Pet Travel Information

Following the UK leaving the EU on 31st December 2020 we are no longer part of the original Pet Travel Scheme and EU Pet Passports can no longer be issued in Great Britain. Your pet will require an appointment with an ‘Official Veterinarian’ who can then issue ‘Animal Health Certificate’ (AHC) to allow your pet to travel to an EU country and Northern Ireland. The AHC is valid for a single trip into the EU, onward travel throughout the EU member countries and subsequent re-entry to the UK.

These are single use certificates. You will need a new AHC each time you travel to the EU and Northern Ireland with your pet.

Pet travel requirements from the UK to an EU Country and Northern Ireland:

1.Your pet needs to be correctly microchipped. This needs to be verified and documented by the issuing vet.

2. Your pet needs to have been vaccinated against Rabies at least 21 days prior to their AHC appointment. The UK Rabies vaccination is valid for 3 years and must remain in date during your travel and stay in the EU.

3.Your pet needs to be issued with an AHC in a 10 day window prior to departure. The person travelling with the pet needs to be present at certification. The certificate allows for entry into the EU, onward travel in the EU and re-entry into the UK within 6 months of issue date.

Individual EU Member States may have specific pet travel requirements and pet owners should always check the specific entry requirements of the destination country before travel. 

Re-entry to the UK from many EU countries will also require dogs to be treated for Tapeworm. This treatment must be given between 24 hours and 5 days prior to UK entry and must be done and signed off by an EU Veterinarian and documented in the AHC. Owners are advised to investigate and arrange when and where this can be done when making their travel plans

Further information can be found on the .GOV.UK website and anyone wishing to travel outside of the UK with their pet should check the current legislation and travel requirements.

Key update - As of 22nd April 2026:

• GB residents should no longer use EU pet passports to travel into the EU. EU pet passports may now only be issued to people whose main home is in the EU and should not be used by people who have holiday homes in the EU or visit seasonally. EU pet passports issued to GB residents before 22 April 2026 may no longer be valid documents for entry to the EU. This means GB residents – even if they already have an EU pet passport – may need a different document to take their pet to the EU. To guarantee smooth travel, owners resident in Great Britain should get an Animal Health Certificate for their dog, cat or ferret(s) if they’re travelling from Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) to an EU country.    

Give us a call on 01225 233727 to let us know when and where you will be travelling to. We will send you a pet travel questionnaire to fill in with the required information needed to complete your AHC. Once we have received this we will contact you to book an appointment to issue the certificate.