To travel to the EU and its associated (“listed”) countries, dogs, cats (and ferrets) must be microchipped for accurate identification and vaccinated against rabies at least 21 days before travel. Here is a list of EU and associated ‘listed’ countries.
One of our Official Veterinarians (OVs) can prepare the Animal Health Certificate (AHC) for you and sign it as required by the EU. This 10 page document will be checked at your port of entry into the EU and your pet’s microchip number scanned.
The AHC is valid for use for 10 days after the date that we issue, sign and stamp it. It is also used when you re-enter the UK, which must be within four months of the date it is issued. (If you are staying outside the UK for longer than four months, new paperwork must be provided by a vet in the EU country you are in.)
BY CAR
Car travel is usually by the Channel Tunnel to France.
If you plan to travel with your pet by car please complete this AHC application.
(Eurostar does not allow pets to accompany foot passengers.)
BY AIR
If you plan to travel with your pet by air please complete this AHC application.
The airline also needs a completed Fit to Fly health certificate. Please complete this Fit to Fly application.
Some European airlines allow pets under 8kg (including the weight of the carrier) to accompany you in the passenger cabin on the outward journey but all pets must be in the hold for their return journey to the UK. (This is an APHA regulation, not an airline one.)
BY FERRY
If you plan to travel by ferry with your pet in your car, please complete this AHC application. Most ferry companies require pets to remain in cars during journeys.
Most ferry companies do not allow pets to accompany foot passengers. Some do, providing your pet travels in a pet carrier. Please check with the ferry company that you plan to use before planning travel with your pet.
RETURNING FROM THE EU INCLUDING THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, NORTHERN IRELAND, SWITZERLAND AND NORWAY and other listed countries
The Animal Health Certificate (AHC) provided to enter the EU, Switzerland and Norway is valid for four months for re-entry to the UK.
If you have a dog, visit an EU vet between 1-5 days before returning to the UK. The vet will give an anti-tapeworm medicine and complete the appropriate section of the AHC.
If you have a cat, it does not need worming. As long as you return within four months all you need is the valid AHC you used at departure.
Parasites
Insect transmitted diseases are more common and more severe on the continent than they are in the UK and the island of Ireland. We strongly recommend that mosquito, sandfly and tick bite prevention begins a week before your cat or dog travels.
Although it is not a government regulation, we recommend that your pet is treated for external parasites. There are a number of exotic parasites which cats and dogs travelling to Europen may be exposed to. The European Scientific Counsel for Companion Animal Parasites has more information which can be found here. Please let us know you would like some parasite treatment to protect your pet before you go.
FAQs
Which additional countries accept the EU’s Animal Health Certificate (AHC)?
In addition to all EU countries, these other European countries and territories also accept EU AHC’s. Please complete the EU AHC application form if you are travelling to any of these locations:
- Andorra
- Azores & Madeira
- Canary Islands
- Gibraltar
- Greenland & Faroe islands
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Monaco Norway
- San Marino
- Switzerland
- Vatican City State
For a full list of “Part 1” countries visit:
https://www.gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain/listed-and-unlisted-countries
May I send someone else with my pet when the AHT is completed?
As your pet’s owner you must be present when your pet is seen at the AHT appointment, and sign the pet owner’s declaration page, even if someone else will be travelling with your pet. There is a section on the AHT where your pet’s travelling companion’s name is added. If someone else is travelling with your pet, you (the owner) must be travelling within the same 5 day period.
My pet is travelling to the EU with a friend. Should I complete the application in my name or my friend’s name?
The rules say that there can be only “one named person on the AHC paperwork”. The pet is bound to one person only, the nominated owner, irrespective of joint ownership. The person who is travelling with the pet must sign the AHC declaration at the time of the appointment.
What does an AHC cost? What does a Fit to Fly cost?
The fee for an AHC is £228 inclusive of 20% VAT. The fee for a Fit to Fly certificate is £26.
I need to travel urgently. Can you complete an AHC quickly?
Yes we can but this takes the vets away from their clinical work. There is a sliding fee depending on how soon your travel is.
The standard fee of £228 is for all applications received 10 or more days before travel. There is an urgency surcharge of 10 percent each day up to a 100 percent surcharge for travel the following day.
My pet has an EU issued passport and the rabies inoculation is up to date. Is anything else needed to travel between the UK and the EU?
If you are travelling by car, train or ferry that’s all you need for travel both ways.
If you are flying please check with your airline if they need a ‘Fit to Fly’ certificate. Most do. Then arrange a consultation with one of our vets who will examine and if healthy certify your companion as ‘fit to fly’.
Please remember that while many airlines are happy to transport pets in the passenger cabin flying out of the UK, if the combined weight of the pet and its carrier is less than eight kilograms, DEFRA regulations prohibit pets from travelling in the passenger section of an aircraft when arriving in the UK, unless they are certified service dogs such as Hearing Dogs or Guide Dogs.
I am taking my dog to the EU for less than five days. Can its compulsory anti-tapeworm tablet be given in the UK before we go?
Yes it can. The tablet must be given not less than 24 hours or more than 120 hours before your pet arrives back in the UK. If we are providing you with an AHC we can give the tablet if you visit in this time period.
How old must a puppy or kitten be to enter the UK from the EU?
Dogs and cats must be microchipped and 12 weeks of age or over when given their rabies vaccination. Then there is a required minimum 21 day period for the vaccine to actively produce protecting antibodies. That means that puppies and kittens must be over 15 weeks of age to meet the health requirements to enter the UK.
How will my dog/cat cope with flying?
Some cats vocalise a little but most settle down very well and go to sleep.
Dogs are much the same. There are several organic calming supplements which you may want to try including Calmex and Zylkene. If you prefer homeopathic remedies we are familiar with people using Bach Flower Rescue Remedy. We do not recommend using prescription sedatives simply because of the risk of an adverse reaction without immediate access to veterinary advice.
My pet has an EU issued passport. Do I need to visit you before I travel?
On the rabies vaccination page, check that the vaccination has not expired. If it is valid on your date of travel this is all you need unless you are visiting an EU country that requires tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before arrival.
What countries require tapeworm treatment for my dog before arrival?
Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta, Finland and Norway all require dogs to be treated with anti-tapeworm medication 1-5 days before travel. Book an appointment with us for this treatment. Any vet is allowed to give this treatment and enter it in your pet’s EU issued passport. However only EU vets can give repeat rabies inoculations
Can you check that my pet’s EU issued Pet Passport is up to date and valid?
Yes, we can check for its accuracy, any errors and its validity for travel out of and back into the UK. However, because the UK is not part of the EU we are not updated on changes in EU legislation pertaining to pet travel within the EU. We are legally not allowed to validate or confirm in any way that your pet’s EU passport meets the EU’s present internal travel requirements.
Can my pet travel on Eurostar to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam?
Pets can travel to Europe in a car via Eurotunnel, by ferry or by train but with the exception of service and assistance dogs, they cannot travel via Eurostar. If you have a service or assistance dog contact Eurostar by telephone rather than by email to discuss your travel plans.
My EU issued pet passport rabies vaccination is out of date. Can you give a repeat rabies vaccination.
Yes we can but the EU does not permit a non-EU vet to enter the details of the rabies inoculation in an EU issued Pet Passport. If you are travelling to the UK and the rabies inoculation in the Pet Passport is out of date, we can provide you with the booster inoculation and an AHC. Once you are back in the EU your local vet can bring the EU issued passport back up to date so that you can it for future travel.
There is a mistake on my EU issued Pet Passport. Can you correct it?
Mistakes happen, often concerning dates but unfortunately, we can’t correct mistakes on EU issued documents. Please contact the vet who issued the Pet Passport. If you need to travel to the EU before she/he can correct the mistake we can provide you with an AHC needed to enter the EU.
We are flying to the US via France. What paperwork is needed for our dog/cat?
We can provide you with an AHC to enter France, a certified rabies vaccination certificate and a ‘Fit to Fly’ certificate for your airline.
We are unable to advise you about the USA’s requirement for pets arriving from France.
The AHC is valid for travel in the EU. Travelling on to the US invalidates the AHC for return to the UK. If you are returning to the UK from France, you need to arrange for a new AHC issued by a French veterinarian.
What if I miss or cancel an appointment of change details once I’ve given them to you?
When you book an appointment with the clinic for an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) it means that we have reserved a time in our schedule exclusively for you and your pet.
After you complete the travel questionnaire we will accept payment for the AHC then apply to the APHA for a unique travel number for your companion and complete the APHA’s data requirements. if you change your entry point in Europe or change who will be travelling with your pet, you will be charged an additional 50% of the AHC fee.
If you change your travel destination country on the day of your appointment, there is an additional 100% of the fee charge.
If you need to cancel your appointment less than 24 hours before it is scheduled you may be charged a standard consultation fee.
Where does the vet record that tapeworm treatment against Echinococcus multilocularis has been given in the approved time interval?
There is a designated page in the AHC or the EU issued pet passport for a vet to complete. Information includes the trade name of the medicine, its active ingredient and the date, including the time of day the medicine is given. The vet signs and stamps the document.
I don’t want my dog vaccinated against rabies. How can I travel with him?
Rabies vaccination is mandatory. If a dog is not vaccinated it cannot be given an AHC.
I am travelling from the UK to the EU, then to the USA then back to the UK. Can I use the AHC for each part of my dog’s trip?
The AHC is valid only in the EU. If you are travelling onwards to the US we will provide you with a Rabies Vaccination Certificate and a Fit to Fly Certificate. To return from the US to the UKyour dog will need a GB import certificate issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Do you have a preferred pet travel shipper?
We do not have a preferred shipper. Our clients have used these shippers.
