Traveling with a Dog to Scandinavia: Formalities, Myths, and Why Liability Insurance is a Waste of Money

Greetings to regular readers after a several-week break, during which I tried to relax and take a break from the digital world. Over 3 weeks I drove 5,000 km, crossed the Øresund Bridge twice, and conquered some of Norway’s most challenging routes. Regular followers know that I travel in an SUV with a rooftop tent.

In this short Norwegian series, I’d like to address several issues that might serve as inspiration and information sources for others. I’ll describe how I planned and executed the trip, while providing a handful of information, deconstructing myths, and sharing what I think is valuable knowledge.

Let me start by saying I read a lot of travel blogs about Norway, Norwegian routes, problems and ways of traveling. I also consumed quite a few vlogs. As is typical with such content, it’s subjective and only in the field can we separate facts from myths. There’s certainly a lot of useful information and advice (which I’ll point out), but there’s also a lot of nonsense.

How to Travel with a Dog to Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark)

We travel with a dog, and Norway is outside the EU, which creates obligations and potential risks. Additionally, our veterinarian told us a story about Poles who live in Sweden and sometimes visit his clinic in Łódź with their dogs during visits.

Their dog was euthanized in Sweden because it lunged at a child. Nothing happened, but the level of acceptance for aggressive behavior in peaceful Scandinavian countries is significantly different than in Poland. It’s worth keeping this in mind.

Therefore, saturated with this information and a series of pseudo-information about liability insurance requirements, I sat down to research, from which it turns out…

Key Preparations Before Traveling Abroad with a Dog

Before you travel abroad with your dog, it’s worth checking if the microchip works (a veterinarian does this with a scanner). After several years since implantation, it may already be inactive, and an inactive chip simply means a huge problem. The dog becomes anonymous, which practically means the invalidity of the passport and all papers you have. Identification is the foundation.

It’s worth having a complete passport so that there are more entries than just those required. Therefore, during veterinary visits, record all procedures and medications in the passport. The passport must also be filled out, so check that the owner’s data matches your personal ID.

One more important thing. Data entered into the passport (e.g., vaccinations) is entered into a computer system. The veterinarian has about 3 business days to do this. If they forget to enter this data, and someone verifies it abroad, it’s invalid - as if it didn’t exist. Make sure the veterinarian enters the data into the computer system.

Requirements for Traveling with a Dog to Denmark

In Denmark, the requirements aren’t excessive - typical for other EU countries. Identification by microchip with current rabies vaccination, at least 21 days before entry. Unless we maintain vaccination continuity year to year, then it’s enough to extend subsequent vaccinations on time.

There’s no obligation to declare the dog to customs or report it in the system. A common myth is also the liability insurance requirement for dogs in Denmark, as if this requirement were a necessary condition. I discuss this nonsense at the end of this chapter.

The dog must be on a leash and accompany the owner. It’s recommended to have the dog’s passport with you. You can’t leave it at the hotel and go out for the whole day with the dog around town.

Requirements for Traveling with a Dog to Sweden

You must register your dog and you do this online in a minute a few hours BEFORE ENTERING Sweden at Tullverket (customs) at https://privattjanster-djuranmalan.tullverket.se/

The form requires an email, microchip number, EU passport number, border crossing date, and possibly carrier name. After filling out the form (available in Swedish and English) you receive a reference number, which is most important and definitely save it.

Without online registration, you must stand in line to customs and report the dog directly at the border. Lack of any registration can result in entry refusal. Register a few days before departure for your own convenience - it took me a few minutes, and you get confirmation and a reference number by email.

Tullverket enforces regulations of Jordbruksverket (Swedish Board of Agriculture), so check detailed health requirements on their website, not on gossip guides with 10-year-old knowledge that AI also relies on.

Requirements for Traveling with a Dog to Norway

Oh boy, here I heard legends and stories from moss and ferns. I won’t repeat them, there’s no point. The matter is simple.

The first myth that circulates is double deworming (this applies ONLY to frequent trips to Norway) - if you’re going on vacation there’s no such requirement. To enter Norway, you need standard deworming performed by a veterinarian 1-5 days (i.e., 24-120 hours) before entering Norway and confirmed in the passport.

If I did deworming on Wednesday at 10:00 AM, I can enter earliest the next day, and latest on Monday at 10:00 AM.

Let’s repeat this again, because this is the most common nonsense repeated without understanding with various dates and rules:

Deworming for tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis): This is a very important requirement for dogs. The dog must be dewormed against tapeworm by a veterinarian 1-5 days (24-120 hours) before entering Norway. Treatment must be confirmed in the animal’s passport. There are also regular deworming options for frequently traveling dogs (the so-called 28-day rule), which must also be confirmed in the passport. Passport, passport, and passport again. I entered on Saturday and had deworming done on Wednesday.

I recommend taking photos of the passport page by page - if you lose it you’ll always have some starting point. Additionally, I recommend a waterproof case for the passport. We got caught in a mega downpour in Copenhagen and thanks to the case the passport didn’t turn into a rag.

Procedure at the Norwegian Border

The animal and accompanying documents must be checked by Norwegian customs services at the border crossing. You should enter the “red channel” at the border to declare the animal.

Customs Office at the Swedish-Norwegian border.

For me it looked like this: I took the lane where trucks enter. There’s a huge parking lot with a large building. Before entering, you take a ticket (lots of Polish truck drivers stand in line there), then give the customs officer your passport and your ID.

In my case, no one looked at the dog, asked anything, or entered anything into the computer. A nice female customs officer went through the passport page by page and compared the owner’s data with my ID. I took a photo of the building to have documentation that I was there and at what time.

Throughout Norway there’s an absolute ban on letting dogs off leash. You must not only have it on a leash, but if it’s, for example, a barking dog with ADHD, I’d consider a muzzle. There’s no muzzle requirement on ferries, as is the case in Italy, for example. I once had a Polish greyhound. I definitely wouldn’t dare go to Scandinavia with such a dog.

What Can Be the Consequences of Not Registering, Missing Passport, or Vaccination

If the animal cannot be identified because the chip doesn’t work or you lost the passport, these are very serious matters. In Scandinavian countries, they don’t mess around with terrorists. Despite hearing fairy tales about no-go zones.

Sending the dog back to the country of origin is the least extreme scenario. Quarantine (at the owner’s expense) or ultimately euthanization are very real scenarios. Quarantine lasting several weeks and involving keeping the animal in a cage very negatively affects the dog’s psyche.

I’ve heard of such cases of people traveling to the UK who forgot they were leaving the EU. This caused the dog to be quarantined for several weeks after which it was unrecognizable.

However, let’s not fall into paranoia. Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are normal countries. A bit fascist, organized to death, but if you want to visit them you must adapt to their standards. If your dog, and you too, don’t show aggressive patterns and have all the documentation, there’s nothing to fear.

Our dog is very afraid of strangers and if someone leans over, it can show teeth and bark furiously. That it’s not threatening won’t concern anyone. Therefore we were very careful that the dog was under control and never allowed curious children to approach the dog. The difference between Polish children from hell and Karens, and Scandinavian children is colossal - these children are very polite and obedient, and mothers watch their offspring and don’t make scenes without reason. So a bit of attention and control will allow you to handle this topic without major problems.

This is mega important because animals in Scandinavia are much calmer than those in Poland. Behavior patterns acceptable as normal here are not there. Besides, there’s always the option to let the dog off leash if it’s a remote area. It’s worth bringing extra bags for dog poop, because you’re entering civilized countries. Of course, biodegradable bags.

A resident of Lærdal in Norway walks with a cat on his shoulder, on a leash.

Liability Insurance for Dogs to Scandinavia - Insurance Has Little Value!

Oh boy. Let me tell you, I heard so much nonsense about liability insurance being required for dogs that I really don’t know where to start. Maybe I’ll write directly that it’s not.

Liability insurance would be worth having if your dog actually caused some incident that would fall under insurance, and then you’d be protected. However, I think people recommending liability insurance don’t read the terms and conditions with understanding and don’t know that this insurance won’t work in 99% of cases. Why?

Dog Liability Insurance Trap #1: Gross Negligence, or the Gateway to Claim Denial

Let’s start with the key concept that is a master key for insurers to reject claims: gross negligence. This phrase doesn’t have one, rigid legal definition, which gives the insurer huge room for interpretation in their favor.

Now let’s connect this with the realities of traveling through Scandinavia.

Throughout Norway, there’s a requirement to keep dogs on leash from April 1 to August 20, and in many places it’s a year-round requirement. Imagine the situation: you’re on a trail, you let the dog loose for a moment. The dog runs up to a cyclist, who brakes suddenly, falls over and breaks an arm.

Theoretically - a classic situation for liability insurance. Practically - the insurer will reject the claim with a smile. Why? Because you broke local law, and that’s a textbook example of gross negligence. You provided them with proof not to pay you.

The policy would work if the dog, being on a leash, broke free and caused damage. But let’s be honest - what’s the probability of such an incident compared to situations where the dog simply runs loose?

Dog Liability Insurance Trap #2: Fictitious Protection in Hotels and Rental Houses

This is a real masterpiece hidden in the General Insurance Conditions (GIC). We all go on vacation and sleep in hotels, rental houses or apartments. And that’s exactly where damage is easiest - the dog scratches something, chews, destroys or defecates on the carpet.

Well, most dog liability insurance contains a clause that insurance doesn’t cover rented cars or hotels. Really read with understanding and I’m writing this to all those bloggers with guides worth a pound of fluff.

I reviewed the GIC of leading insurers. AXA Partners explicitly excludes liability for “damage to property belonging to another person that was borrowed or rented to the Insured.” Signal Iduna has an identical entry, excluding damage to property “rented, borrowed or under the care or control of the Insured.”

Simply put: if your dog demolishes a hotel room worth 10,000 crowns, the insurer won’t pay a penny. The policy you buy for travel doesn’t protect you in the place where you live during that travel.

This is an absurdity that makes protection in this most common scenario pure fiction. Marketing slogans about hotel protection can be filed under fairy tales.

Dog Liability Insurance Trap #3: Liability Yes, But with Dog Health Insurance

And here’s the basic insurance problem - they’ll gladly insure a young and healthy dog, but many insurances have exclusions that exclude my 8-year-old dog, and the rest are pseudo products combined with home or travel insurance, which in my opinion have zero value. Of course, if you read the GIC with understanding.

Summary: Dog Liability Insurance - Is It Worth It?

In my opinion, not in Scandinavia. Dog liability insurance for travel is a product that looks great in theory, but in practice is riddled with exclusions. These exclusions eliminate protection in the most probable situations.

You pay for illusory peace of mind, because in case of a real problem you’re left with the problem and the bill alone. Whether through “gross negligence” (i.e., letting the dog loose in a prohibited place), or through damage in a hotel.

Instead of spending money on such a policy, it’s better to invest in a solid, long leash and increased vigilance. This will give you much more real security. I don’t recommend traveling with a sick dog, but if you have a sick dog, 90% of dog insurance won’t cover its treatment anyway. Everyone should make their own assessment of risks and benefits before deciding to take their pet on a trip.

This is how we carried our dog up Preikestolen and carried it down. 5 kg under the arm is an interesting exercise, especially since the route is quite difficult.

I hope the first post in the Norwegian series meets with your approval. I wanted to share practical knowledge in it. In the next one I’ll describe how to pay for ferries, travel, pay for parking and what to watch out for when driving.

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