Dogs: five banned breeds
- American pit bull terrier (pit bull terrier)
- Dogo argentino
- Fila brasileiro
- Japanese tosa (tosa inu)
- Perro de presa canario (presa canario)
The ban stems not from biosecurity rules but from customs and environmental law, which is why no exceptions are made.
Dogs: wolf hybrids
- Czechoslovakian vlcak (Czechoslovakian wolfdog)
- Saarloos wolfdog
- Lupo italiano (Italian wolfdog)
- Kunming dog (Kunming wolfdog)
No cross between a domestic dog and a wolf is admitted, even if the passport lists a different breed.
Mixed breeds — allowed
A mixed-breed or non-pedigree dog enters normally, provided all other conditions are met. The problem starts when a banned breed shows in the animal's appearance: at the border they look at the dog, not just the paperwork. If your dog resembles a pit bull, it is worth stocking up on pedigree documents in advance.
Cats: hybrids with wild species
Cats bred by crossing a domestic cat with wild species are not admitted:
- Savannah — a cross with the serval
- Safari — a cross with Geoffroy's cat
- Chausie — a cross with the jungle cat
- Bengal — a cross with the Asian leopard cat
A separate note on Bengal cats
The rules here tightened recently. Exemptions used to be issued for later-generation Bengals. From 1 March 2025 new exemptions stopped being granted, and from 1 March 2026 the breed is fully banned from import — with no generation-based exceptions.
If you were planning to relocate a Bengal and relying on older articles online, this is the first thing to re-check: today the answer is no.
What to do if your breed is on the list
The honest answer: there is no legal way to bring a banned breed in. Not via a third country, not with mixed-ancestry paperwork, not as a "service animal". Attempts to work around the ban end with the animal being turned back or seized at the border.
The only thing worth doing is making sure the breed really is the one on the list. Breeds get confused: the American Staffordshire terrier is not banned while the pit bull terrier is; the Czechoslovakian vlcak is banned while the Northern Inuit dog is not. If in doubt, send us the pedigree and photos — we will take a look before you start spending money on preparation.