If travelling abroad with your pet you will need to follow certain rules depending on what country you are visiting.

The rules for taking pets to EU countries or Northern Ireland have now changed.  When travelling to these countries your pet needs to have:

• a microchip

• a valid rabies vaccination – for their first rabies vaccination pets must be at least 12 weeks old and then have to wait 21 days before we can issue an Animal Health Certificate

• tapeworm treatment – only for dogs travelling to Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Malta. This must be carried out and certified by a vet between one and five days before travelling

• a valid animal health certificate (AHC)

• EU Pet Passports issued in Great Britain are no longer valid, while those issued in Northern Ireland and the EU with up-to-date rabies cover are. A UK vet cannot fill in the rabies section of these passports

Animal Health Certificates

To comply with current government legislation your vet will need to examine your animal in order to provide a valid AHC. This needs to be done no more than 10 days before travel and the certificate needs to be signed by an official veterinarian.

Please visit gov.uk to check the rules of the country you are travelling to for any additional requirements or extra restrictions.

Data correct according to gov.uk as of 09/02/2021.

We request at least one month’s notice due to the lengthy administration process, where possible please contact use before confirming your travel plans.

This a complex area so please familiarise yourself with the logics of this ever-changing process. Our pet health travel team will help wherever they can.