8/2/23, 11:41 AM Print Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad: Overview - GOV.

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Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret

abroad
1. Overview
When travelling with your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad, what you need to do will depend on
what country you’re going to.
There are different rules for travelling with your pet to an EU country or Northern Ireland and for
taking your pet to a non-EU country.

There’s different guidance if you’re bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to the UK.

2. Travelling to an EU country or Northern Ireland

When travelling to an EU country or Northern Ireland, your pet needs:
a microchip
a valid rabies vaccination
an animal health certificate, or a valid pet passport that’s accepted in the country you’re
travelling to
tapeworm treatment for dogs if you’re travelling directly to Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland,
Norway or Malta
These requirements also apply to assistance dogs.
Check the rules of the country you’re travelling to for any additional restrictions or requirements
before you travel.

If you have a pet passport

You cannot use a pet passport issued in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).
You can only use a pet passport if the country you’re travelling to accepts passports for pets
coming from Great Britain. The passport must have been issued in one of the following places:
an EU country
Andorra
Faroe Islands

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Gibraltar
Greenland
Iceland
Liechtenstein
Monaco
Northern Ireland
Norway
San Marino
Switzerland
Vatican City State
You should check if it’s accepted before you travel and find out if you need any other supporting
documents.
If it is not accepted, you’ll need an animal health certificate instead.

Travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland

If you have a pet passport issued in Northern Ireland, contact your vet for advice before
travelling.
Read the rules about taking pets to Northern Ireland on the NIDirect website before you travel.

Arriving in an EU country or Northern Ireland

You’ll need to go through a travellers’ point of entry when you arrive in an EU country or
Northern Ireland.
You may need to show your pet’s animal health certificate or a valid pet passport, containing
proof of their:
microchip
rabies vaccination
tapeworm treatment (if required)

Repeat trips to an EU country or Northern Ireland

Your pet will need a new animal health certificate for each trip to an EU country or Northern
Ireland.
Your pet will not need a repeat rabies vaccination so long as its rabies vaccinations are up to
date.
Your dog will need tapeworm treatment for each trip if you’re travelling directly to Finland,
Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway.

Travelling with more than 5 pets

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You cannot take more than 5 pets to an EU country or Northern Ireland unless you’re attending
or training for a:
competition
show
sporting event
You’ll need written evidence of registration for the event when you travel.
All your pets must:
be attending the event or training
be over 6 months old
meet all the other requirements for pet travel to that country

Exporting pets for commercial purposes

Read the Border Operating Model if you want to export pets to an EU country or Northern
Ireland for commercial reasons such as change of ownership.

3. Getting an animal health certificate

You need an animal health certificate for your dog, cat or ferret if you’re travelling from Great
Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) to an EU country or Northern Ireland.
You can add up to 5 pets to an animal health certificate.

When to get an animal health certificate

You must get an animal health certificate in the 10 days before you enter the EU as long as your
pet either:
has an up-to-date rabies vaccination already
only needs booster doses to keep the vaccination up to date
If your pet needs a rabies vaccination, you must wait 21 days after the vaccination date before
you get an animal health certificate. Day 1 is the day after vaccination.
Tell your vet you need an animal health certificate when you take your pet to get vaccinated.
This gives your vet time to prepare it.

How to get an animal health certificate

You must take your pet to your vet to get an animal health certificate.
The certificate needs to be signed by an ‘official veterinarian’ (OV). Check your vet can issue
animal health certificates. If they cannot, ask them to help you find an OV.
When you visit your vet, you’ll need to take proof of your pet’s:
microchipping date

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vaccination history
Your pet’s animal health certificate will be valid after the date of issue for:
10 days for entry into the EU or Northern Ireland
4 months for onward travel within the EU
4 months for re-entry to Great Britain
Your pet will need a new animal health certificate for each trip to an EU country or Northern
Ireland from Great Britain.

4. Microchip
You must get your pet microchipped before, or at the same time as, their rabies vaccination. If
you do not, they’ll need to be vaccinated again.
Microchipping for pet travel can only be done by:
a vet
a vet nurse, student vet or student vet nurse (directed by a vet)
someone trained in microchipping before 29 December 2014, and with practical experience
someone who has been assessed on an approved training course - contact the Department
of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) if the course was in Northern Ireland

Make sure your vet puts the microchip number in your animal health certificate. The date
must be before your pet’s vaccinations.

Reading the microchip

Airlines, train and ferry companies in the EU can read microchips that meet International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards ISO 11784 and ISO 11785.
You may have to bring your own microchip reader when you travel if your pet’s microchip does
not meet ISO standards. You should check with your travel company before you leave.

If the microchip cannot be read

You’ll have to do all the preparation again if your vet cannot read the microchip. This means
you’ll have to ask your vet to:
rechip your pet
revaccinate your pet
issue a new animal health certificate if you’re travelling to the EU or Northern Ireland

You’ll have to wait the required time before you can travel if your pet is revaccinated or has
new blood tests.

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If the microchip can only sometimes be read

Your vet should try to read the microchip. If they get a reading, they can rechip your pet (the
original chip is not removed).
This must be recorded in the animal health certificate in the ‘Marking of animals’ section with:
the number of the old and new chips
the date they were read
the date the new chip was inserted
The vet must sign and stamp the page in the animal health certificate.

Tattoo
You do not need to have your pet microchipped if it’s been tattooed with an identification
number and all of the following are true:
you’re travelling to the EU or Northern Ireland
your pet was tattooed on or before 3 July 2011
the tattoo is clearly legible
your pet was vaccinated against rabies after it was tattooed
Your vet must record the date of tattooing, the tattoo number and the date of the rabies
vaccination in the animal health certificate.

5. Rabies vaccinations and boosters

You must get your dog, cat or ferret vaccinated against rabies before it can travel to the EU or
Northern Ireland. Your vet needs proof that your pet is at least 12 weeks old before vaccinating
them.
The vaccine must be an inactivated vaccine or recombinant vaccine that’s approved in the
country of use.

You must get your pet microchipped before, or at the same time as, their rabies vaccination.
If you do not, they’ll need to be vaccinated again.

When you can travel

You must wait 21 days to travel after your pet is vaccinated. Day 1 is the day after the rabies
vaccination.
You do not need to wait to travel after a booster vaccination if there has been no break in the
vaccine cover.

Example

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A vet vaccinates your pet against rabies on 1 September. This means you can travel on 22
September.

Booster vaccinations
If you’re travelling with your pet, you must get regular rabies booster vaccinations for your pet.
Check your animal health certificate or pet passport to find out when the booster vaccination is
due.
You will not need to get repeat vaccinations for repeat trips to the EU or Northern Ireland if your
pet’s rabies vaccination is up to date.

Vaccination record
Your pet’s vaccination must be recorded in either:
an animal health certificate
a valid pet passport

Your pet can be stopped from travelling if the details in their animal health certificate or pet
passport are in the wrong place.

Your pet’s vaccination record must show:

your pet’s date of birth
microchip number, date it was put in or read, and where it is on your pet’s body
vaccination date
vaccine manufacturer and product name
vaccine batch number
date the vaccination is valid until
the vet’s signature and contact details

If you have a pet passport

Your pet’s vaccination record must have been added by a vet in either:
a country that can issue a valid pet passport
Great Britain before 1 January 2021
If your pet passport does not have an up to date vaccination record, you’ll need an animal
health certificate instead.

Your pet can be stopped from travelling if the vaccination details were added to their
passport by a vet in Great Britain after 31 December 2020.

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6. Tapeworm treatment for dogs

A vet must treat your dog for tapeworm and record it in either an animal health certificate or a
valid pet passport if you’re travelling directly to:
Finland
Ireland
Malta
Northern Ireland
Norway
The treatment must have been given no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5
days) before you arrive.
The treatment must:
be approved for use in the country it’s being given in
contain praziquantel or an equivalent proven to be effective against the Echinococcus
multilocularis tapeworm

Short trips
If you’re leaving Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) for a short trip to visit countries
other than Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway, you could have your dog treated
by a vet before you go.
You must wait for 24 hours before re-entering Great Britain and return within 120 hours or you’ll
need to get another treatment abroad.

Information your vet needs to record

Check the vet has put the following details in the ‘Echinococcus treatment’ section of your dog’s
animal health certificate or valid pet passport:
the name and manufacturer of the product
the date and time they treated your dog
their stamp and signature

7. Travelling to a non-EU country

If you’re travelling to a non-EU country, you’ll need to get an export health certificate (EHC).
You’ll also need to complete an export application form (EXA) if you’re in England, Scotland or
Wales.
The export health certificate and the export application form for each country and pet will tell
you how to apply.
An EHC checks that your pet meets the health requirements of the country you’re travelling to.
You must nominate an official vet who will be sent the EHC. They’ll check your pet has met the
correct health and identification requirements before you travel.
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Check the rules of the country you’re travelling to for any additional restrictions or requirements
before you travel.

8. Help and support

You can contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) if you’ve got questions or need
more information.

If you’re travelling to the EU or Northern Ireland

Contact the Pet Travel Scheme helpline if you need more information about pet travel.

Pet Travel Scheme helpline

[email protected]
Telephone: 0370 241 1710
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm (closed on bank holidays)
Find out about call charges

You can also speak to an adviser on webchat.

If you’re travelling to a non-EU country

Contact APHA if you need more information about pet travel to a non-EU country.

Animal and Plant Health Agency

[email protected]
Telephone: 03000 200 301
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm
Find out about call charges

All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except
where otherwise stated © Crown copyright

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