Health Regulations for Animals on Entry
For those who wish to bring domestic animals into the country the following are required:
You will need to contact the nearest office of Department of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and arrange for an export licence for the pet.
Details of local offices can be found on
www.defra.gov.uk or you can phone their Pet Travel Helpline on 0870 241 1710 Monday to Friday, 08.30 – 17.00.
- A 'Certificate of Origin' giving the health record of the animal.
- A 'Certificate of Health', The Licence has to be stamped by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London within four days of pet travel date. Ignore instructions to also obtain stamp from Turkish Consulate. They stopped stamping these licences in 2003 but, as of May 2004, DEFRA were still saying the stamp had to be obtained.
Note: If you have an official certificate, you may bring one cat, one bird, one dog and 10 aquarium fish into the country.
Health Regulations for Animals on Exit
If you wish to take your pet with you when leaving Turkey there are some legal procedures you should bear in mind. First check with the consulates of your transit and final destination countries for their regulation regarding pets then;
- Apply to the Mayor Office (Belediye) asking for "Mense Belgesi" (certificate of origin).
This document officially certifies that no rabies and epidemic diseases have been present at your area.