Health certificate for the transport of animals within the European Union or for the export to third countries

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Summary:

You must hold a health certificate for the transport of animals within the European Union and for their export to third countries.

In order to comply with animal health and welfare requirements, to ensure traceability and avoid the transmission of infectious diseases, a health certificate is required for the transport of animals abroad.

The transport of animals between EU Member States follows a harmonised procedure and has to be declared in the TRACES.NT system.

The export of animals from Luxembourg to a third country must be in accordance with the requirements set by the country of destination.

Applications for health certificates for the transport of animals have to be submitted to the Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration (Administration luxembourgeoise vétérinaire et alimentaire - ALVA).

Who is concerned

You must apply for a health certificate if you:

  • have cattle, sheep, goats, pigs or poultry; and
  • wish to transport these animals within the EU or export them to a third country.

If you wish to move a horse abroad, you must also apply for a health certificate except in the event of a veterinary emergency.

Pets (dogs, cats, ferrets) are only concerned in the case of commercial movements.

A commercial movement is any movement for the purpose of selling or transferring ownership of a pet animal. If there are more than 5 pets, even if the movement is not for a sale or a change of ownership, a health certificate must be drawn up. In the case of a commercial movement or export to a third country, please contact the Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA).

Prerequisites

 Before applying for a health certificate, you must ensure that:

  • animals of the following species: bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, poultry and equine animals to be exported are properly identified and that the farm in question is registered with the Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA) in the SANITEL system;
  • pet animals (dogs, cats, ferrets) are identified by an electronic chip and have a passport accompanying them on each journey;
  • the establishment at destination is correctly registered in the TRACES.NT system.

Moreover, you must ensure that the driver holds a professional certificate of aptitude for the transport of animals. Transporters must hold an authorisation for short routes (type 1) or long routes (type 2). For long routes (more than 8 hours), the means of transport must also be approved by ALVA. In addition, for long routes, you must draw up a route plan in the TRACES.NT system, except where registered horses are concerned.

Preliminary steps

Before applying for a health certificate for an EU country, you must create an account in the TRACES.NT system, to be validated by ALVA. This account allows you to register your applications in the TRACES.NT system.

The European Commission has published a guide called TRACES Toolkit, which contains the user manuals for the TRACES.NT system, how-to videos and templates.

If you do not intend to request health certificates on a regular basis, you are not required to create an account in the TRACES.NT system and you can directly address your request to ALVA.

Deadlines

To ensure that your requests are dealt with as efficiently as possible, you must send your export request to ALVA at least one working day before the planned date of transport.

For long routes (more than 8 hours), you must submit the application for a health certificate at least 2 working days before departure.

The certificate for cattle, sheep, goats and pigs can be validated within 24 hours before the animals' departure.

The certificate for poultry can be validated within 5 days before the animals' departure.

The certificate for horses can be validated within 48 hours before the animals' departure. For registered horses with an FEI or FLSE licence, the health certificate may be valid for 30 days.

How to proceed

Submitting the application

Transport to another EU Member State

You must submit the application for a health certificate for the transport of animals to another EU Member State via the TRACES.NT system.

If you do not have access to or do not have an account in the TRACES.NT system, you must submit your certificate application for the animal species concerned to the Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA).

You must send the application to export@alva.etat.lu, depending on the type of animal:

Please note that you must submit a duly completed application for each movement.

Transport to a third country

To transport animals to a third country (outside the EU), you must comply with the regulations laid down by the country of destination. It is essential to find out in advance about the specific health standards and requirements, which may vary from one country to another. The veterinary authorities of the destination country can provide the information required. You must submit your request to ALVA.

To obtain a health certificate for travel to a third country, please contact ALVA.

Conditions for granting

ALVA reviews the application in the light of the health requirements defined in accordance with the conditions laid down by the country of destination.

In accordance with the legislation in force, a clinical examination of each animal is carried out before departure to ensure that it is fit for transport, that there are no clinical signs of infectious disease and that the animals are correctly identified.

If the checks are satisfactory, the ALVA draws up the health certificate in the TRACES.NT system, which:

  • includes all the required travel information; and
  • serves as a means of communication with the authorities at the place of destination.

The health certificate is issued in paper or digital format. It must accompany the animal as it is being moved throughout the journey.

Conditions for refusal

The ALVA refuses to issue the certificate if the animal:

  • does not meet the required health conditions; or
  • is not fit for transport.

In this case, the animal cannot leave Luxembourg.

Online services and forms

Who to contact

Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA)

  • Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA)

    Address:
    7, rue Thomas Edison L-1445 Strassen Luxembourg
    Email address:
    info@alva.etat.lu

Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA)

  • Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA)

    Address:
    7, rue Thomas Edison L-1445 Strassen Luxembourg
    Email address:
    info@alva.etat.lu

Related procedures and links

Procedures

CITES permits for the import or export of protected species

Links

Further information

Legal references

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