COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2026/133

of 20 January 2026

amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 as regards rules for the movement within the Union of kept dogs, cats and ferrets, and other carnivores

(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 the second subparagraph of Article 3(5), Article 136(2) and Article 140, point (a)(i) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)	Regulation (EU) 2016/429 lays down rules for the prevention and control of animal diseases that are transmissible to animals or to humans, including, inter alia, rules for movements within the Union of kept terrestrial animals.

(2)

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 (2) supplements the rules for the prevention and control of animal diseases transmissible to animals or to humans laid down in Article 5(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, as regards movements within the Union of kept terrestrial animals, including dogs, cats, ferrets and other carnivores.

(3)

For the purpose of movement within the Union, Article 53 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 requires operators to ensure that before dogs, cats and ferrets are moved they comply with certain requirements, inter alia, to be individually identified with an injectable transponder in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 (3), and be accompanied by an identification document referred to in that Delegated Regulation. They also have to ensure that the animals are duly vaccinated against rabies and in the case of dogs being moved to Member States that have a disease-free status from Echinococcus multilocularis, have been properly treated against that infestation.

(4)

When a non-commercial movement of pet dogs, pet cats or pet ferrets cannot be carried out in accordance with the conditions laid down in Article 245(2) or Article 246(1) and (2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, pet keepers are required to only move pet dogs, pet cats and pet ferrets if they fulfil the identification and risk-mitigation measures laid down in Article 55 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688.

(5)

Article 58 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 lays down the animal health requirements for the movement of other carnivores to another Member State. It requires operators to only move canidae to Member States with a disease-free status from Echinococcus multilocularis if they were properly treated against that parasite. It also requires operators to only move other carnivores if they have been subjected to risk mitigation measures for diseases other than infection with rabies virus and infestation with Echinococcus multilocularis.

(6)

Article 65 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 requires operators of travelling circuses and animal acts to only move dogs, cats and ferrets provided that the individual identification document for each dog, cat and ferret is duly completed with the information attesting compliance with the rules laid down in Article 53 of that Delegated Regulation.

(7)

The detailed requirements for the risk mitigation measures referred to in Articles 53, 55, 58 and 65 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688, including those for the validity of the anti-rabies vaccination for dogs, cats, ferrets and other carnivores and for the prevention measures for Echinococcus multilocularis are currently specified in Annex VII to that Delegated Regulation through cross-references to Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4), Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/772 (5) and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/878 (6).

(8)

Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, which lays down the rules for non-commercial movement of pet animals, was repealed by Article 270(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 as from 21 April 2021. However, Article 277 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 provides that notwithstanding that repeal, Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 is to continue to apply until 21 April 2026 in respect of non-commercial movements of pet animals, in place of Part VI of Regulation (EU) 2016/429.

(9)

The rules on validity requirements for anti-rabies vaccination laid down in Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, and on risk-mitigation measures for Echinococcus multilocularis laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/772 have proven to be effective in minimising the risk of the spread of listed diseases through the movement of dogs, cats and ferrets. Accordingly, the main provisions of those rules should be maintained in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688, as amended by this Regulation but updated to take account of the practical experience gained by Member States in their application. Therefore, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 should be amended by this Regulation to provide detailed rules for the validity of the anti-rabies vaccination for dogs, cats, ferrets and other carnivores and for the risk-mitigation measures for Echinococcus multilocularis when such animals are moved to another Member State.

(10)

As no risk mitigation measures for diseases other than infection with rabies virus and infestation with Echinococcus multilocularis have been adopted yet as provided by Regulation (EU) 2016/429 for the movement of other carnivores to another Member State, it is appropriate for certainty and clarity reasons to delete Article 58(1), point (e), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688.

(11)

Rules on the identification of dogs, cats and ferrets and on the documentation accompanying those animals when being moved between Member States, which are laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035, have been amended by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/132 (7). It is therefore necessary to amend Articles 53, 55 and 65 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 accordingly.

(12)

Article 71 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 requires operators moving certain kept terrestrial animals, including dogs, cats and ferrets, to be accompanied by an animal health certificate. This requirement should also apply to non-commercial movements of dogs, cats and ferrets kept as pet animals in households by pet keepers, that cannot be carried out in accordance with the conditions laid down in Article 245(2) or Article 246(1) or (2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429. It is therefore appropriate for clarity reasons to amend Article 71 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 accordingly.

(13)	As the transitional period related to the repeal of Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 is to cease to apply on 21 April 2026, this Regulation should enter into force as a matter of urgency and apply from 22 April 2026,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Amendments to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 is amended as follows:

(1)

Article 53 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 53

Requirements for the movement of dogs, cats and ferrets to other Member States

Operators shall only move dogs, cats and ferrets to another Member State when the following requirements are fulfilled:

(a)

the animals are individually identified:

either

(i)	by an injectable transponder implanted in accordance with Article 70 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 and complying with the requirements laid down in Article 70a of that Delegated Regulation; or

(ii)	by a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011;

(b)	the animals come from establishments in which infection with rabies virus in kept terrestrial animals has not been reported during the 30 days prior to the date of dispatch;

(c)

the animals have received a complete primary course of anti-rabies vaccination at least 21 days prior to the date of movement, or have been re-vaccinated against rabies, in accordance with the validity requirements set out in Part 1 of Annex VII; however, this requirement shall not apply to dogs, cats and ferrets moved in accordance with Article 54(1) and (2);

(d)

in the case of dogs moved to a Member State or zone thereof with a disease-free status from infestation with Echinococcus multilocularis, they have been subjected to the risk-mitigation measures for infestation with Echinococcus multilocularis in accordance with Part 2(1) of Annex VII within the required period set out in Part 2(2) of that Annex, prior to entering that Member State or zone; however, this requirement shall not apply to dogs moved in accordance with Article 54(2);

(e)	the animals are individually accompanied by an identification document provided for in Article 71(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035, which documents and certifies compliance with the requirements laid down in points (c) and (d);

(f)	animals that are assembled after leaving their establishment of origin, are assembled in assembly centres of dogs, cats and ferrets approved in accordance with Article 10 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035.’

;

(2)

Article 55 is amended as follows:

(a)

point (a)(i) is replaced by the following:

‘(i)	by an injectable transponder implanted in accordance with Article 70 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 and complying with the requirements laid down in Article 70a of that Delegated Regulation;’;

(b)

point (b) is replaced by the following:

‘(b)

the animals are each accompanied by an individual identification document referred to in Article 71(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 which documents that:

(i)

each animal has received a complete primary course of anti-rabies vaccination at least 21 days prior to the date of movement, or has been re-vaccinated against rabies, in accordance with the validity requirements set out in Part 1 of Annex VII; however, this requirement shall not apply to dogs, cats and ferrets moved in accordance with Article 56;

(ii)

in the case of dogs moved to a Member State or zone thereof with a disease-free status from Echinococcus multilocularis, they have been subjected to the risk-mitigation measures for infestation with Echinococcus multilocularis in accordance with Part 2(1) of Annex VII within the required period set out in Part 2(2) of that Annex, prior to entering that Member State or zone.’;

(3)

in Article 58, paragraph 1 is amended as follows:

(a)

point (d) is replaced by the following:

‘(d)

in the case of canidae moved to a Member State or zone thereof with a disease-free status from Echinococcus multilocularis, the animals have been subjected to the risk-mitigation measures for infestation with Echinococcus multilocularis in accordance with Part 2(3) of Annex VII to this Regulation within the required period set out in that Part, prior to entering that Member State or zone;’;

(b)	point (e) is deleted;

(4)

in Article 65(1), point (b)(i) is amended as follows:

‘(i)	the individual identification document for each dog, cat and ferret to be moved, as referred to in Article 71(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035, is duly completed with the information referred to in Article 53, points (b), (c) and (d) of this Regulation;’;

(5)

in Article 71, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:

‘1. Operators, or where applicable pet keepers, shall only move captive birds except racing pigeons to sporting events, honeybees, bumble bees except bumble bees from approved environmentally isolated production establishments, primates, dogs, cats, ferrets or other carnivores to another Member State if they are accompanied by an animal health certificate issued by the competent authority of the Member State of origin.’

;

(6)	Annex VII is replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

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 January 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) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council, as regards animal health requirements for movements within the Union of terrestrial animals and hatching eggs (OJ L 174, 3.6.2020, p. 140, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2020/688/oj).

(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 of 28 June 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards rules for establishments keeping terrestrial animals and hatcheries, and the traceability of certain kept terrestrial animals and hatching eggs (OJ L 314, 5.12.2019, p. 115, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2019/2035/oj).

(4) 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).

(5) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/772 of 21 November 2017 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to preventive health measures for the control of Echinococcus multilocularis infection in dogs, and repealing Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1152/2011 (OJ L 130, 28.5.2018, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2018/772/oj).

(6) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/878 of 18 June 2018 adopting the list of Member States, or parts of the territory of Member States, that comply with the rules for categorisation laid down in Article 2(2) and (3) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/772 concerning the application of preventive health measures for the control of Echinococcus multilocularis infection in dogs (OJ L 155, 19.6.2018, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2018/878/oj).

(7) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/132 of 20 January 2026 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 as regards rules for the traceability of kept dogs, cats and ferrets (OJ L, 2026/132, 27.3.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2026/132/oj).

ANNEX

‘ANNEX VII

VALIDITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ANTI-RABIES VACCINATION AND RISK-MITIGATING MEASURES FOR DISEASES OTHER THAN RABIES

Part 1

Validity requirements for anti-rabies vaccinations for dogs, cats, ferrets and other carnivores

The anti-rabies vaccine shall comply with the following requirements:

(a)

it must be a vaccine other than a live modified vaccine, and fall within one of the following categories:

(i)	an inactivated vaccine of at least one antigenic unit per dose; or

(ii)	a recombinant vaccine expressing the immunising glycoprotein of the rabies virus in a live virus vector;

(b)

where it is administered:

(i)	in a Member State, it has been granted a marketing authorisation in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1); or

(ii)

in a third country or territory, it has been granted an approval or a licence by the competent authority and it meets at least the requirements laid down in the relevant part of the chapter concerning rabies in the Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

An anti-rabies vaccination shall fulfil the following conditions:

(a)	the vaccine has been administered by an official veterinarian or an authorised veterinarian as defined in Article 2(1) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 (2), as decided by the competent authority;

(b)	the animal was at least 12 weeks old at the time of the primary vaccination;

(c)	the date of administration of the vaccine is indicated by a veterinarian referred to in point (a), in the appropriate section of the identification document referred to in Article 71(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035;

(d)	the date of administration referred to in point (c) does not precede the date of identification or the date of reading of the identification means indicated in the appropriate section of the identification document referred to in Article 71(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035;

(e)

the period of validity of the vaccination starts from the establishment of protective immunity, which shall not be less than 21 days from the completion of the vaccination protocol required by the manufacturer for the primary vaccination, and continues until the end of the period of protective immunity, as prescribed in the technical specifications of the marketing authorisation referred to in point 1(b)(i), or the approval or licence referred to in point 1(b)(ii) for the anti-rabies vaccine in the Member State or third country or territory where the vaccine is administered.

The period of validity of the vaccination shall be indicated by a veterinarian referred to in point (a) in the appropriate section of the identification document referred to in Article 71(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035;

(f)	a revaccination must be considered a primary vaccination if it was not carried out within the period of validity referred to in point (e) of the previous vaccination.

Part 2

Risk-mitigating measures for infestation with Echinococcus multilocularis

The treatment for infestation with Echinococcus multilocularis referred to in Article 53, point (d), and Article 55, point (b)(ii), shall be administered by a veterinarian and shall consist of a veterinary medicinal product:

(a)

which contains the appropriate dose of:

(i)	praziquantel; or

(ii)	other pharmacologically active substances, which alone or in combination, have proven to reduce the burden of mature and immature intestinal forms of Echinococcus multilocularis in dogs at least as effectively as praziquantel; and

(b)

which has been granted either:

(i)	a marketing authorisation in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council; or

(ii)	an approval or a licence by the competent authority in a third country.

The treatment referred to in point 1 shall have been administered within a period commencing not more than 120 hours and ending not less than 24 hours prior to the date of the scheduled entry into a Member State or zone thereof with a disease-free status from Echinococcus multilocularis.

For canidae other than dogs, the treatment referred to in Article 58(1), point (d), against infestation with Echinococcus multilocularis shall consist of a veterinary medicinal product referred to in point 1 and shall have been carried out no earlier than 48 hours prior to entry into a Member State or zone thereof with a disease-free status from Echinococcus multilocularis.

’

(1) Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on veterinary medicinal products and repealing Directive 2001/82/EC (OJ L 4, 7.1.2019, p. 43, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/6/oj).

(2) 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).