Importing a French Bulldog from Sweden: EU, UK, US and UAE

Start with the official source

Import rules are set by each destination country and are updated regularly. Treat this guide as a map of what to ask about, and confirm every requirement with the authority in your country and with the airline before you fix a date.

• Sweden (export side): the Swedish Board of Agriculture, Jordbruksverket.
• United Kingdom: gov.uk and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
• United States: the CDC for dog entry, and USDA APHIS for health certificates.
• United Arab Emirates: the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE).
• Other countries: the national veterinary or food authority.

Everything below reflects the general rules as we understand them in October 2026. Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Always check the official source.

Documents most destinations ask for

Whatever the destination, a few documents come up again and again. Most of them are prepared in Sweden before the puppy leaves.

• Microchip (ISO standard), implanted before the rabies vaccination.
• Rabies vaccination, given from 12 weeks of age and recorded with the chip number.
• EU pet passport, issued by a Swedish vet, listing chip and vaccinations.
• Official health certificate for the destination, signed by an authorised vet.
• Proof of other treatments where required, such as tapeworm treatment.
• Pedigree or registration papers. These are not import documents, but you will want them. See registries.

Within the EU

Moving a puppy between EU countries is the most straightforward case. The base is a microchip, an EU pet passport and a valid rabies vaccination. The vaccination is given from 12 weeks and becomes valid after 21 days, so travel is possible from about 15 weeks.

When a puppy is sold to a new owner in another country, the move is usually treated as a commercial movement rather than a pet travelling with its owner. Commercial movements generally need an official animal health certificate issued through the EU's TRACES system by the Swedish authorities, and the arrival may be checked at the destination.

Finland, Ireland and Malta require a treatment against the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, given by a vet shortly before arrival and recorded in the passport. Norway, which is outside the EU but follows similar rules, requires the same.

Commercial movement rules and timing windows differ in detail between countries. Check with the authority in your country.

United Kingdom

Since Brexit, Great Britain treats dogs from the EU under its own rules. A puppy sold to a UK buyer is generally a commercial import, which usually means a microchip, a rabies vaccination given from 12 weeks with a 21-day wait, a tapeworm treatment before arrival, an export health certificate and advance notice of the import through the UK system.

The UK has also legislated to raise the minimum age for importing dogs to six months. Whether and from when this applies to your puppy depends on how the rules are brought into force, so check gov.uk early in your planning. If it applies, the puppy will stay with us longer and travel later.

Northern Ireland follows different rules from Great Britain. Check which rules apply to your address.

United States

Since August 2024 the CDC has applied stricter rules to every dog entering the US. Dogs must currently be at least six months old, carry an ISO microchip and have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt completed before travel. Additional requirements apply depending on where the dog has been in the previous six months.

Sweden is generally regarded as free from dog rabies, which keeps the paperwork simpler than from high-risk countries, but the six-month minimum age still means a later homecoming than within Europe. A puppy imported for resale falls under separate USDA rules.

US entry rules have changed several times in recent years. Read the current CDC requirements before you plan dates.

UAE and the Gulf

In the United Arab Emirates an import permit from MOCCAE is issued before the puppy travels. A rabies vaccination is required, and depending on the country of origin a rabies antibody blood test (titre test) at an approved laboratory may also be needed, which adds weeks to the timeline.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman each set their own rules for permits, minimum age and approved entry points. The airline matters as much as the permit: several carriers on Gulf routes restrict snub-nosed breeds in the hold or limit pets in the cabin.

Gulf rules and airline policies vary and change. Confirm the permit, any titre test and the airline route before anything else.

Airlines and snub-nosed breeds

Many airlines do not accept French Bulldogs in the cargo hold because short-nosed breeds handle stress and heat less well. We do not send French Bulldogs in the hold. Puppies travel in the cabin with a flight nanny, by car or are collected in Stockholm. Read how cabin travel with a flight nanny works.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Booking flights before the minimum age and the vaccination dates are confirmed.
• Assuming the rules for travelling with your own pet apply to buying a puppy. A sale is usually a commercial movement with stricter paperwork.
• Missing the time window for the tapeworm treatment, which is often only a few days before arrival.
• Choosing an airline route that does not accept snub-nosed breeds or pets in the cabin.
• Forgetting a permit or form that must be issued in your own country before departure.

Planning backwards from the earliest legal travel date, with a little margin, avoids most of these.

Who does what

We prepare everything that starts in Sweden: microchip, vaccinations, EU pet passport, the veterinary health certificate and the export side of the paperwork. You handle what is issued in your own country, such as an import permit, an import form or advance notification, and you register the dog with your local authorities after arrival.

1. Check your country's current rules and the minimum age.
2. Apply and tell us where you live, so we can plan the timeline from the start.
3. Apply for any permit or form your country requires.
4. Agree the travel option and date with us. See delivery.
5. Receive the puppy, keep all documents together and book your own vet in the first week.

For the journey itself, from the travel day to the first night, read travelling home with your puppy.