Pet Transport from the Netherlands to Portugal

Portugal’s border rules for pets arriving from the Netherlands come down to one document: the EU Pet Passport. Issued by any NVWA-authorised vet in the Netherlands, it records your pet’s ISO microchip number, vaccination history, and parasite treatment history.

Portuguese veterinary officials from DGAV (Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária) may check it on arrival. The check is brief and routine if everything is in order.

The vaccination must be current and valid for at least 21 days. If you are travelling with a cat and realise the booster was due last month, get the booster first and then wait three weeks before booking flights.

Three airlines stand out on this route. TAP Air Portugal and KLM both fly direct from Amsterdam Schiphol to Lisbon and Porto. Both accept cabin pets (up to 8kg including carrier) and have cargo options for larger dogs.

Transavia covers the same route at lower fares and accepts cabin pets on most European services. It also serves Faro, which is useful if you are heading to the Algarve.

The budget carriers – Ryanair in particular – dominate Amsterdam-Lisbon fares but accept no pets. Worth knowing before you start price comparisons.

At Lisbon Humberto Delgado and Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro airports, arriving pets may be directed to the DGAV inspection point. Have the EU Pet Passport open and ready. The microchip may be scanned.

If you are heading through the Algarve via Faro, the same process applies there. Faro is a smaller airport but the pet entry rules are identical.

Portugal is a pet-friendly country by European standards. You will find dogs welcomed in most outdoor restaurants, many parks, and a good number of accommodation options.