Pets & Vehicle Relocation to Germany

When UAE families ask what is most complicated about a move to Germany, it is rarely the furniture. The family dog and the car are the two things that generate the most questions — because both are subject to EU entry requirements that are specific, non-negotiable and not always obvious from the outside. Seemleius coordinates both as a managed part of your move on the UAE–Germany corridor. The earlier you raise them, the better the outcome.

Pet relocation to Germany

Germany applies the EU’s third-country pet entry rules, which are detailed and strictly enforced. For animals coming from the UAE — a third country in EU terminology — the requirements are not onerous but they are time-sensitive: each step has to be completed in the correct order, and some steps carry fixed waiting periods that cannot be shortened. Miss a step or get the sequence wrong, and the animal cannot enter at the German border.

The core sequence for a dog or cat travelling from the UAE to Germany is: ISO-compliant microchip first, primary rabies vaccination after the chip (never before), a rabies serology blood test (FAVN titer) at an EU-approved laboratory at least thirty days after vaccination, and then a mandatory three-month wait from the date of the qualifying blood draw before entry. An EU Animal Health Certificate is issued by an official UAE veterinarian within ten days of travel, and the animal must enter Germany through a designated Travellers’ Point of Entry where the documentation is checked.

Some German Bundesländer also apply breed-specific rules — the Hundeschein (dog ownership permit) is required in several states for listed breeds, and local authorities may require additional registration or muzzle obligations on public transport. We brief you on the rules that apply in your destination Land.

• UAE microchip, rabies vaccination and FAVN titer sequencing planned with full lead time — typically four to five months before travel
• EU Animal Health Certificate issued in the UAE within ten days of departure
• Approved air route from DXB into a German Travellers’ Point of Entry, with handlers who understand EU animal welfare standards
• Land-specific guidance on the Hundeschein, breed lists and Anmeldung-linked dog tax (Hundesteuer) where applicable

Vehicle shipping to Germany

Shipping a car from the UAE to Germany involves more than the freight. There is UAE export documentation, EU import treatment, German registration requirements, environmental zone compliance and a technical inspection — the Einzelabnahme TÜV — for vehicles that did not originally meet European type approval. We handle the logistics chain and ensure the documentation is in order; we are also straightforward about the duty, registration and inspection costs so there are no surprises on arrival.

The treatment of the vehicle at the German Zoll depends on whether it qualifies as Übersiedlungsgut. A vehicle owned and used by the owner for at least six months before the move, and which the owner will continue to use in Germany, can usually be imported under transfer-of-residence relief and exempted from the 10% EU import duty and the 19% German VAT. The Form 0350 declaration covers the vehicle alongside the household. Without that relief, duty and VAT are payable on the customs value.

Once cleared, the vehicle goes to a TPS-approved testing station for the Einzelabnahme — the individual type-approval inspection that confirms the car meets German technical, emissions and safety standards. Original UAE-specification headlights, side markers and emissions equipment frequently need to be adjusted or replaced to pass. After the Einzelabnahme, the vehicle is registered at the local Zulassungsstelle: KFZ-Steuer (motor vehicle tax) is assessed, third-party insurance is registered, the licence plates are issued, and the Umweltplakette environmental sticker is applied for entry to the low-emission zones that cover almost every German city centre.

• Container or roll-on roll-off freight booked from Jebel Ali into Hamburg or Bremerhaven
• UAE export and German Zoll import documentation prepared — including the Form 0350 Übersiedlungsgut application for the vehicle where the relief applies
• Einzelabnahme TÜV inspection coordinated post-clearance, with guidance on the modifications typically required for UAE-spec vehicles
• Zulassungsstelle registration, Umweltplakette and KFZ-Steuer handled so the car is road-legal at delivery

How it works

1. Tell us what is moving. The pet (species, breed, size) and / or the vehicle (make, model, year, current emissions specification), plus your anticipated move dates.
2. Map the requirements. We set out the EU entry sequence for the pet and the German import, TÜV and registration sequence for the vehicle — including lead times and waiting periods that cannot be compressed.
3. Coordinate the journeys. Pet travel via an approved DXB route and vehicle freight via Jebel Ali are booked and aligned with your household shipment so arrivals are sequenced sensibly.
4. Keep you informed. Your coordinator updates you through each stage — UAE titer results, German Zoll clearance, TÜV appointment, Zulassungsstelle registration — so you know where the pet and the car are at all times.

EU pet entry requirements in particular reward early action — the three-month post-titer wait alone fixes the earliest possible travel date, and there is no mechanism to shorten it. Get in touch as soon as you have a move date and we will map out the full timeline for both.