination, a titre test at …
In short:
Preparing to move a pet from Morocco to Spain
typically takes around 18-22 weeks.
There is no routine quarantine on arrival for compliant pets.
A rabies titre test is required, which adds a fixed waiting period, so start early.
Regulations checked
Prepared and reviewed by Pet Transport Global Editorial Team
Step by step
The Morocco to Spain pet import process
Each step must be completed in a precise sequence. Start early. We manage every stage and deadline.
1
Microchip, then rabies vaccination (12 weeks of age minimum)
Responsible: Your veterinarian in Morocco
The chip must precede the vaccination.
2
Titre blood draw, couriered to an EU-approved laboratory abroad
Responsible: Your vet + EU-designated laboratory
At least 30 days after vaccination. Morocco's lapsed lab designation means the sample almost always travels.
3
3-month wait from the date the blood was drawn
Responsible: Fixed waiting period
Fixed by EU law. Entry before it ends is refused.
4
Choose the crossing: ferry to Algeciras or Tarifa, land border at Ceuta or Melilla, or fly
Responsible: You
All named crossings are authorised travellers' points of entry.
5
ONSSA certificate and EU-model health certificate
Responsible: ONSSA official veterinarian
In the final days; ferry operators want a certificate under 10 days old.
6
Declare the pet to the Guardia Civil at the entry point
Responsible: You + Resguardo Fiscal de la Guardia Civil
Documentary and identity check on arrival.
Requirements
What your pet needs to enter Spain
Every item below must be in place before your pet can travel. We manage and verify each one.
Microchip
Required (ISO 11784/11785), implanted before the rabies vaccination.
Rabies vaccination
Required, pet at least 12 weeks old at vaccination.
Rabies titre test
Required. Morocco is an unlisted third country. Blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination, tested at an EU-approved laboratory, result at least 0.5 IU/ml, then a 3-month wait from the sample date. Morocco's own ONSSA lab in Rabat is on the EU list but its designation expired in 2018, so samples are generally tested abroad.
Quarantine
No quarantine for pets completing the full sequence. Non-compliant animals can be refused, returned or held.
Import permit
Not required. The EU third-country Animal Health Certificate plus owner declaration is the document set.
Health certificate
Required. EU-model certificate signed by a Moroccan official veterinarian, presented at the Spanish entry point with the titre report and vaccination record.
Export permit (Morocco)
Official veterinary certificate through ONSSA (Office National de Securite Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires), confirming microchip, rabies vaccination and health, aligned to the EU entry model.
Costs
What this route typically costs
Ferry fares across the Strait start around 25 euros one way, with operator-dependent pet supplements
Titre test with international sample courier (no valid EU-designated lab currently operates in Morocco)
ONSSA certification and vet fees
Royal Air Maroc pet fees by weight and destination if flying
IATA crate for hold or cargo travel
Critical points to read before you book
Morocco's EU-designated titre laboratory (ONSSA Rabat) has a lapsed designation: approved 2017, expired 2018 on the EU's own list. Plan for the blood sample to be tested at an EU-approved lab abroad, and add courier time.
The 3-month wait runs from the blood draw date and cannot be shortened. From a standing start this is a 4-to-5-month corridor despite the 14-kilometre crossing.
Mid-June to mid-September the Strait crossings run at capacity during the Operacion Paso del Estrecho; pet spaces and kennels book out, and summer heat embargoes bite on air cargo. Shoulder seasons are far easier.
Airlines
Carriers approved for this route
Not all airlines accept live animals on this route. We know which carriers to use and how to book.
ROYAL AIR
Royal Air Maroc
Cabin for pets up to 8kg including container (max 55x40x20cm, one per passenger); larger animals as checked baggage in the hold, heaviest consignments as cargo. Brachycephalic breeds excluded from the hold; pets banned entirely on Bilbao flights. Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga arrivals are all authorised entry points.
Tanger Med to Algeciras and Tangier to Tarifa crossings carry pets, including with foot passengers. Dogs and cats must be leashed and muzzled in public areas; some vessels provide kennels; pet owners disembark last. Operators ask for vaccination records and a health certificate under 10 days old.
Cabin and Cargo
Crossing the Strait with a pet
The ferry is how most pets make this move. Balearia, FRS, Naviera Armas and AML all carry animals on the Tanger Med to Algeciras and Tangier to Tarifa crossings, and foot passengers can bring pets too; you do not need a car. The operators’ rules are consistent: dogs and cats leashed and muzzled in public areas, kennels available on some vessels, pet owners disembark last, and paperwork including a health certificate under 10 days old checked at boarding. Fares start around 25 euros plus a pet supplement.
Both ferry ports land at authorised travellers’ points of entry, where you declare the pet to the Guardia Civil for its documentary and identity check. The land borders at Ceuta (El Tarajal) and Melilla (Beni Enzar and Farkhana) are also named entry points, worth knowing for northern Morocco residents, and remember that entering Ceuta or Melilla already means entering the EU with the full document set.
Flying works too: Royal Air Maroc takes pets up to 8kg including container in the cabin and larger animals in the hold, into Madrid, Barcelona or Malaga, all authorised entry airports. Two RAM quirks: brachycephalic breeds are excluded from the hold, and pets are banned entirely on its Bilbao flights.
The titre problem, and how to sequence it
Everything waits on the blood. The sample can only be drawn 30 days or more after the rabies vaccination, must reach 0.5 IU/ml at an EU-approved laboratory, and starts a 3-month clock from the draw date, not the result date. With no currently designated lab inside Morocco, your vet ships the sample to Europe, so allow two to four extra weeks for courier and lab turnaround on top of the fixed waits.
The one mercy: a passing titre does not expire while the rabies vaccination is kept continuously current. A dog that did this sequence for an earlier EU trip, with boosters never lapsed, can cross on its existing result without repeating the wait. For first-timers, start the microchip and vaccination the day the move becomes likely, and treat the summer crush on the ferries (mid-June to mid-September, when the Strait moves millions of travellers) as a reason to aim for spring or autumn.
FAQ
Common questions about Morocco to Spain pet transport
Yes. Morocco is an unlisted third country under the EU rules, so a rabies titre test at an EU-approved laboratory is mandatory: blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination, a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, then a 3-month wait from the draw date before entry. The result stays valid for life if the rabies boosters never lapse.
Effectively no. The ONSSA laboratory in Rabat appears on the EU’s designated list but its approval expired in October 2018 and has not been renewed, so samples are couriered to an EU-approved laboratory abroad. Budget two to four weeks for shipping and turnaround on top of the fixed waiting periods.
Yes. Balearia, FRS, Naviera Armas and AML carry pets on the Tanger Med-Algeciras and Tangier-Tarifa crossings, including for foot passengers. Pets must be leashed and muzzled in public areas, some vessels provide kennels, and owners disembark last. Bring the full document set including a health certificate under 10 days old; both ports are authorised entry points with a Guardia Civil check.
Four to five months from a standing start: vaccination, the 30-day wait, the blood draw with its overseas lab logistics, then the fixed 3-month wait from the draw date. The crossing itself takes an hour. A pet with a still-valid titre from earlier EU travel can go much sooner.
No, not for a pet that completed the full sequence: microchip, vaccination, passing titre, the 3-month wait and the EU-model certificate. A non-compliant animal at the border can be refused, sent back or held at the owner’s expense, so the sequence is worth doing properly the first time.