These rules apply if you’re bringing pet dogs, cats or ferrets into Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). They also apply if you’re travelling with your guide or assistance dog.
\n\nThere’s different guidance:
\n\nYou cannot bring a banned breed of dog into Great Britain unless it already has a valid Certificate of Exemption.
\nYou must complete certain steps to enter or return to Great Britain with your pet cat, dog or ferret.
\n\nCheck your route is approved for pet travel. You do not need to use an approved route if you’re travelling within the UK or from Ireland. There are more approved routes for people travelling with guide or assistance dogs.
\nMicrochip your pet. They must be microchipped before they get their rabies vaccination.
\nVaccinate your pet against rabies. How long you must wait before travelling to Great Britain depends on the type of rabies vaccine used. This will be at least 21 full days after the first vaccination (or the last of the first course of vaccinations).
\nGet a pet travel document from your vet. The type of document you need will depend on the country you’re travelling from.
\nIf you have a dog, you may need a vet to give them tapeworm treatment. Your dog must be treated no less than 24 hours before (and no more than 5 days before) you arrive in Great Britain.
\nYou also need to fill in a declaration if you’re not going to sell or transfer the ownership of your pet.
\nCheck the guidance for taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad if you’re taking them out of Great Britain, for example on a return journey.
\nYour pet may be put into quarantine for up to 4 months if you do not follow these rules - or refused entry if you travelled by sea. You’re responsible for any fees or charges.
\nYou must follow extra rules (known as Balai rules) if any of the following apply:
\n\nYou must still follow the rules on microchipping, rabies vaccination, and tapeworm treatment.
\n\nYour pet can travel with someone else if you’ve authorised it in writing.
\n","slug":"what-you-need-to-do","title":"What you need to do"},{"body":"You can only use certain travel routes and companies to enter Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).
\n\nCheck the ‘approved routes’ before you travel - they can change or may only operate at certain times of the year.
\n\nThere are more approved routes for people travelling with guide or assistance dogs.
\n\nBefore you book your travel, check if the company you’re travelling with:
\n\nHow your pet can travel depends on how you are travelling.
\n\nPets have to travel as cargo on a plane unless:
\n\nCheck if the company you’re travelling with allows you to bring pets before you travel.
\n\nYou can only bring a pet into Great Britain by private boat if you’re travelling from Ireland or Northern Ireland.
\n\nContact the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) if you’re travelling to Northern Ireland.
\n\nYou do not have to use an approved route or company if you’re travelling from Ireland to Great Britain.
\n\n","slug":"travel-routes-pets","title":"Travel routes for pets"},{"body":"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.
\n\nMicrochipping for pet travel can only be done by:
\n\nMake sure your vet puts the microchip number in your pet passport, animal health certificate or Great Britain pet health certificate. The date must be before your pet’s vaccinations.
\nIf you travel by air, train or ferry on approved routes, staff will check your microchip if it meets International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards ISO 11784 and ISO 11785.
\n\nIf your pet’s microchip does not meet ISO standards, you may have to bring your own microchip reader when you travel. You should check with your travel company before you leave.
\n\nYour pet will be refused entry or put into quarantine if its microchip cannot be read when you enter or return to Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).
\nYou’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:
\n\nYou’ll have to wait the required time before you can travel if your pet is revaccinated or has new blood tests.
\nYour vet should try to read the microchip. If they get a reading, they can rechip your pet (the original chip is not removed).
\n\nThis must be recorded in the current pet passport or a new passport with:
\n\nThe vet must sign and stamp the page in the pet passport.
\n\nYour vet should record in the ‘Others’ section of the pet passport that your pet has been rechipped.
\n\nYou do not need to have your pet microchipped if it’s been tattooed with an identification number and all of the following are true:
\n\nYour vet must record the date of tattooing, the tattoo number and the date of the rabies vaccination in the pet passport or health certificate.
\n\n","slug":"microchip","title":"Microchip"},{"body":"You must get your dog, cat or ferret vaccinated against rabies before they can travel.
\n\nIf your pet has already been vaccinated, check if they need a booster vaccination.
\n\nIf you’re coming from a country that’s not part of the EU and not listed your pet also needs a rabies blood test.
\n\nYour vet needs proof that your pet’s at least 12 weeks old before vaccinating them.
\n\nYou 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.
\n\nAsk your vet how long you must wait before travelling - some rabies vaccinations take longer to work than others. You will have to wait at least 21 full days after the first rabies vaccination (or the last of the first course of rabies vaccinations) is given. Day 1 is the day after the rabies vaccination.
\n\nExample
\n\nA vet vaccinates your pet against rabies on 1 October using a vaccine which takes 30 days to work. This means you can travel from 1 November.
\nYou’ll have to wait longer before travelling if your pet needs a rabies blood test.
\n\nThe rabies vaccine must be an inactivated vaccine or recombinant vaccine that’s approved in the country of use.
\n\nYour pet must have had their first rabies vaccinations (the ‘primary course’). This can be given in more than one dose.
\n\nYour pet may need to restart the primary course if they do not have all doses or a booster at the right time. Your vet can tell you if your pet’s rabies vaccinations are up to date.
\n\nIf your dog, cat or ferret has had the Canvac R vaccination, they must have had the right number of doses of the primary course.
\n\nThey’ll need:
\n\nAll pets with the Canvac R vaccination must be at least 17 weeks old before they travel.
\n\nIf your dog has the Canvac DHPPiL + R vaccine, both of the following must apply:
\n\nYour dog must also be at least 21 weeks old before they travel.
\n\nYou must get regular booster vaccinations for your pet. Check when the booster vaccination is due on your pet’s vaccination record. This can be found in either their:
\n\n\n\nIf you do not have these documents, check with your vet when the booster vaccination is due.
\n\nIf you miss the booster, your pet will need to restart their vaccinations. If you’re travelling from a country that’s not part of the EU and not listed, your pet will also need to have a rabies blood test. You’ll have to wait longer before travelling.
\nYou do not need to wait to travel after a booster vaccination if there has been no break in the vaccine cover.
\n\nYour pet’s vaccination record in their pet passport or health certificate must show:
\n\nYour pet can be stopped from travelling to Great Britain if the details in their pet travel document are in the wrong place.
\nIf you’re travelling from the EU or a country that issues pet passports accepted in Great Britain, the vet only needs to fill in the ‘valid from’ date for the first vaccination (or revaccination if you missed a booster).
\n\nIf your rabies vaccination record is a sticker, it must either be:
\n\nIf the sticker is self-destructive, the vet who gave the vaccination must include a signed and stamped letter saying that the sticker cannot be laminated.
\n\nThe vaccine details must be entered by a vet from a country that can issue pet passports. Your pet might be stopped from travelling to Great Britain if the details are entered by a vet from Great Britain or another country that cannot issue pet passports.
\n\n","slug":"rabies-vaccination-and-boosters","title":"Rabies vaccination and boosters"},{"body":"Your pet only needs a rabies blood test if you’re travelling from a country that is:
\n\nCheck if a country is not listed.
\n\nYour pet must have a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination.
\nYour vet must send the blood sample to an EU-approved blood testing laboratory from either inside the EU or outside the EU.
\nThe results of the blood test must show that the vaccination was successful (rabies antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml).
\nThe vet must give you a copy of the test results and enter the day the blood sample was taken in a pet passport or Great Britain health certificate.
\nYou must wait 3 months from the date the blood sample was taken before you travel.
\nYou do not need to wait 3 months if your pet was vaccinated, blood tested and given a pet passport or Great Britain health certificate in the EU before travelling to a country that is not listed.
\nThe blood test will continue to be valid as long as your pet’s rabies vaccinations are kept up to date.
\n","slug":"rabies-blood-tests","title":"Blood tests for rabies"},{"body":"A vet must treat your dog for tapeworm every time you want to bring it to Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). They must record it in either the:
\n\n\n\nYou do not need to treat your dog for tapeworm if you’re coming directly to Great Britain from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway.
\nYour dog can be refused entry or put into quarantine if you do not follow this rule.
\n\nThe treatment must both:
\n\nCheck the vet has put the following details in the ‘Echinococcus treatment’ section of your dog’s pet passport or health certificate:
\n\nThe treatment must be given:
\n\nExample
\n\nYour dog is treated for tapeworm at 1pm on Monday. You must arrive in Great Britain after 1pm the next day (Tuesday). You cannot arrive after 1pm on Saturday.
\nIf you’re delayed and arrive more than 5 days (120 hours) after the treatment, your dog may need a new treatment before you return to Great Britain.
\n\nCheck with your travel company what you need to do (for example your airline).
\n\nIf you’re leaving Great Britain and returning within 24 hours, you must get your dog treated by a vet before you go.
\n\nIf you’re returning within 5 days, you can also get your dog treated before you go.
\n\nYou must:
\n\nIf you’re not sure when to give the treatment, ask your vet before you travel.
\n\nExample
\n\nYour dog is treated for tapeworm at 1pm on the Monday before you travel. You cannot return to Great Britain before 1pm the next day (Tuesday). You must return to Great Britain before 1pm on Saturday.
\nIf you do not travel within these times, you’ll need to get another treatment abroad.
\n\nYou should treat your dog again within 28 days of returning to Great Britain
\n\n","slug":"tapeworm-treatment-dogs","title":"Tapeworm treatment for dogs"},{"body":"The document you need to bring your pet cat, dog or ferret into Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) depends on what country you’re coming from.
\n\nIf you’re travelling from an EU country your pet must have one of the following documents:
\n\nYour pet dog, cat or ferret will not need a pet passport or health certificate to enter Great Britain.
\n\nCountries in the rest of the world are either ‘listed’ or ‘not listed’.
\n\nFind your country in this table to see which documents you need to travel.
\n\nIf the country you’re travelling from is not listed, your pet needs a Great Britain pet health certificate.
\n\nAs well as the usual pet travel rules, your pet will also need a rabies blood test.
\n\nTo bring a cat into Great Britain from Australia, you must have a certificate from the Australian Department of Agriculture confirming your cat has not been exposed to the Hendra virus in the 60 days before you left.
\n\nYou must have a certificate from the Malaysian government veterinary health services to bring your dog or cat into Great Britain from Peninsular Malaysia. The certificate must show your pet:
\n\nIf you’re travelling from the EU or a country that issues pet passports, your pet will be allowed to enter Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) if it has a valid pet passport.
\n\nYour pet passport must be issued by an authorised vet.
\n\nYou can get pet passports in the following countries:
\n\nYou can either:
\n\nWhen you get a pet passport you’ll need to take:
\n\nIf your vet does not issue pet passports, ask them for the nearest one that does.
\n\nYour pet will only be allowed into Great Britain if the pet passport is filled in correctly and your pet meets the entry requirements.
\n\nCheck that the vet has filled in the following sections in the pet passport:
\n\nOnly vets in EU countries can enter rabies vaccination details into an EU pet passport. Any vet in any country can put tapeworm treatment details into a pet passport.
\nYou’ll need to get a new pet passport when all the treatment spaces are full.
\n\nYou must bring originals of all your pet’s documents, not photocopies.
\n\nYou should travel with previous pet passports in some cases, for example if your pet has had a blood test. Ask your vet if you think this applies to your pet.
\n\n","slug":"pet-passport","title":"Pet passports"},{"body":"Your pet can enter Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) with an animal health certificate (AHC) if all the following apply:
\n\nCheck that your vet fills in the AHC correctly. It should be signed, dated and include your pet’s vaccinations and tapeworm treatments.
\nIf you stay abroad for more than 6 months, to bring your pet back to Great Britain you’ll need a Great Britain pet health certificate.
\n\nYou can still use a pet passport to return to Great Britain if it was issued in:
\n\nFind out more about getting an AHC.
\n\n","slug":"animal-health-certificate-ahc","title":"Animal health certificate (AHC)"},{"body":"You can enter Great Britain with a Great Britain pet health certificate from any country.
\n\nAsk your vet if they can complete the certificate for you.
\n\nThe certificate must be signed, stamped and dated by an official veterinarian (OV) who has authority from their government to issue it.
\n\nIf your vet is not an OV they need to contact their local authority to get the certificate signed, stamped and dated.
\n\nYour pet must enter Great Britain within 10 days of the pet health certificate being issued.
\n\n","slug":"great-britain-pet-health-certificate","title":"Great Britain pet health certificate"},{"body":"When you arrive in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland), your pet’s microchip and documents will be checked. Your pet might be checked before you board, for example if you’re travelling by sea or Eurotunnel.
\n\nYour pet could be put into quarantine or sent back to the country it travelled from if:
\n\nYou’re responsible for any fees or charges.
\nYou can only collect your pet after it’s been taken through customs. You can usually pay an agent, travel company or airline to do this for you.
\n\nIf you cannot get someone to do this for you, you should either:
\n\nIf you have a ‘recognised assistance dog’ you can:
\n\ntravel on more routes than people with pets
\nuse forms of transport where other animals are not allowed, for example you can bring your dog into the aircraft cabin
\nGuide and assistance dogs must also meet the normal rules for travelling with dogs.
\nA ‘recognised assistance dog’ is a dog that’s trained to actively help their owner with needs related to their disability or health condition.
\n\nThis usually includes:
\n\nDogs that only provide emotional support are not usually considered recognised assistance dogs.
\n\nCheck with your travel company whether they consider your dog to be an assistance dog.
\n\nYour airline must allow you to travel with your assistance dog if either:
\n\nTell your airline that you’ll be travelling with a recognised assistance dog at least 48 hours before you travel. You may need to tell them earlier - check with your airline to find out how much notice they need.
\n\nIf you cannot tell your airline before you travel, they must still make all reasonable efforts to allow you to travel.
\n\nThere are some rare situations where you might not be allowed to travel, for example, if there is no safe way to transport your dog.
\n\nYou can enter these airports in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) with your assistance dog.
\n\nThere may be additional rules to follow if your flight departs from outside the EU. Check with your airline before you travel.
\n\nYou must be allowed to travel to Great Britain with your assistance dog on:
\n\nCheck with the ferry or cruise company if your journey is different to this.
\n\nTell your travel company that you’ll be travelling with a recognised assistance dog at least 48 hours before you travel. You may need to tell them earlier - check with your travel company to find out how much notice they need.
\n\nIf you cannot tell your travel company before you travel, they must still make all reasonable efforts to allow you to travel.
\n\nThere are some rare situations where you might not be allowed to travel, for example, if there is no safe way to transport your dog.
\n\nRail companies operating within the UK must accept assistance dogs, but they may have extra conditions.
\n\nCheck with the rail operator before you travel.
\n\n","slug":"guide-dogs","title":"Guide and assistance dogs"},{"body":"You cannot bring more than 5 pets to Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) unless you’re attending or training for a competition, show or sporting event. You’ll need written evidence of registration for the event when you travel.
\n\nAll your pets must:
\n\nYou must also fill in a declaration confirming that you meet these requirements.
\n\nYou’ll have to follow extra rules if you want to travel with more than 5 pets that are not attending or training for a competition, show or sporting event.
\n\nYou must always follow extra rules if they’re being rehomed, sold, or their ownership is being transferred to owners in Great Britain, even if you’re travelling with fewer than 5 animals.
\nContact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for more information about pet travel.
\n\nFill in the pet travel contact form.
\n\nPet Travel helpline
\nTelephone: 03000 200 301
\nMonday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm
\nClosed on bank holidays
\nFind out about call charges
Contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency to make a complaint.
\n\nContact your local Trading Standards Office if you think that an animal has been imported illegally.
\n\nIn London contact the City of London Animal Health and Welfare Team.
\n\nCity of London Animal Health and Welfare Team
\nTelephone: 020 8745 7894
\nFind out about call charges