Adopting a dog from abroad: what you need to know

Yes, you can adopt a dog from Romania, Spain or further afield, and it's often a lovely story. But it takes preparation on both sides: a complete health file before departure, which varies from country to country, and once the dog lands, a welcome built on patience, because these dogs often arrive fearful and quite unused to family life.

Galgos, podencos and street dogs

Behind these adoptions there are very real dogs: Spanish galgos and podencos, abandoned in their thousands once the hunting season ends, or the street dogs and overcrowded shelter dogs of Romania. Offering them a home is generous, and it makes complete sense. A shelter dog from abroad arrives with a whole past behind them: often barely used to living in a house, and sometimes with no training foundations at all, even as an adult.

The health file: what changes from country to country

In practice, it's the shelter or the association in the country of origin that puts this file together with a vet, before the dog even hits the road. Your job: check that every document exists, that the dates follow each other in the right order, and get the French formalities started as soon as the dog arrives. The rules differ depending on whether the dog comes from a European Union country or from a third country (a country outside the European Union), a category that also includes some Balkan countries such as Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina, which many people assume are in the EU because they sit next door to Romania or Bulgaria.

France has been free of rabies since 2001. The real risk doesn't come from your local park, but from unvaccinated dogs brought in illegally: a rabies file in good order protects your dog, your family and everyone else. Once it declares itself, rabies is fatal and cannot be treated, which is why the requirements are so strict.

Category 1 dogs, banned from import

First of all, a ban that applies whatever the country of origin, Spain as much as Serbia: a mastiff-type dog with no LOF pedigree (close to a pitbull, a boerboel or a tosa) cannot enter France or be adopted there, even if its passport, health certificate and vaccinations are perfectly in order. It isn't a paperwork question: it's the dog itself that has been banned from import since 1999, with a penalty of up to six months in prison and a 15,000 euro fine. If the dog you want to adopt has that stocky, muscular build, ask a French veterinary practice for advice before you commit.

From a European Union country

These formalities are the baseline for any dog coming from a European Union country (Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and so on). Start them weeks ahead: some waiting periods simply cannot be shortened.

From a third country, outside the European Union

The microchip and the rabies vaccination stay compulsory, in the same order as for the EU. Depending on the country, one or two extra steps are added, and they need planning even further ahead.

These waiting periods aren't paperwork for the sake of it. At the border, a dog whose file isn't in order can be refused entry, placed in quarantine or sent back to the country of departure: always at your expense. That's another reason never to rush the schedule of vaccinations and blood tests.

For adopting a single dog for your family, you don't have to deal with the customs system for commercial imports (called TRACES): it only concerns movements of more than five animals or organised transports. If you go through an association that brings several dogs over at once, it's the association, or its carrier, that handles that part.

A dog arriving from abroad isn't automatically on the French identification database: he often stays linked to his country of origin's database. Within the seven days following his arrival, go to a vet in France: they will register your dog on the French database (I-CAD) in your name. That's what allows you to be contacted if your dog ever goes missing. The guide "Compulsory dog identification: microchip, tattoo and I-CAD" sets out this step in detail.

The diseases a dog from the south can carry

Welcoming a fearful, under-socialised dog

A dog who grew up in kennels, on the street or in an overcrowded shelter has often never learned, as a tiny puppy, to live inside a house, and has never met enough people, sounds or new situations. His fear isn't a character flaw or ingratitude: it's the symptom of something missing, and when a dog is afraid, his first reaction is to flee, not to attack. At the start, he isn't attached to you either: he relies only on himself. All of this can be worked on, and you have to accept that every dog has his own pace.

Choosing a serious association

Frequently asked questions

Updated on July 11, 2026·Sources