Bringing your dog or cat to Iceland

Guided by a resident. Written by someone who has lived through Iceland’s systems, with help from people who pointed the way, and checked against official sources.

Last verified 7 September 2026 · mast.is

Animal imports are decided by Matvælastofnun (say: MAT-vy-la-STOV-nun), usually written as MAST. It is the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority. Not the immigration office, not the airline, not your vet at home. The rules and the forms are on the MAST import page, and MAST answers questions by email at petimport@mast.is.

Only dogs and cats are covered by these instructions. Other animals are a separate question — ask MAST before you promise anything to your family.

• You must apply to MAST for an import permit (innflutningsleyfi, say: IN-flut-nings-LAY-vee) before the animal travels. The permit comes first, not last.
• The animal must come from a country MAST has approved for export, or fit the special route for people who are moving (below).
• The animal must meet MAST's health conditions: vaccinations, a rabies antibody blood test, and parasite treatments, each with its own timing.
• The animal must stay two weeks in quarantine in Iceland after it arrives. Quarantine is not optional and there is no exception for a healthy, indoor, vaccinated pet.

MAST sorts approved export countries into two groups, based on rabies. Which group you are in changes how long the preparation takes.

• Category 1 — countries counted as free of rabies. The rabies antibody blood test must be taken at least 30 days after a valid rabies vaccination. Once the result is in, and everything else is done, the animal can travel without a further waiting period.
• Category 2 — countries where rabies exists but is well controlled. The same blood test applies, and then at least 90 days must pass from the day the blood sample was taken before the animal may enter Iceland.

MAST publishes the current country lists on its import page and revises them twice a year, so check the list on the day you plan, not a list someone posted in a group last year. Poland, Hungary, Canada and the USA are in category 2; most of the Nordic countries, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom are in category 1.

The animal must normally have been in an approved country in its category for the last six months before the move, or since birth.

There is a route for people who are actually moving, not for people buying an animal abroad. MAST may allow the import from a country that is not approved when both of these are true:

• You have owned and cared for the animal in that country for at least six months before the move, and
• you live in that country and are moving to Iceland and bringing the animal with you.

You must prove both with documents sent to MAST with the application, and the animal must then meet the health conditions for category 2, which for dogs also includes a canine influenza vaccination.

1. Microchip and rabies vaccination. The animal is identified and vaccinated against rabies. Everything after this is counted from that date.
2. Rabies antibody blood test. Taken at least 30 days after the vaccination, and analysed in a laboratory approved by the EU. If your country has no approved laboratory, the sample must be sent to one in another country. A test done at any other lab does not count.
3. The waiting period. Category 1: none, once the result is valid. Category 2: at least 90 days from the day the sample was taken.
4. Other vaccinations. Dogs and cats also need a leptospirosis vaccination at least 14 days before entering Iceland. The same 14-day rule applies to canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis, canine parvovirus and canine parainfluenza. If a vaccination course has to be restarted, leptospirosis needs two doses three to four weeks apart — that alone can add a month.
5. Two parasite treatments. One 21–28 days before travel and one 5–10 days before travel. One treatment is not enough, because a single dose does not reliably clear every stage of a parasite.
6. The certificate. Your vet completes the MAST certificate for your animal and country group (the C and D guidance notes on the MAST site). Print the guidance notes and go through them with your vet line by line.

Every one of these steps has a date attached. A move fails far more often on a date than on a missing document.

• The animal goes straight to an approved quarantine station for two weeks. You book that place in advance; places are limited and are taken early in busy months.
• Animals may only arrive at the quarantine station on set days, between 06:00 and 17:00. If your flight lands outside that window, you must agree it with the quarantine station beforehand.
• MAST does not arrange the flight. Ask the airline directly how it carries animals, and what it needs from you.
• Budget for the quarantine stay and the tests. We do not print prices, because they change and depend on the animal and the station — ask the station and your vet for a current quote in writing.

Still planning? Before you move. Just arrived? Starting out in Iceland.

Rules and country lists change. Before you act, open mast.is and read the guidance notes for your own country group.