EU Health Certificates 2025: What Animal Importers Must Correct

Key data

If you import terrestrial animals or animal reproductive material into the EU, this regulatory correction affects you directly. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/544, published on April 22, 2025, which updated the health certificate models from Regulation (EU) 2021/403, contained technical inaccuracies in its official forms. The error correction published on June 29, 2026 amends those forms and requires the use of updated models in all border controls.

The risk is immediate and concrete: a shipment arriving at an EU border control post with a certificate based on the previous models—whether the original 2021/403 without the 2025/544 correction, or the 2025/544 without the present correction—may be detained or returned. This is not a substantive change in health conditions, but a formal correction in the forms that, nevertheless, has real operational consequences.

What does this regulation establish?

The error correction affects Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/544, which in turn amended Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/403. The latter is the framework regulation that governs the models of health certificates and official health certificates for the entry into the EU of shipments of terrestrial animals and their reproductive products.

The regulatory chain is as follows:

• Regulation (EU) 2021/403: base regulation establishing certificate models.
• Regulation (EU) 2025/544 (22.4.2025): modified those models but introduced technical inaccuracies in the forms.
• Error correction (29.6.2026): amends the technical inaccuracies in the forms of Regulation 2025/544.

The specific changes are technical in nature in the official form models that must physically accompany shipments at the border. The regulation distinguishes two types of affected certificates:

Economic and operational impact

Although this is an error correction—and not a change in substantive health requirements—the operational impact can be significant for affected operators. The main economic risks are:

• Detention of shipments at the border: if the presented certificate does not conform to the corrected model, the authorities at the border control post may detain the shipment until the error is corrected or directly order its return to the country of origin.
• Storage and logistics costs: detention at the border generates storage costs, feeding of live animals, veterinary management and, where applicable, return transport, all at the importer's expense.
• Loss of goods: in the case of live animals or reproductive material with limited viability periods, detention may result in total loss of the shipment.
• Impact on third country exporters: competent authorities and official veterinarians in countries of origin must also update the models they issue, which may cause delays if they are not informed of the change.

No specific economic figures associated with this correction have been published, as its scope depends on the volume and type of operations of each importer.

Who does it affect?

• Importers of terrestrial animals that introduce shipments into the EU from third countries.
• Importers of animal reproductive products (semen, ova, embryos of terrestrial animals).
• Official veterinarians who issue or validate health certificates in exporting countries.
• Competent authorities of third countries that certify shipments destined for the EU.
• Customs agents and freight forwarders who manage border entry documentation.
• EU border control posts, which must verify that presented certificates correspond to the corrected models.

Practical example

A Spanish company importing competition equines from a third country (for example, Argentina or the United States) plans to introduce a shipment of horses into the EU through a border control post. The official veterinarian of the exporting country issues the official health certificate using the model of Regulation (EU) 2025/544 as published on April 22, 2025, without incorporating the technical corrections published on June 29, 2026.

Upon arrival at the border control post, EU authorities detect that the presented form does not conform to the current corrected model. The shipment is detained until compliant documentation is provided. This involves stabling costs, veterinary care for animals during detention and possible contractual penalties for delivery delays. If correction is not possible within the timeframe, the shipment may be returned to the country of origin.

To avoid this scenario, the importer must ensure, before the shipment leaves the country of origin, that the official veterinarian uses the corrected certificate model in accordance with the correction published on June 29, 2026.

What should companies do now?

1. Download the corrected certificate models from the official source (EUR-Lex, error correction of Regulation 2025/544) and verify that the forms in use incorporate the technical amendments published on June 29, 2026.
2. Communicate the change to suppliers and official veterinarians in the countries of origin of the shipments, so they update the models they issue before new shipments leave for the EU.
3. Review shipments in transit and check if the certificates accompanying them correspond to the corrected model. If not, consider the possibility of correcting the documentation before arrival at the border control post.
4. Update internal procedures for import document management, including reference to the error correction of Regulation 2025/544 as the current version of the models.
5. Coordinate with the customs agent or freight forwarder to verify the compliance of certificates before presenting them at the border, avoiding detentions and their associated costs.

Official source

View complete regulation at official source

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/./legal-content/AUTO/?uri=OJ:L_202690518