Diseases can also be introduced with dogs, cats, birds and other animals. To protect against certain diseases, the import of live animals is subject to special regulations.

You can find information on taking pet animals with you when travelling under the menu item Travel.

Information on the import and transit of live animals can be found under the menu item Import.

The aim of travel controls is to prevent the introduction of known or exotic animal diseases and zoonoses (= infectious diseases that occur equally in animals and humans and can thus be transmitted both from animals to humans and from humans to animals) into the European Union. Due to the increased mobility of people, the need to take along their own pets, traditional gifts or local or national specialties has increased. However, it is often not taken into account that animals or products of animal origin are carriers of diseases (e.g. foot-and-mouth disease, avian influenza, rabies). Therefore, to protect Austrian livestock from epidemics and the population from zoonoses, measures must be taken from an animal health perspective. Travelers may perceive these as restrictions, but they ultimately serve to protect animals and the general public from the introduction of dangerous, sometimes untreatable diseases.