Shipping Belongings and Moving Pets to Malta

Household goods and pets follow different rules when you relocate to Malta. The route for personal effects depends partly on whether they come from within or outside the EU, while pet requirements depend on the species and origin country. For current official information, see Transfer of Residence.

Obtain a written shipping inventory and route-specific customs advice, and confirm the pet document, microchip, vaccination and entry requirements with the competent authorities and carrier before booking.

Plan the shipment from delivery day backwards

1. Measure the items and remove anything cheaper to replace locally.
2. Ask for comparable door-to-door quotes with all destination charges shown.
3. Confirm access at both addresses, including lifts, stairs and parking.
4. Create a numbered inventory with photographs and replacement values.
5. Check customs relief and documentary requirements before collection.
6. For pets, complete identification, vaccination and travel formalities in the required order.
7. Inspect the delivery before signing an unconditional receipt. Verify the current requirements in EU Rules on Travelling with Pets.

Questions for a remover or pet carrier

• Is this quote truly door to door?
• Who handles customs and port charges?
• What is excluded from insurance?
• Who pays if access requires a smaller vehicle or external lift?
• What happens if the shipment or animal cannot travel on the planned date?

Decide what should travel, when and under whose responsibility

Household relief has conditions

Malta Customs lists use, ownership, residence and timing conditions for relief on used belongings transferred from outside the EU.

Pets need a document trail

Dogs, cats and ferrets generally need identification and valid rabies documentation; rules differ between intra-EU and non-EU movements.

Carrier rules are separate

An airline or ferry can impose booking, crate and seasonal restrictions in addition to legal entry rules.

Pets and possessions run on different clocks

Household goods: EU and non-EU routes

From another EU member state: ordinary used personal possessions in free circulation do not normally undergo import-duty clearance as a third-country shipment. The carrier still needs an inventory, addresses and transport documents, and restricted goods/excise items have separate rules.

From outside the EU: transfer-of-residence relief can exempt qualifying personal property from customs duty/VAT when conditions are met. Common conditions include normal residence outside the EU for at least 12 continuous months, possession/use of the goods for at least six months, import within 12 months of establishing EU residence and no lending/sale/transfer for 12 months after duty-free admission.

Before collection, ask Malta Customs or the clearing agent for the current file. It commonly includes passport, proof of former and Malta residence, arrival/residence evidence, signed detailed inventory with values, transport bill, customs declaration, proof of ownership/use for high-value items and a transfer-of-residence declaration. Alcohol, tobacco, commercial equipment and vehicles have special exclusions/rules. Obtain written relief confirmation rather than assuming every box qualifies.

Bringing a cat, dog or ferret

For a non-commercial movement of up to five pets:

1. Microchip the pet before the rabies vaccination used for travel.
2. Keep rabies vaccination valid. After a first vaccination, wait at least 21 days before travel.
3. From the EU, carry a valid EU pet passport. From outside the EU, use the required animal-health certificate and owner declaration.
4. If arriving from an unlisted country, complete the rabies antibody titration at an approved laboratory and observe the required waiting period.
5. Dogs need the required tapeworm treatment in the official pre-arrival window unless an exemption applies.
6. Submit Malta's mandatory Pet Arrival Notification in advance and use an approved travellers' point of entry/check arrangement.
7. Carry originals and keep the pet available for documentary/identity checks.

More than five animals, an ownership transfer/sale, or an unaccompanied movement may be treated as commercial and use different certification. Airlines and ferries add crate, breed, heat and check-in rules; the veterinary certificate does not guarantee carriage.

Do not assume a household-removal timetable also works for an animal. Veterinary preparation, carrier rules and arrival notification can impose their own sequence.

When to slow down and verify

• Assuming a carrier booking proves the animal meets entry rules.
• Packing controlled, valuable or essential documents inside an inaccessible shipment.

Continue your research

Start with Moving to Malta: Complete Relocation Guide for the wider picture.

• Moving to Malta: Complete Relocation Guide
• Moving to Malta Checklist: Before and After You Arrive

Browse all Moving to Malta guides.

Before collection

Have the final inventory, insurance wording, destination contact and total expected charges in writing before anything leaves your possession.

Last reviewed: 9 August 2026. Recheck the official sources in the article metadata when a deadline, price, eligibility rule or service arrangement affects your decision.