The situation for people leaving Ukraine with their pets is evolving. Poland, for example, is allowing all pets into the country, whether or not they have microchips, rabies vaccinations or any form of pet passport.
Other EU countries are accepting pets at border crossings and many are taking the same approach as Poland. They’re making exceptions to their usual rules about dogs, cats and ferrets needing microchips, rabies vaccinations and pet passports. In some cases, the arrival country is microchipping and vaccinating such pets on arrival.
IFAW, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, is responding to the situation in Ukraine by providing emergency animal aid to the country. It’s also gathering and verifying resources for pet owners fleeing Ukraine.
Access the IFAW resources page here: https://www.ifaw.org/eu/news/resources-flee-ukraine-pets
Check back regularly as the situation is dynamic and resources may be changed or added.
UK entry requirements
Owners of dogs, cats and ferrets travelling from Ukraine should bear in mind that, to enter the UK, their pets will need microchips, current rabies vaccinations, successful rabies titre tests, and EU pet passports.
Eurostar doesn’t take pets
Pet owners travelling from Ukraine should be aware that Eurostar trains don’t allow any animals on board.
Ask if we can help
Animalcouriers is here to help. Families leaving Ukraine (or their representatives) can contact us for advice about their individual situation and to see whether our road transport services within the EU might be appropriate for their pets.
Please email courier@animalcouriers.com and put ‘Ukrainian pet travel’ in the subject line of your email.
Based on new information received, this blog replaces the one published on 4 March.
Poland is doing a great job. Excellent info.
Poland started it all off — they’ve been wonderful.
I continue to think Animal Couriers is amazing…..bless you all.
Hugs, Pam
You are kind. Just a little frustrating due to UK intransigence 🙁
Once again you are going out of your way to help and give good advice. Well done.
Excellent information. I have seen people holding cats and dogs along with their children as they leave their homes and have thought of Animal Couriers every time I see someone struggling. Bless their hearts, and bless your hearts, too.
There has been harrowing coverage. True examples of not leaving home without all your ‘family’.
Can wee meow wee LOVE you Miss Annie an ALL THE Animal Courierss?!?! Wee hope youss’ WILL bee abell to help peess with their 4 leggedss an get them to safety from poor Ukraine!!
Wee purray fore peepss an petss to get OUT alive an well….
~~~head rubss~~~BellaDharma~~~ an {{{huggiess}}} BellaSita Mum
We’ll help in any way our country allows us to…
Yore all ANGELSS Miss Annie!!!
**nose rubss** BellaDharma an {{{huggiess}}} BellaSita Mum
My heart goes out to all those caught up in this catastrophe.
Ours too.
I’m glad some countries are relaxing their rules at this traumatic time.
‘Some’ countries indeed!
The UK are a disgrace, we have been told my girlfriends pets need to stay in EU for 3 months before they can travel to UK, They were already microchipped and had rabies vaccination back in January, but hadn’t had the blood test so we have to wait for the results and 3 months to pass by. Yet an EU national can take a stray off the street in Poland register it and get vaccinations done and travel to UK after 21 days without getting a blood test as long as they have EU pet passport and tapeworm treatment within 5 days of travelling, Ukraine and Poland have the same risk of rabies so who the hell are they protecting. Its shameful how we are treating these people who have already been through so much.
All of us at Animalcouriers 100% agree with you. Ukraine is not a rabies free zone with allegedly more than 1600 cases of rabies last year in Animals and recorded cases in Humans. The EU countries are considered to be low risk and many have not seen rabies for a great many years.
These are the facts; allegedly. So as you say, any dog can be collected from the street, given a microchip and a rabies injection, then wait 21 days and then enter the UK, following internal parasite treatment between 24 – 120 hours before arrival as well cross borders within the EU.
It is also important for all dogs and cats to be travelling to enter the UK within 5 days of their owners to be eligible to travel inside the Pet Travel Scheme, which is what pet passports are all about. So they are accompanied by owners so they have homes to travel to.
Poland and Romania have run out of pet passports according to the families we are talking to, but Britain being outside the EU, entry paperwork can also be a ‘non-commercial health certificate to GB’ which can be downloaded from the HMRC Website.
If you write into us, we can advise and possibly offer free travel for owned dogs and cats travelling from the Ukraine to GB.
Courier@animalcouriers.com
Great article