Rabies titer test for dogs: rules and timing

A rabies antibody titration test is a blood test that measures your dog’s antibodies against rabies. It becomes compulsory as soon as a dog enters the European Union from a non-listed country, and in some cases on arrival in the United States. Here is the threshold, the timings and the laboratories that count, taken from the pages published by the European Commission, the French Ministry of Agriculture and the CDC.

What does the test actually measure?

It checks that the rabies vaccination worked. The French public service portal describes it as a blood test to check how effective an animal’s rabies vaccination is. The vaccine itself is not in question: what is measured is your dog’s immune response to it.

The result is expressed in international units per millilitre. The European Commission requires the test to measure a level of neutralising antibody equal to or greater than 0.5 IU/ml, and the French Ministry of Agriculture sets the same figure. So does the CDC, which defines a passing titer as one of 0.5 IU/mL or above. One threshold, three authorities, no ambiguity.

Your own vet draws the blood and sends the tube on. The EU travellers’ page states that the sample must be taken by an authorised vet and checked in a designated laboratory.

When is the test required?

It is required to bring a dog into the European Union from a non-EU country or territory that is not on the EU lists. That is the main scenario: a dog coming home from a non-listed country, or arriving in Europe from one for the first time.

Dogs arriving from a listed country or territory, by contrast, do not require a rabies antibody titration test. The table published by the Commission includes the United States and its territories, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom excluding Northern Ireland, and Switzerland. Flying home to Europe from New York, Los Angeles or Dubai therefore needs no titration test.

The United States apply the test to a different situation. The CDC requires one for a foreign-vaccinated dog arriving from a high-risk rabies country: the vet must send the blood sample to a CDC-approved rabies serology laboratory. Without a valid titer the dog can still enter, but only after being quarantined for 28 days at a CDC-registered animal care facility. The paperwork side is covered in our article on the CDC Dog Import Form and on our United States travel requirements page.

Some destinations also demand the test on their own account, separately from EU rules. If you are flying to the United Arab Emirates, the conditions to meet are set out on our United Arab Emirates travel requirements page.

What are the timings?

Three separate delays stack up, and this is where departures are won or lost.

Thirty days after the vaccination. Blood cannot be drawn straight away. The European Commission requires a sample taken at least 30 days after the date of the primary vaccination, and the French Ministry of Agriculture repeats the same 30-day rule. So does the CDC: the vet must draw the sample at least 30 days after the dog’s first valid rabies vaccination.

Three months before entering the EU. Once the blood has been taken, you wait. The EU page for travellers is explicit: you must wait three months from the date the blood sample was taken before you can travel with your pet. The Commission puts the same rule the other way round: the test must be carried out no less than 90 days before the date of issue of the animal health certificate.

Twenty-eight days before entering the United States. The CDC does not ask for three months, but it sets a deadline at the other end: the blood must be drawn at least 28 days before entry to the United States.

One scheduling point changes everything for a return trip. If the test is done before your dog leaves the European Union, with a passing result, the three-month wait does not apply on the way back: the EU page provides for that exemption where the animal was vaccinated and tested before leaving the Union. Having the test done at home first saves your dog three months abroad.

Where can you have it done?

At your vet for the blood draw, then at a designated laboratory for the analysis. The European Commission notes that these laboratories must be specifically accredited for performing this analytical method: a result from anywhere else is not recognised.

The Commission publishes the list country by country and, for France, points to the list kept by the Ministry of Agriculture. The ministry puts that list online on its official rabies laboratories page, in version 17 dated 20 November 2025.

For a trip to the United States, a different list applies. The CDC publishes its own, updated on 13 July 2026, and three French laboratories appear on it: Anses, the rabies and wildlife laboratory in Nancy, Laboratoire Départemental 31 EVA, and INOVALYS in Le Mans. Check the list that matches your destination before the blood is drawn: a laboratory recognised on one side is not automatically recognised on the other.

Do you have to repeat it for every trip?

No, on one condition: the vaccination must never lapse. The EU page is clear that if the result is satisfactory you do not need to repeat the test, provided your pet is revaccinated within the validity period of the previous vaccination.

The CDC says the same: passing titer results are valid for the dog’s life if the dog’s rabies vaccination coverage does not lapse. If cover does lapse, a new test is needed, at least 30 days after the revaccination.

The practical consequence is blunt: a booster given late, after the previous vaccine expired, can wipe out years of paperwork. Put the booster date in your calendar rather than trusting the vaccination record, and see our article on the EU pet passport for the rest of the conditions.

The laboratory report: what you will be asked for

The report travels with the dog. For entry into the EU from a non-EU country, the Commission specifies that a copy of this report must be attached to the animal health certificate accompanying the animals to the EU.

Checks do not happen just anywhere. The dog must pass through a travellers’ point of entry designated by each EU country, where the owner contacts the competent authorities for documentary and identity checks. The point of entry for each destination is listed on our travel requirements pages.

One last piece of context: France has been officially free of rabies since November 2001, the last case having been found in a fox in December 1998. That status is why a dog living in France has nothing to prove to travel within the EU, and a great deal to prove coming back from certain non-listed countries.

And if you are taking your dog to Dubai?

The UAE has its own requirements, titration test included: they are set out in our article Banned dog breeds in Dubai and on our UAE travel requirements page. For the journey itself, Loulou Air, a brand of AEROAFFAIRES, a private aviation broker since 1991, offers Pay-per-Seat travel on shared private jet flights from Paris-Le Bourget to Dubai Al Maktoum: your dog travels in the cabin, at your feet, never in the hold. Before departure, our brokers go through your dog’s file with you.

See flights to Dubai or talk to a broker.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the whole process take?

Allow at least 30 days between the first vaccination and the blood draw, plus the laboratory’s own turnaround. If your dog has to enter the EU from a non-listed country, add the three-month wait that starts on the day the sample is taken. In practice, a departure needs to be planned several months ahead.

My dog is already vaccinated. Does it need another shot first?

Not necessarily. The 30-day rule runs from the primary vaccination, and the vaccination has to be current. The CDC allows a dog with several valid vaccinations given after its microchip was placed to have blood drawn at any time after a booster, provided the first vaccine was given at least 30 days earlier and cover has never lapsed.

Is a test from any laboratory acceptable?

No. The analysis must be done by a designated laboratory, specifically accredited for this method. The European Commission and the CDC each publish their own list, and the two do not overlap entirely, so choose the laboratory according to where you are going.