Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain

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1. Overview

These rules apply to Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). There are different rules on pet travel into Northern Ireland.

Find out what you need to do if you’re travelling from Ukraine with your pets.

You can enter or return to Great Britain with your pet cat, dog or ferret if it:

You must use an approved route - unless you’re travelling within the UK or from Ireland.

You need to fill in a declaration if you are not going to sell or transfer the ownership of your pet.

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.

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.

Check if you need to follow extra rules

You must follow extra rules (known as Balai rules) if any of the following apply:

  • you’re going to sell, rehome or transfer the ownership of the animal
  • your pet is arriving more than 5 days before or after you arrive
  • you’re bringing more than 5 animals and are not attending or training for a competition, show or sporting event

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 or health certificate

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.

2. Where you're travelling from

The rules for bringing your pet cat, dog or ferret into Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) depend on what country you’re coming from.

Find out what you need to do if you’re travelling from Ukraine with your pets.

‘Part 1’ listed countries

The following countries are ‘part 1’ listed:

  • EU countries
  • Andorra
  • Azores and Madeira
  • Canary Islands
  • French Guiana
  • Gibraltar
  • Greenland and the Faroe Islands
  • Guadeloupe
  • Iceland
  • Liechtenstein
  • Martinique
  • Mayotte (French territory)
  • Monaco
  • Norway
  • Réunion (French territory)
  • Saint Barthélemy (French Territory)
  • San Marino
  • Saint Martin (French part of the island - French territory)
  • Switzerland
  • Vatican City State

Pet travel documents for ‘part 1’ listed countries

You must have one of the following documents to bring a pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain from a ‘part 1’ listed country:

  • a pet passport issued in a ‘part 1’ listed country
  • an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) issued in Great Britain in the last 4 months
  • a pet passport issued in Great Britain before 1 January 2021
  • a Great Britain pet health certificate

Find out how to get pet travel documents.

‘Part 2’ listed countries

The following countries are ‘part 2’ listed:

  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Aruba
  • Ascension Island
  • Australia
  • Bahrain
  • Barbados
  • Belarus
  • Bermuda
  • BES Islands (Bonair, Saint Eustatius and Saba)
  • Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Canada
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile
  • Curaçao
  • Falkland Islands
  • Fiji
  • French Polynesia
  • Hong Kong
  • Jamaica
  • Japan
  • Malaysia
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Montserrat
  • New Caledonia
  • New Zealand
  • North Macedonia
  • Russian Federation
  • Saint Maarten
  • Singapore
  • St Helena
  • St Kitts and Nevis
  • St Lucia
  • St Pierre and Miquelon
  • St Vincent and The Grenadines
  • Taiwan
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • United Arab Emirates
  • USA (includes American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands)
  • Vanuatu
  • Wallis and Futuna

Pet travel documents for ‘part 2’ listed countries

You must have a Great Britain pet health certificate to bring a pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain from a ‘part 2’ listed country.

You’ll need extra documents if you’re entering Great Britain with a cat from Australia or a cat or dog from Malaysia.

Find out how to get pet travel documents.

You cannot use a pet passport or an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) to bring a pet to Great Britain if you’re travelling from a ‘part 2’ listed country.

Countries that are not listed

If your country is not listed, you must have a Great Britain pet health certificate to bring your pet to Great Britain. Find out how to get pet travel documents.

Your pet will also have to follow specific rules on rabies, vaccinations and blood tests.

If you’re travelling from Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man

Your pet dog, cat or ferret will not need a pet passport or health certificate if it’s entering Great Britain from:

  • Northern Ireland
  • the Channel Islands
  • the Isle of Man

3. Pet passports and other documents

Which pet travel documents you need will depend on where you’re travelling from.

Check if the country you’re travelling from is ‘part 1’ listed, ‘part 2’ listed, or not listed.

You must bring originals of all your pet’s documents, not photocopies.

If you’re travelling from a ‘part 1’ listed country

If you’re travelling to Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) from a ‘part 1’ listed country, you’ll need one of the following:

  • a pet passport issued in a ‘part 1’ listed country

  • an animal health certificate (AHC) issued in Great Britain in the last 4 months

  • a pet passport issued in Great Britain before 1 January 2021

  • a Great Britain pet health certificate issued in the last 10 days

If you’re travelling from a ‘part 2’ listed country or one that’s not listed

You must have a Great Britain pet health certificate issued in the last 10 days. You cannot bring your pet to Great Britain without one.

You’ll need extra documents if you’re entering Great Britain with a cat from Australia or a cat or dog from Malaysia.

Cats from Australia

To 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.

Dogs and cats from Peninsular Malaysia

You 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:

  • has not had contact with pigs in the 60 days before you left
  • has not been on a holding where Nipah disease has been found in the 60 days before you left
  • has a negative blood test result for Nipah virus antibody - the test must be carried out by a laboratory approved for Nipah virus on a blood sample taken no more than 10 days before you leave

Getting a pet passport

Pet passports show the details of the different health treatments your pet has had.

You can get a pet passport from a vet authorised to issue them in any ‘part 1’ listed country.

Great Britain is not ‘part 1’ listed. You cannot use a pet passport from Great Britain unless it was issued before 1 January 2021.

If your vet does not issue pet passports, ask them for the nearest one that does or contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

When you get a pet passport you’ll need to take:

  • your pet
  • your pet’s identity and vaccination records
  • rabies blood test results, if your pet needs them

The passport is only valid if you meet the entry requirements.

You 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.

Only 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.

You’ll need to get a new pet passport when all the treatment spaces are full.

Before you travel

Check that the vet has filled in the following sections in the pet passport:

  • details of ownership - you must sign section I if your pet passport was issued on or after 29 December 2014
  • description of animal
  • marking or identification of animal
  • vaccination against rabies
  • rabies blood test (if needed)
  • details of the vet issuing the passport (for passports issued from 29 December 2014)
  • your dog’s tapeworm treatment (if needed)

Getting an animal health certificate (AHC)

You can only use an AHC that’s been issued in Great Britain. You’ll usually only have one if you originally travelled with your pet from Great Britain.

AHCs must be signed by an ‘official veterinarian’ (OV). If you’re in Great Britain, check if your vet can issue animal health certificates. If they cannot, ask them to help you find an OV.

Find out more about getting an AHC.

Getting a Great Britain pet health certificate

You can ask your vet to complete a Great Britain pet health certificate.

Your pet must arrive in Great Britain within 10 days of the pet health certificate being issued.

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:

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

Reading the microchip

If 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.

If 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.

Your 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).

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
  • take new blood tests if you’re travelling from country that is not ‘listed’
  • issue a new pet passport or health certificate
  • record the old and new microchips in the ‘Marking of animals’ section of the new passport

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

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 current pet passport or a new passport 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 pet passport.

Your vet should record in the ‘Others’ section of the pet passport that your pet has been rechipped.

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:

  • 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 pet passport or health certificate.

5. Rabies vaccination, boosters and blood tests

You must get your dog, cat or ferret vaccinated against rabies before it can travel.

Your vet needs proof that your pet’s at least 12 weeks old before vaccinating them.

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.

Getting the rabies vaccination

Your pet must have had their first rabies vaccinations (the ‘primary course’). This can be given in more than one dose.

Your 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.

The vaccine must be an inactivated vaccine or recombinant vaccine that’s approved in the country of use.

If your pet has had the Canvac R vaccination

If your dog, cat or ferret has had the Canvac R vaccination, they must have had the right number of doses of the primary course.

They’ll need:

  • 1 dose if they were vaccinated over the age of 5 months
  • 2 doses if they were vaccinated under the age of 5 months - the doses must have been 2 to 4 weeks apart

All pets with the Canvac R vaccination must be at least 17 weeks old before they travel.

If your dog has had the Canvac DHPPiL+ R vaccination

If your dog has the Canvac DHPPiL + R vaccine, both of the following must apply:

  • your dog has had 3 doses of the primary course of the vaccine
  • each vaccine dose was 3 weeks apart

Your dog must also be at least 21 weeks old before they travel.

Travelling from a ‘Part 1’ or ‘Part 2’ listed country

You must wait 21 days after the primary vaccination (or the last of the primary course of vaccinations) before bringing your pet to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) from a Part 1 or Part 2 listed country.

Travelling from a country that is not ‘listed’

You must follow certain rules after having your pet vaccinated if you’re travelling to Great Britain from a country that is not a Part 1 or Part 2 listed country:

  1. Your pet must have a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination.

  2. Your vet must send the blood sample to an EU-approved blood testing laboratory from either inside the EU or outside the EU.

  3. The results of the blood test must show that the vaccination was successful (rabies antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml).

  4. You must wait 3 months from the date the blood sample was taken before you travel - you do not need to wait if your pet was vaccinated, blood tested and given a pet passport or health certificate in the EU before travelling to a country that is not listed.

  5. The vet must give you a copy of the test results and enter the day the blood sample was taken in a pet passport or health certificate.

The blood test will continue to be valid as long as your pet’s rabies vaccinations are kept up to date.

Booster vaccinations

You must get regular booster vaccinations for your pet. Check your pet passport or health certificate to find out when the booster vaccination is due.

Get an Animal Health Certificate if your pet needs a booster vaccination while you’re in Great Britain.

If you miss the booster and you’re travelling from a country that is not listed, your pet will need to be vaccinated and blood tested again and you’ll have to wait for 3 months before travelling.

Vaccination record

Your pet’s vaccination record in their pet passport or health certificate 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, for example Nobivac
  • vaccine batch number
  • date the vaccination is valid until
  • the vet’s signature and contact details

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

Pet passports issued from 29 December 2014

The vet only needs to fill in the ‘valid from’ date for the first vaccination (or revaccination if you missed a booster).

If the rabies vaccination record is a sticker, it must be covered by a laminated strip (included with the pet passport).

6. Tapeworm treatment for dogs

A vet must treat your dog for tapeworm and record it in the pet passport or health certificate every time you want to bring it to Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).

The treatment must have been given no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before you enter Great Britain. Your dog can be refused entry or put into quarantine if you do not follow this rule.

You 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.

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 for a short trip, your dog must be 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.

You should treat your dog again within 28 days of returning to Great Britain.

Information your vet needs to record

Check the vet has put the following details in the ‘Echinococcus treatment’ section of your dog’s pet passport or health certificate:

  • the name and manufacturer of the product
  • the date and time they treated your dog
  • their stamp and signature

7. Guide and assistance dogs

People with assistance dogs can:

  • travel on more routes than people with pets
  • use other forms of transport where other animals are not allowed, for example the aircraft cabin

Guide and assistance dogs must also meet the normal rules for travelling with dogs.

Eligibility

Great British travel companies usually recognise guide or assistance dogs trained by organisations that are members of either:

You should check with your travel company if the organisation that trained your dog is not a member of either association.

The Guide Dogs Association website has advice about taking assistance dogs abroad.

Travelling by air

Your airline must allow you to travel with your assistance dog if your flight departs from inside the EU. You must bring a car harness with you when you travel by air, so that your dog can be secured when the plane takes off and lands.

You can enter any airport in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) with your assistance dog.

There may be additional rules to follow if your flight departs from outside the EU. Check with your airline before you travel.

Travelling by sea

You must be allowed to travel with your assistance dog on:

  • ferry services entering and leaving the EU
  • cruise services which leave from any EU country and arrive in Great Britain

Check with the ferry or cruise company if your journey is different to this.

Travelling by rail

Rail operators travelling within the EU must accept assistance dogs, but operators may have extra conditions.

Check with the rail operator before you travel inside or outside the EU.

8. Approved routes

You can only use certain travel routes and companies to enter Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).

Check the routes before you travel - they can change or may only operate at certain times of the year.

When pets have to travel as cargo

How your pet can travel depends on how you are travelling.

If you’re travelling by plane

Pets have to travel as cargo on a plane unless:

If you’re travelling by sea or Eurotunnel

Check if the company you’re travelling with allows you to bring pets before you travel.

You can only bring a pet into Great Britain by private boat if you’re travelling from Ireland or Northern Ireland.

Travelling to and from Northern Ireland and Ireland

Contact the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) if you’re travelling to Northern Ireland.

You do not have to use an approved route or company if you’re travelling from Ireland to Great Britain.

9. Bringing more than 5 pets

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.

All your pets must:

  • be attending the event or training
  • be over 6 months old
  • meet the pet travel rules

You must also fill in a declaration confirming that you meet these requirements.

You’ll have to follow 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.

You 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.

10. Arriving in Great Britain

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.

Your pet could be put into quarantine or sent back to the country it travelled from if:

You’re responsible for any fees or charges.

Entering Great Britain from outside the EU

You 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.

If you cannot get someone to do this for you, you should either:

  • contact customs where you’re arriving before you travel
  • ask the National Clearance Hub at nch@hmrc.gov.uk for more information

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.

11. Complaints and help

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

Pet Travel helpline
pettravel@apha.gov.uk
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.

Complaints

You’ll need to have the following information to make a complaint:

  • your name and contact details
  • date your pet was checked by a vet
  • date and time of travel
  • name of the pet owner
  • species of pet
  • carrier and route
  • ticket number or airway bill (AWB) for pets travelling by plane
  • details of the complaint you want to make
  • details of any contact with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) you had before the time of your complaint

Contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency to make a complaint.

Animal and Plant Health Agency
pettravel@apha.gov.uk
Telephone: 0370 241 1710
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm (closed on bank holidays)
Find out about call charges

Pet Travel Section
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Centre for International Trade
Eden Bridge House
Lowther Street
Carlisle
CA3 8DX

Report an illegally imported pet

Contact your local Trading Standards Office if you think that an animal has been imported illegally.

In London contact the City of London Animal Health and Welfare Team.

City of London Animal Health and Welfare Team
Telephone: 020 8745 7894
Find out about call charges