Only applies to dogs. Dogs travelling directly from Malta, Ireland, or Norway to Finland are exempt.
The dog must be treated against tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis) at least one day, at most five days (or two days if coming from outside the EU) before arriving in Finland. Puppies that are under three months old must also be treated before arrival.
A veterinarian from a country outside Finland treats the dog and marks the administered treatment on the pet passport or health certificate.
- Medication: the appropriate dose of a medicine containing praziquantel or epsiprantel approved for a dog.
- Time of treatment: the medicine must be administered 24–120 hours (1–5 days) before crossing the Finnish border if the dog travels with the owner as a personal pet.
- When the dog’s travel is not related to the owner’s need to travel and it is imported from outside the EU, the treatment must be given 24–48 hours (1–2 days) before crossing the Finnish border.
- In other words, the medicine cannot be administered just before the border crossing.
- If the owner believes that the veterinarian abroad will not have the required medicine containing praziquantel or epsiprantel, it is possible to buy the orally administered medicine from a pharmacy in Finland without a prescription before your trip. However, the medication must be administered and marked on the certificate by a veterinarian.
28-day rule
If you travel often, it is possible to apply the 28-day rule. The Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm only becomes infectious 28 days after the dog has been infected. Repeated regular courses of medication prevent the parasite from becoming reproductive.
- If the 28-day rule is applied to the dog, a veterinarian licensed in the EU marks all related entries in the tapeworm treatment section of the pet passport. The entries are recorded in Finnish or Swedish and in English.
- A veterinarian licensed in the EU treats the dog at least twice before the trip at intervals of at most 28 days.
- The treatment is repeated regularly at intervals of no more than 28 days as long as your regular travelling lasts.
- The last course of medication must be given in Finland after your travels have ended.
- If there is a longer pause between courses of medication, the course must be restarted.
- If the pages of the pet passport are full, a new passport is issued for the dog. When travelling, it is best to bring both the old and new passport with you.
- The 28-day rule can only be applied for dogs with an EU pet passport.
- The 28-day rule can only be applied outside the EU if travel outside the EU lasts less than 28 days.