Summer Travel with Your Pet: What You Need to Know About Animal Health Certificates

For many of us, summer is the time to plan holidays, visit family abroad, or enjoy a change of scenery. And naturally, lots of pet owners want to bring their pet along too.

Travelling with pets can be very rewarding, but since the UK left the EU, the rules around pet travel have changed. One of the most important changes is that UK-issued pet passports are no longer accepted for travel to the EU. Instead, your pet now needs an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) each time you travel.

Because the process can be more complicated than many owners expect, it is always best to start planning early.

What is an Animal Health Certificate?

An Animal Health Certificate is an official document that allows your pet to travel from the UK to an EU country, or another listed country, as long as all the required health and identification rules have been met.

Unlike the old UK pet passport, an AHC is not something that lasts for repeated future trips. A new certificate is needed each time you travel.

This is why we always recommend getting in touch with us well in advance of your travel date. Leaving things until the last minute can be stressful, and in some cases, may mean there is not enough time to meet the legal requirements.

Travelling from the UK to an EU or listed country

If you are taking your dog, cat, or ferret from the UK to an EU or listed country, your pet must:

• Be microchipped.
• Be vaccinated against rabies at least 21 days before travel.
• Be at least 12 weeks old before they can receive their rabies vaccination.
• Be issued with an Animal Health Certificate within 10 days of travel (or within 5 days for some countries).

These requirements sound simple on paper, but timings matter. For example, if your pet has not had a valid rabies vaccination or if the vaccine has lapsed, you may need to restart the process and wait until travel is allowed.

Returning to the UK from an EU or listed country

Coming home also has its own rules. In order to bring your dog, cat, or ferret from an EU or listed country back into the UK, your pet must:

• Be microchipped.
• Be vaccinated against rabies at least 21 days before entry into the UK.
• If travelling with a dog, they must be treated for tapeworm by a vet between 1 and 5 days before the scheduled arrival time in the UK.

Travelling on an EU pet passport is permitted, if your pet has one, although strictly these are only supposed to be issued if the pet is resident in the EU.

If a rabies booster is due, timing is important. In some cases, a booster may be enough if it is given in time and there has not been a break in cover. In other situations, a full restart may be needed. This is another reason why checking your pet’s travel documents and vaccine history well ahead of time is essential.

Why it helps to speak to your vet early

Pet travel rules are not always straightforward, and every trip is slightly different depending on where you are going, how long you are staying, and whether your pet’s vaccinations and documents are already up to date.

We have Official Veterinarians, which means they have undertaken additional training to support our clients with pet travel needs such as AHCs and EHCs. If you think you may want to travel with your pet, please get in touch as early as possible, as it can be a complex and lengthy process.

We can help you work through what is needed, check your pet’s microchip and vaccination status, advise on timings, and guide you through the paperwork so there are no unpleasant surprises close to your departure date.

Our team will be happy to help you prepare for safe and successful summer travel with your pet.