Bringing your pet to the Costa Blanca: the new 2026 EU rules

You arrive in Alicante with two suitcases and a pet carrier. Inside is the reason this move weighs more than any other: your dog, your cat, that ferret that curls around your neck every night. They step off the plane and smell something new, salt and the western breeze. They are already home, even if they do not know it yet.

On 22 April 2026 the new European regulation on the non-commercial movement of pets came into force. It is not a cosmetic change: the Union now demands more rigour in the paperwork, individual pet passports become essential, and Spanish fines for non-compliance reach 50.000 euros under the 2023 Animal Welfare Law. If you plan to move to the Costa Blanca with your dog, cat or ferret, give yourself time to prepare the journey.

Microchip and EU pet passport

Every pet crossing a European border must be microchipped. It is the first obligation, the foundation everything else rests on. A legible tattoo also works, but only if it was done before 3 July 2011. No chip, no trip.

The second document is the European pet passport. It used to be recommended; since April 2026 it is mandatory for any movement within the Union, even between two neighbouring countries. It is issued by an authorised clinical vet and must keep up to date the sections on owner, animal description, marking, passport issuance and rabies vaccination. Passports issued before 22 April remain valid as long as the information and vaccines are current.

Rabies vaccine: the 21-day rule

Rabies is still the centre of everything. Your pet must have received the primary rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travelling. Not 20, not 19. If the vaccine was given earlier and the booster schedule has been kept, the next entry registered in the passport is enough; if it is the first time, count the three full weeks. Spain, on top of that, does not allow the entry of puppies under 15 weeks, simply because they cannot have completed the full vaccination schedule by then.

If you come from the United Kingdom: the AHC certificate

Brexit pushed British residents out of the EU pet passport umbrella. To travel from Great Britain to Spain you need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC), issued by an Official Veterinarian appointed by the British government, within 10 days before departure. It is valid for one single entry into the Union, and then remains valid for four months for movement inside the EU and the return to the UK, provided the rabies vaccine does not expire in between. The logistics are not free: the cost usually exceeds 100 pounds, and you should book the appointment with your official vet several weeks ahead of travel.

If you come from a third country with rabies risk

Some countries are not listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) 577/2013 and are still considered at risk. If your dog lives in one of them, before flying out you must run a rabies serological test at an EU-authorised laboratory. The blood is drawn at least 30 days after the vaccine, and the result must be equal to or above 0,5 IU/ml. Once the test is passed, it remains valid for life as long as the rabies boosters are kept current.

Once in Spain: the 2023 Animal Welfare Law

Crossing the border does not end the paperwork. Law 7/2023 on the protection of the rights and welfare of animals, published in the BOE on 28 March 2023, has changed the rules for every owner resident in Spain.

The most discussed change affects dogs: every dog, not only those considered potentially dangerous, must be covered by a third-party liability insurance policy. Owners must also complete a free training course of indefinite validity. The law adds basic care duties (do not leave the animal alone in a closed car, keep it identified, ensure regular veterinary check-ups) and creates a national Companion Animal Registry.

The Valencian step: RIVIA

If you are going to live in Alicante or in any other Valencian Community municipality, your pet will have to be registered in RIVIA, the Valencian Animal Identification Registry. It is run by the Valencian Council of Veterinary Colleges by concession from the Generalitat, and it is the system that allows a lost animal to be located or its ownership to be proved. The registration is done by the vet who implants or reads the chip; you do not need to queue at a counter, just choose a trusted licensed vet.

The last paperwork: the Alicante municipal census

The Alicante City Council requires every dog that will spend more than three months a year in the municipality to be registered in the Municipal Companion Animal Census. The deadline is 30 days from the microchip implantation, so if you arrive with an already chipped dog the clock starts the day you sign your new empadronamiento. The procedure is handled by the Department of Health and Consumer Affairs, at Calle Mayor 39, phone 965 23 02 79 and email sanidadyconsumo@alicante.es. The fee is around 30 euros per animal.

Landing well: living with a pet on the Costa Blanca

Once the paperwork is done, the good part begins. Alicante has a dense network of licensed veterinary clinics, 24-hour emergency services in the centre and in the Playa de San Juan area, dog grooming in almost every neighbourhood and, what matters most when we talk about quality of life, a beach for dogs: Agua Amarga, at the southern edge of the municipality, opened in 2016 with 250 metres of sand, a lifeguard service and a food truck in summer and free access the rest of the year. The province offers more options: Barranc d'Aigües cove and Punta del Riu in El Campello, Caleta dels Gossets in Santa Pola, Escollera Norte in Dénia, Mar y Montaña in Altea and the small dog beach in Villajoyosa.

Before signing a rental or a purchase, two things many people forget are worth checking: the building bylaws, which in some communities ban pets or limit their size; and the presence of green areas at the doorstep. In the historic centre the climb up to Santa Bárbara Castle is a perfect dawn walk; in Playa de San Juan, the pine groves of Cabo Huertas; in the south, the palms of Parque del Palmeral. Your dog will need a few days to get used to the sun, the noise of the Mercado Central, the smell of orange blossom in March. So will you.

At ESYS VIP we help you find the right home for you and your pet. If you want, you can explore our properties or contact us and we will talk it through without rush.