Rabies. Sending samples from other countries outside the European Union to Spain and collecting them from a location when they are in Spain.

Procedure for authorisation of samples from other countries:

1. For shipments from outside Spain, you must hire an international courier for transport at your expense, other than DHL, as this courier does not manage the entry of biological samples of animal origin into Spanish Customs. 

If you hire the services of Fedex or TNT, you should know that this courier generates an extra charge for taxes and customs fees, so if you hire one of these couriers you will have to pay us an extra amount of €150 to cover this cost, so the total amount you must transfer to us is €150 + (€100 x the number of studies -samples from different animals- that we must carry out).

The courier company will request a pre-authorisation from us for the import of biological material, providing us with the details of the shipment, which we will request from the corresponding Ministry in Spain and send it so that they authorise the entry of the sample through Spanish Customs.

2. If you want an individual to bring the sample to Spain personally, you must take the following into account:

A person is not authorized to transport a biological sample without the proper documentation and authorization from the Spanish Ministry. According to the procedure established by the Ministry, the sample will be sent in accordance with current regulations, in hermetic and refrigerated or frozen conditions.

To request preauthorization for the import of the sample and for the Ministry to authorize it, you must complete the document “Annex for rabies serology” that you must request by email from us. You must only complete the subsection for samples brought by individuals in the “information on samples” section, leaving the subsection for samples sent by specialized parcel service untouched. You must also indicate the name of the animal, the microchip number and mark with an X the serum and the corresponding species, as appropriate, and send it to us. We need you to provide us with this information at least one week in advance of the trip.

With this information we will request authorization to import the sample from the Ministry. As soon as the Ministry provides us with the signed import permit authorizing the importation of the biological sample, we will send it to you.

If we receive a sample at our center without having requested and obtained authorization from the Ministry, it cannot be analyzed, and will be safely destroyed, according to the instructions of the Spanish Ministry.

The declaration of the biological sample at Customs is mandatory.

If a private individual brings serum samples, he or she must take the necessary safety precautions in transporting them and present them for inspection at the Animal Health Inspection Service at the Airport, so that the samples follow the appropriate control channel.

Collection of samples when they are already in Spain

For shipments from mainland Spain or already introduced into Spain from another country, we offer our customers a collection service at no extra cost. If you want us to collect from an address in Spain, when you have the package ready for collection, send us an email requesting collection. In the email, you must indicate the full postal address, as well as the day and time slot in which you want us to send a courier, with a minimum margin of two hours. Also provide us with a contact telephone number to provide to the courier in case he needs it. If it is a town far from the provincial capital, collection must be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We collect from Monday to Thursday, to avoid the shipment being in transit during the weekend. To request collection, 24 hours in advance is sufficient. Remember that you must have the package ready before the scheduled collection time, since the couriers do not wait for it to be prepared.

The serum, approximately half a millilitre, must be sent refrigerated and well protected in an isothermal container or box (polystyrene box, isothermal bag, cooler, thermos, etc.) so that it isolates the sample from the outside temperature. Place a previously frozen cooling medium (ice pack, bag with thermal gel, etc.) inside to keep the sample cold, since the courier will not keep the package refrigerated.

Shipments with ice inside are not accepted by the courier. Please do not use ice, as it will melt and wet the documentation and packaging, also compromising the rest of the courier´s shipments. If used, it may be held on the courier´s platform, compromising its delivery. The costs arising from the possible return of the package to origin will be assumed by the client who makes the shipment.

In order for us to take care of the courier service, the package must not exceed 100 cm in width + length + height, nor exceed 2 kg in weight.

You must send the serum together with the form that you can download from our website (rabies tab, point 7), fill in all the sections directly from the computer - we do not accept handwritten forms - and print. All the sections of this form are necessary to be able to carry out the test and issue the report. The sample and the form must be placed inside a package, so that a single package is sent.

Time to complete and send results

The time to complete the test is 9 to 10 working days. Once the test is completed, we will send you the report, in English and Spanish, with the result by email with a digital signature, along with the invoice, when the test has been paid for by deposit or transfer to the account number that appears at the bottom of the form (we do not accept payments by check).

If the animal is going to travel to Korea, Australia, China or Japan, you must indicate this on the form, because in that case you will also need the report on paper with handwritten signatures. For other countries outside the European Union, we recommend checking with the destination country if they accept the electronic signature. In the event that we must issue the report on paper, with a manual signature, we will not be responsible for sending the report by post. If you need it, with advance notice so that we have it ready, you must send a courier at your expense to collect the report at our facilities.

For the introduction of the animal into the European Union, the sample can be taken at any time as long as the vaccination is valid and as long as the animal was identified with the microchip when the first vaccination was given. For cases of the first vaccination of previously identified animals and/or cases of vaccination together with implantation of the microchip, the regulations require that at least 30 days must pass before the sample is taken. If the first vaccination was given before the implantation of the microchip, this vaccination will not be considered valid and the 30 days will be counted from the vaccination given after the implantation of the microchip. For trips to countries outside the European Union, consult with the country of destination if they require additional requirements.

You must keep in mind that, if the result is favourable, you must wait at least 3 months from the day of the sample extraction for the animal to be allowed to enter the European Union, if the animal resides in third countries.

The report is valid indefinitely in the European Union, as long as the animal continues to be vaccinated regularly, strictly following the vaccination schedule.

Additionally, in case it is useful, we provide you with the Ministry´s links where all the information related to the movement of pets is published, including the documentation necessary for the introduction of the animal into the European Union.

https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/ganaderia/temas/comercio-exterior-ganadero/desplazamiento-animales-compania/Viajar-perros-gatos-hurones.aspx

https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/ganaderia/temas/comercio-exterior-ganadero/desplazamiento-animales-compania/FAQ-PERROS-GATOS-HURONES.aspx