Animal health certificate: taking your pet from the UK to the EU
A dog, cat or ferret from Great Britain to an EU country, and back: enter the day you arrive to see the last day for each step.
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The rules: Great Britain to an EU country
A pet passport issued to an owner living in Great Britain is not accepted for this trip: your vet issues an animal health certificate for each one. Every rule links its official source and the date we last checked it.
Information only, not veterinary advice. The authority of the country you enter decides. Rules change, so confirm every step with your vet and that authority before you travel; airlines may add their own conditions.
Source: food.ec.europa.eu, checked .
| Step | What the rule says | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Microchip | Have your pet microchipped before, or on the same day as, its rabies vaccination. A rabies dose given before the microchip does not count, so the vaccination has to be given again. | food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| Rabies vaccination at 12 weeks or older | The rabies vaccination counts only if your pet was at least 12 weeks old on the day it was given. | food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| Wait after the first rabies vaccination | After the first rabies vaccination (or the last dose of the first course), wait at least 21 days before the certificate is issued and the pet travels. We count 21 full days starting the day after the vaccination, so the first possible day is day 22. Some vaccines take longer to work, so ask your vet. | food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| Keep rabies boosters unbroken | Give each rabies booster while the previous vaccination is still valid. After a break, the next dose starts a new first course: the 21-day wait starts again, and from an unlisted country a new blood test is needed. | food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| EU animal 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. | eur-lex.europa.eu checked |
| Owner declaration | You sign a written declaration that the move is not commercial (no sale and no change of owner); it is attached to the health certificate. | food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| Tapeworm treatment (dogs going to Finland, Ireland or Malta) | Dogs going to Finland, Ireland or Malta: a vet gives a tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis) treatment no more than 120 hours and no less than 24 hours before your scheduled arrival, and records it on the certificate. The hours count back from your arrival time, in the arrival country's local time. | food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| Travellers' point of entry | Enter through a travellers' point of entry designated by the EU country, and go to the authority there for the document and identity check. | food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| Young animals | Puppies, kittens and young ferrets under 12 weeks, or 12 to 16 weeks old whose rabies vaccination is not yet valid, cannot be brought into the EU from a non-EU country. | food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| No GB pet passport | 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. | food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| Up to 5 pets | No more than 5 pets may travel this way in one vehicle. More than 5 may travel this way only if every one is more than six months old and is going to a competition, show or sporting event (or training for one), and you carry written evidence that they are registered for the event or with an organisation that runs such events. Otherwise the commercial rules apply. | food.ec.europa.eu checked |
| Travelling with your pet | Your pet must travel with you, or with someone you authorise in writing. If that person takes the pet, the pet's journey must be within 5 days of yours, and your signed authorisation goes with your pet's passport or animal health certificate, as applicable. If the pet travels more than 5 days before or after you, or its trip is not part of your own journey, the commercial entry rules apply instead. | food.ec.europa.eu checked |
The rules: an EU country back to Great Britain
| Step | What the rule says | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Route and travel company | Check that your route and travel company are on GOV.UK's list for pet travel into Great Britain. Pets usually travel as cargo on a plane, and routes can change or run only at certain times of the year. | gov.uk checked |
| Microchip | Microchip your pet before, or at the same time as, its rabies vaccination. If the chip comes after the vaccine, the vaccination has to be given again. | gov.uk checked |
| Rabies vaccination at 12 weeks or older | Your vet needs proof that your pet is at least 12 weeks old before giving the rabies vaccination. | gov.uk checked |
| Wait after the first rabies vaccination | Wait at least 21 full days after the first rabies vaccination (or the last dose of the first course) before travelling. Day 1 is the day after the vaccination, so the first travel day is day 22. Some vaccines take longer to work; ask your vet. | gov.uk checked |
| Keep rabies boosters unbroken | Keep rabies boosters going without a break. If a booster is missed, the vaccinations start again and so do the waits; from an unlisted country a new rabies blood test is needed too. No wait is needed after a booster given before the previous vaccination runs out. | gov.uk checked |
| Pet travel document from an EU country | 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. | gov.uk checked |
| Tapeworm treatment (dogs) | Dogs: a vet treats your dog for tapeworm no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before you arrive in Great Britain, and records the date and time. The hours count back from your arrival time, in UK local time. This is not needed when coming directly from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway. | gov.uk checked |
| Declaration | Fill in a declaration that you are not going to sell or transfer the ownership of your pet. | gov.uk checked |
| Up to 5 pets | Bring no more than 5 pets unless they are attending or training for a competition, show or sporting event. In that case every pet must be over 6 months of age, you need written evidence of registration for the event when you travel, and you fill in a declaration. Extra (Balai) rules apply if you are going to sell, rehome or transfer ownership of a pet, if a pet arrives more than 5 days before or after you, or if you bring more than 5 pets for any other reason. | gov.uk checked |
Information only, not veterinary advice. Border staff in Great Britain decide. Rules change, so confirm every step with your vet and APHA before you travel; airlines and ferry companies may add their own conditions.
Source: gov.uk, checked .
What this can't tell you
- Whether your own pet's record meets each step. This table does not read it: your vet and the official vet check the dates.
- The conditions of your airline, ferry or train company. They may add their own.
- Travel to or from Northern Ireland, or into the EU from anywhere other than Great Britain. For some other countries, see the rabies titer test page.
- Whether a rule changed after the date shown beside it. The authority of the country you enter decides.
Where these rules come from
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131. Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 applied to non-commercial pet movements until 21 April 2026; the delegated rules apply from 22 April 2026. This rule family does not use 576/2013.
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu, checked .
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636 (listing of non-EU countries and territories), Annex II as amended by (EU) 2026/1228
Source: food.ec.europa.eu, checked .
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705 (animal health certificate and declaration models). Certificates drawn up under Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013 are accepted only if issued before 1 October 2026, and only until 31 March 2027 (Article 6(3)).
Source: food.ec.europa.eu, checked .
GOV.UK guidance 'Bring your pet to Great Britain' (Defra and APHA)
Source: gov.uk, checked .
These rules were last checked against their official sources on . Next check by .
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