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 separate services alongside 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, then rabies vaccination after the chip (never before), with a first vaccination given at least 21 days before travel. 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.

Certain dangerous dog breeds cannot be brought into Germany at all, so check your dog’s breed early. 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 health-certificate timing planned with full lead time 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 private vehicle registered in the owner’s name in the UAE, owned and used 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, provided the owner has lived outside the EU for at least 12 months. Commercial vehicles are excluded. 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 an officially recognised testing station for the Einzelabnahme — the individual 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 (Umweltzonen) in many German cities.

• Container freight, or roll-on roll-off where a sailing is available, booked into Hamburg or Bremerhaven from a port outside the Strait of Hormuz
• 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
• Guidance on Zulassungsstelle registration, the Umweltplakette and KFZ-Steuer, so you know what the car needs to become road-legal

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 sea freight for the vehicle 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 vet appointments, German Zoll clearance, TÜV appointment, Zulassungsstelle registration — and you can ask for an update at any point.

EU pet entry requirements in particular reward early action — the 21-day wait after a first rabies vaccination cannot be shortened, and the health certificate must be issued within ten days of travel. Get in touch as soon as you have a move date and we will map out the full timeline for both.