Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636 of 20 March 2026 adopting lists of third countries or territories that comply with certain conditions for non-commercial movements of pet animals
Date: 2026-03-20
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Subjects: domestic animal, health certificate, live animal, rabies, surveillance concerning imports, third country, transport of animals, vaccination, veterinary inspection




L_202600636EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2026/636


27.3.2026







            COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2026/636
of 20 March 2026
         
adopting lists of third countries or territories that comply with certain conditions for non-commercial movements of pet animals
(Text with EEA relevance)


THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,


Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) (1), and in particular Article 253(1), point (d), thereof,

Whereas:







(1)


Regulation (EU) 2016/429 repeals Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) from 22 April 2026. Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 provides that the antibody titration test is not required for pet animals that are being moved into a Member State from a third country or territory to be listed by means of an implementing act adopted pursuant to Article 13 of that Regulation. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013 (3) established two lists in its Annex II. The first includes those third countries or territories that have demonstrated that they apply rules the content and effect of which are the same as those applied by Member States, and the second list includes those third countries or territories that have demonstrated that they meet at least the criteria laid down in Article 13(2) of Regulation (EU) No 576/2013. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705 (4) repeals Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013 from 22 April 2026.












(2)


Regulation (EU) 2016/429 lays down rules for the prevention and control of animal diseases that are transmissible to animals or to humans, including among other things, the animal health requirements applicable to non-commercial movements of pet animals into a Member State from another Member State or from a third country or territory.












(3)


Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 (5) supplements Regulation (EU) 2016/429 as regards animal health requirements for non-commercial movements of pet animals. Article 17(1) of that Delegated Regulation provides that pet dogs, pet cats or pet ferrets moved for non-commercial purposes into the Union from third countries or territories included in lists set out in the Annexes to this Regulation are not required to undergo a rabies antibody titration test. It is therefore appropriate to establish those lists in Annexes I and II to this Regulation.












(4)


Since the lists provided for in Article 17(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 and the requirements for being included in these lists are essentially the same as those provided for in Article 13(1) and (2) of Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, the lists of third countries or territories included in Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013 should be set out in this Regulation, and applicable from 22 April 2026 when Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013 is repealed and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 start to apply, so as to avoid any unnecessary disruptions to non-commercial movements of pet dogs, pet cats and pet ferrets.












(5)


Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1933 (6) provides for an exemption of certain non-commercial movements of pet birds, based on the origin of the pet birds, from the scope of application of that Regulation. In particular, it excludes the application of the provisions laid down in that Regulation to non-commercial movements of pet birds from a number of third countries or territories where those movements present only a minimal animal health risk to the Union. It also excludes non-commercial movements from Norway, which according to points 10 and 10a of Annex I to the EEA Agreement is not to be considered as a third country in respect of the application of Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 or Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013, from the scope of application of that Regulation. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 repeals Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1933 with effect from 22 April 2026. In order to avoid unnecessary disruptions to non-commercial movements of pet birds coming from third countries or territories considered as presenting a minimal health risk, it is appropriate to set out, in Annex III to this Regulation those same third countries or territories as falling under the derogation in Article 28 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 and ensure that non-commercial movements from those third countries or territories are exempted from certain species related animal health requirements as of 22 April 2026 when Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1933 is repealed and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 starts to apply.












(6)


Since Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 applies from 22 April 2026, this Regulation should enter into force as a matter of urgency and should also apply from 22 April 2026.












(7)


The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,





HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:



Article 1

Lists of third countries or territories referred to in Article 17(1), points (a) and (b), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131


1.   The list of third countries or territories referred to in Article 17(1), point (a), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 is set out in Annex I to this Regulation.


2.   The list of third countries or territories referred to in Article 17(1), point (b), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 is set out in Annex II to this Regulation.



Article 2

List of third countries or territories referred to in Article 28 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131

The list of third countries or territories referred to in Article 28 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 is set out in Annex III to this Regulation.


Article 3

Entry into force and application

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply from 22 April 2026.




This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 20 March 2026.


For the Commission


The President

Ursula VON DER LEYEN
            





(1)  
            OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj.

(2)  Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 on the non-commercial movement of pet animals and repealing Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 (OJ L 178, 28.6.2013, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/576/oj).

(3)  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013 of 28 June 2013 on the model identification documents for the non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets, the establishment of lists of territories and third countries and the format, layout and language requirements of the declarations attesting compliance with certain conditions provided for in Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 178, 28.6.2013, p. 109, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2013/577/oj).

(4)  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705 of 20 March 2026 establishing model identification documents and model declarations for non-commercial movements of pet animals (OJ L, 2026/705, 27.3.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/705/oj).

(5)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 of 20 January 2026 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council, as regards animal health requirements for non-commercial movement of pet animals (OJ L, 2026/131, 27.3.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2026/131/oj).

(6)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1933 of 14 July 2021 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to rules for non-commercial movements of pet birds into a Member State from a territory or a third country (OJ L 396, 10.11.2021, p. 4, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2021/1933/oj).




ANNEX I
List of third countries or territories referred to in Article 17(1), point (a), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131






ISO code


Third country or territory




AD


Andorra




CH


Switzerland




FO


Faroe Islands




GI


Gibraltar




GL


Greenland




IS


Iceland




LI


Liechtenstein




MC


Monaco




SM


San Marino




VA


Vatican City State









ANNEX II
List of third countries or territories referred to in Article 17(1), point (b), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131







ISO code


Third country or territory


Included territories




AC


Ascension Island


 




AE


United Arab Emirates


 




AG


Antigua and Barbuda


 




AR


Argentina


 




AU


Australia


 




AW


Aruba


 




BA


Bosnia and Herzegovina


 




BB


Barbados


 




BH


Bahrain


 




BM


Bermuda


 




BQ


Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (the BES Islands)


 




CA


Canada


 




CL


Chile


 




CW


Curaçao


 




FJ


Fiji


 




FK


Falkland Islands


 




GB


United Kingdom (1)



 




GG


Guernsey


 




HK


Hong Kong


 




IM


Isle of Man


 




JM


Jamaica


 




JP


Japan


 




JE


Jersey


 




KN


Saint Kitts and Nevis


 




KY


Cayman Islands


 




LC


Saint Lucia


 




MS


Montserrat


 




MK


North Macedonia


 




MU


Mauritius


 




MX


Mexico


 




MY


Malaysia


 




NC


New Caledonia


 




NZ


New Zealand


 




PF


French Polynesia


 




PM


Saint Pierre and Miquelon


 




SG


Singapore


 




SH


Saint Helena


 




SX


Sint Maarten


 




TT


Trinidad and Tobago


 




TW


Taiwan


 




US


United States of America


AS – American Samoa
GU – Guam
MP – Northern Mariana Islands
PR – Puerto Rico
VI – US Virgin Islands




VC


Saint Vincent and the Grenadines


 




VG


British Virgin Islands


 




VU


Vanuatu


 




WF


Wallis and Futuna


 






(1)  In accordance with the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 5(4) of the Windsor Framework (see Joint Declaration No 1/2023 of the Union and the United Kingdom in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 102, 17.4.2023, p. 87)) in conjunction with Annex 2 to that Framework, for the purposes of this Annex, references to the United Kingdom do not include Northern Ireland.





ANNEX III
List of third countries or territories referred to in Article 28 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131






ISO code


Third country or territory




AD


Andorra




CH


Switzerland




FO


Faroe Islands




GI


Gibraltar




GL


Greenland




IS


Iceland




LI


Liechtenstein




MC


Monaco




SM


San Marino




VA


Vatican City State







ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/636/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)