The EU pet passport is the standard document for moving a pet between EU countries, including into Germany, issued only to EU-resident owners by an authorised vet, recording the microchip and vaccination history and staying valid for the pet's life as long as the vaccination record stays current.

Travellers from a non-EU country generally need to use an authorised entry point, where German border staff check the microchip against the paperwork, and must carry a valid EU animal health certificate plus a written declaration, rather than a pet passport — the BMLEH's (formerly BMEL's) own entry-regulation guidance sets this out under Regulation (EU) 2026/705. Countries with close travel ties to the EU — Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and several others — are exempt from the authorised-entry-point requirement specifically.

Depending on the country of departure, a rabies antibody titre blood test may also be required, and the same five-pets-per-person cap and tapeworm-treatment rules that apply across the EU apply at the German border too — the tapeworm treatment itself is only required when travelling onward into Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway or Northern Ireland, not for entry into Germany itself.