Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain
Overview
These rules apply to Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). There are different rules on pet travel into Northern Ireland.
You can enter or return to Great Britain with your pet cat, dog or ferret if it:
- has been microchipped
- has a pet passport or health certificate
- has been vaccinated against rabies - it will also need a blood test if you’re travelling from an country that is not ‘listed’
Dogs must also usually have a tapeworm treatment.
Your 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.
There’s different guidance if you’re taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad.
You must follow extra rules if the animals will be sold or rehomed in Great Britain. See the section on ‘Goods Subject to Sanitary and Phytosanitary Controls’.
If you bring a banned breed of dog into Great Britain it can be taken away from you by the police or local authorities and could be destroyed.
Bringing your pet to Great Britain
Your pet must arrive in Great Britain no more than 5 days before or after you, or you’ll have to follow different rules.
You must use an approved route unless you’re travelling within the UK or from Ireland.
You need to fill in a declaration confirming that you are not going to sell or transfer the ownership of your pet.
Bringing a ferret to England
Ferrets can catch and spread new variants of coronavirus (COVID-19).
If you bring a ferret to England from outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, you should keep it away from other ferrets and from people in other households for 21 days.
Before you travel
Check if the company you’re travelling with:
- will accept your pet for travel - and how many they’ll accept if you have more than one
- needs any proof that your pet is fit and healthy to travel, for example a letter from a vet or certain information in your pet passport
Authorising someone else to travel with your pet
Your pet can travel with someone else if you’ve authorised it in writing.
Bringing other animals
The rules are different if you’re bringing other animals into Great Britain.