France is one of the most requested European moves for Canadian owners, and most pets land at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG). Montreal is often the smoothest origin thanks to direct routes, with strong options from Toronto and Vancouver too. Because Canada is an EU-listed country, a properly prepared pet enters with no quarantine and no rabies titer test. One coordinator handles the whole journey from your Canadian city: the CFIA-endorsed EU health certificate, the crate, and the routing into Paris.
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because timelines, airline rules, and the EU’s entry requirements can vary, we build a plan that fits your pet and your move date.
We use France’s official EU import guidance as the baseline, then turn it into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Getting a pet into France means following the EU sequence in one fixed order: the microchip goes in first, the rabies vaccination next, a minimum 21-day wait, then the EU health certificate issued and CFIA-endorsed within 10 days of departure. Every date is tied back to your Paris arrival. Here is what we lock in for your France move:
To keep everything clear, we break the process into steps:
We confirm what rules apply based on your pet and travel details.
We map out what happens when, so steps are completed in the right order.
We help keep appointments and timing aligned with what’s required.
We check the details that cause delays (microchip digits, dates, names, signatures).
We help align crate setup and routing with airline handling expectations.
We guide you on travel-day handoff and what to expect on arrival.
We keep your checklist aligned with the official rules. For the Canadian export side, we follow the CFIA guidance for Canada to France travel. For EU entry rules, we follow the European Commission guidance on moving pets.
Most France moves fly into Paris Charles de Gaulle, with cargo service from Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Montreal is often the smoothest origin for France thanks to direct routings. Arrival clearance happens at the CDG animal station before your pet continues home by road, whether that is Paris, Lyon, or the south.
French border control checks your pet’s chip and documents at Paris on arrival, and a complete file means no quarantine. When pets are held, it is nearly always a paperwork slip: a chip number that does not match across forms, a rabies vaccination logged before the chip, or a certificate endorsed too early or too late. We prepare the whole sequence in reverse from the flight date, so your pet clears CDG and continues by road to its new home.
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what applies to your pet against the current EU entry rules and with the CFIA, so nothing in your plan is based on outdated summaries.
France uses the standard EU entry file, and the steps stack in order. Your pet needs an ISO microchip before any rabies shot, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days ahead of travel, and an EU animal health certificate drawn up within 10 days of arrival and endorsed by the CFIA. Pets coming directly from Canada do not need a rabies titer. We verify every name, date, and chip number against the certificate before submission.
A straightforward move to France takes about four to six weeks when the rabies vaccination is current, and closer to three months if the shot must be redone, because the 21-day wait restarts. The health certificate drives the final stretch: it must be issued and CFIA-endorsed within 10 days of arrival, so we line up the last vet visit and the CDG flight together. Around peak season and winter embargo windows we book early, since animal space on Paris routes tightens fast.
Montreal Trudeau usually offers the most direct routings to Paris, with Toronto Pearson and Vancouver close behind. We arrange ground transport to the departure airport from any other Canadian city.
A CFIA endorsed EU animal health certificate issued within 10 days of arrival, with the microchip, rabies vaccination, and exam records all matching the chip number. We prepare the file and book the endorsement so the dates line up.
An ISO microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old on arrival, and the EU health certificate. No quarantine and no titer test for direct arrivals from Canada. Category 1 and 2 dog rules apply to a small set of breeds, which we confirm first.
Spring and fall are easiest. In winter we plan around Canadian cold weather embargoes at the origin, and in summer we book cooler departure and arrival windows, especially for snub nosed breeds.
Every quote is built for your pet and route. The main components are the EU certificate and CFIA endorsement, airline cargo into Paris, the travel crate, and door to door ground service on both ends. Request a quote and we price the full journey up front.
One coordinator owns your file from the first call to delivery: vet scheduling, the EU certificate, CFIA endorsement, crate sizing, flight booking, CDG clearance, and delivery to your door.
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