What do you need?

Please see the APHA's official website for up to date

information before you travel. It is up to you to check this page as information

can change.

At the time of print, in order to travel to an EU country or Northern Ireland you

will need the following:

1. a microchip

2. a valid rabies vaccination

3. tapeworm treatment for dogs if you’re travelling directly to Finland,

Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway or Malta

4. an animal health certificate, or a valid pet passport that is accepted in

the country you’re travelling to

5. A tapeworm treatment within 1-5 days of return to the UK.

1) Microchip. All dogs in the UK are required to have a microchip from the

age of 8 weeks old. Therefore they should be microchipped already!

2) A rabies vaccination can be done by any veterinarian in the UK. If your pet

is vaccinated for the first time you must wait 21 days before travel (where the

date of vaccination is day 0) If you pet has been vaccinated, so long as the

rabies is given on time without a break, you may travel continuously. Rabies

vaccinations are valid for different lengths of time depending on which vaccine

is used and where it is given. Please check your records.

3) The tapeworm treatment must be witnessed by a vet and written on your

documentation no less than 24hrs or more than 5 days before arrival.

4) An ANIMAL HEALTH CERTIFICATE (AHC). This is where I come in!

Unfortunately GB pet passports are no longer valid for travel, however they

are useful for proof of rabies vaccination, so hold onto it for now.

Not every vet can issue an AHC, they must be an Official Veterinarian (OV)

and have extra certification. This is a document for up to 5 animals (dog, cat

or ferret) that must be issued within 10 days of travel and made out in both

English and the language of the country where you are due to arrive in the

EU. The person travelling with the pet must be present for the appointment

and sign the document when it is issued. You may travel on this document

throughout the EU for up to 4 months. It is only valid for ONE entry into the EU

however and must be replaced for each entry. See the government site for more

details.

If your pet already has a passport from an EU country it is still valid to travel

on and you do not need an AHC. For the passport to remain valid all rabies

vaccinations must be given in the country where it was issued. If a UK vet

vaccinates and signs the passport it will become invalid.

5) The tapeworm treatment must be witnessed by a vet no less than 24hrs

and no more than 5 days before return to the UK and the information added to

the AHC.

Please remember that there are infectious diseases in the EU that are not in

the UK. Please speak to your vet about prevention before travel.