A pet passport is the travel document of a dog, cat or ferret that lives in an EU country. Here is what it holds, who needs a health certificate instead, and how to keep its dates where you will see them.
It is issued in an EU country, and it is the document border staff read when a pet that lives in the EU travels. Great Britain accepts it too:
From an EU country your pet needs one of these: a pet passport issued in an EU country, in Northern Ireland or in certain other countries named by GOV.UK; a pet passport issued in Great Britain before 1 January 2021; an animal health certificate issued in Great Britain less than 6 months ago (count from the date it was issued); or a Great Britain pet health certificate.
Source: gov.uk, checked .
We describe the entries the travel rules read, not every page of the booklet.
| Entry | Why it matters | Rule and source |
|---|---|---|
| The microchip number, and the date it was put in | The rabies vaccination counts only if the microchip came first or on the same day. | Microchip: food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| Each rabies vaccination, with its valid-until date | Boosters must come before the previous one runs out, or the waits start again. | Keep rabies boosters unbroken: food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| A rabies antibody blood test, when one was done | For a pet that lives in the EU, a test recorded before it left can spare the 90-day wait on its return. | Pets that live in the EU: food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| A tapeworm treatment, for dogs on some routes | On most routes, dogs going to Finland, Ireland, Malta or Great Britain are treated 24 to 120 hours before they arrive. | Tapeworm treatment (dogs): gov.uk checked |
A pet passport issued to an owner living in Great Britain is not accepted for travel from Great Britain to the EU. Your vet issues a new animal health certificate for each trip.
Source: food.ec.europa.eu, checked .
An official veterinarian in the country you leave issues (or endorses) the EU animal health certificate no more than 10 days before you enter the EU. We count the issue day as day 1, as GOV.UK's worked example does. A sea journey adds the days at sea. After entry the certificate covers onward travel within the EU for 6 months, or until the rabies vaccination runs out if that is sooner.
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu, checked .
Type the dates from the passport into your pet's record: each vaccination and when it is valid until. You get a reminder before a date comes round, by e-mail or in your calendar. It takes about a minute.
This is an owner-entered record, not an official document: at the border, the passport itself is what counts. Reading a photo of the page is coming later.
A pet passport issued to an owner living in Great Britain is not accepted for travel from Great Britain to the EU. Your vet issues a new animal health certificate for each trip.
From an EU country your pet needs one of these: a pet passport issued in an EU country, in Northern Ireland or in certain other countries named by GOV.UK; a pet passport issued in Great Britain before 1 January 2021; an animal health certificate issued in Great Britain less than 6 months ago (count from the date it was issued); or a Great Britain pet health certificate.
An official veterinarian in the country you leave issues (or endorses) the EU animal health certificate no more than 10 days before you enter the EU. We count the issue day as day 1, as GOV.UK's worked example does. A sea journey adds the days at sea. After entry the certificate covers onward travel within the EU for 6 months, or until the rabies vaccination runs out if that is sooner.
If your pet lives in the EU and its pet passport shows a satisfactory antibody test taken before it left the EU, the 90-day wait does not apply when it comes back.