Pets travelling from one country to another must meet the destination country’s entry (or import) requirements. In some cases, they must also meet the departure country’s export requirements. Some pets will additionally be subject to other international standards or conventions.
Europe — pet passports
The EU Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) allows pet dogs, cats and ferrets to travel between EU member states (and some other countries) without going into quarantine, as long as they meet the scheme rules.
Pets must have a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and a pet passport to travel. Dogs may also need an internal parasite treatment a certain number of hours before entering some countries.
Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old before it can be vaccinated against rabies.
post-Brexit pet travel: Great Britain, Northern Ireland, EU
Great Britain (GB — England, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man) is now a Part 2 listed third country under the EU PETS scheme.
That means GB-issued EU pet passports are no longer valid for travel to the EU or to Northern Ireland (NI). Instead, your pet will need an animal health certificate (AHC) or export health certificate (EHC).
Your pet can still enter GB with a valid pet passport issued in the EU; or in some circumstances with a valid pet passport issued in GB before 1 January 2021.
rest of the world
Country-specific paperwork, procedures and quarantine requirements apply to pets travelling to countries outside Europe, such as Australia and New Zealand. Animalcouriers can advise and support you as part of our pet shipping service.
export live animals from the UK
Read UK government guidance on certificates needed to export live animals from the UK to the EU and elsewhere.
updating your pet’s microchip details
When you move to a new address, don’t forget to update your pet’s microchip registration details. In many cases you can do this using the UK PETtrac website.
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