Pet travel to Europe after Brexit
Advice for pet owners planning to take a pet to any EU country after 31 October 2019 in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
To make sure your pet is able to travel from the UK to the EU after 31 October 2019 in any scenario, you should contact your vet at least 4 months before travelling to get the latest advice.
Rules for pet travel
The rules for taking your pet to any EU country will change if the UK leaves the EU with no deal and is treated as an unlisted country.
You must get your dog, cat or ferret microchipped and then vaccinated against rabies before it can travel.
However, to allow effective contingency planning in the worst case scenario of the UK not being granted third country status, you’ll need to take the following steps to make sure your pet can travel after 31 October 2019:
- You must get your dog, cat or ferret microchipped and then vaccinated against rabies before it can travel. Your pet must have a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination. You’ll need to talk to your vet about whether you need a rabies vaccination or booster before this test.
- Your vet must send the blood sample to an EU-approved blood testing laboratory.
- The results of the blood test must show that the vaccination was successful (Your pet must have a rabies antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml).
- You must wait 3 months from the date the successful blood sample was taken before you travel.
- You must take your pet to an Official Veterinarian (OV), no more than 10 days before travel to get a health certificate.
If there’s no deal, pet passports issued in the UK would not be valid for travel to the EU.
You should contact your vet at least 4 months before you plan on travelling to any EU country.
A successful blood test is only required for first-time travel to an EU country. This is provided that your pet’s rabies vaccinations are kept up to date with boosters before the expiry date of the previous vaccination.
Your pet health certificate would be valid for:
- 10 days after the date of issue for entry into the EU
- 4 months of onward travel within the EU
- re-entry to the UK for 4 months after the date of issue
On arrival in the EU, pet owners travelling with their pets would be required to enter through a designated Travellers’ Point of Entry (TPE). At the TPE, the pet owner may be asked to present proof of microchip, rabies vaccination and the blood test result alongside their pet’s health certificate.
Repeat trips to the EU
Pets that have previously had a blood test and have an up-to-date rabies vaccination do not need to repeat the blood test. Your pet will need a health certificate for each trip to the EU.
To get a new health certificate you must take your pet to an OV no more than 10 days before you travel. You must take proof of:
- your pet’s vaccination history
- a successful rabies antibody blood test result
Return to the UK
Your pet must have one of the following documents when returning to the UK:
- an existing EU pet passport (both for UK and EU citizens)
- the EU health certificate issued in the UK used to travel to the EU
- a UK pet health certificate (issued outside the UK for travel into the UK only)
There will be no change to the current requirements for pets entering the UK from the EU after 31 October
We can help you with…
- Rabies vaccination
- Microchipping
- Pet passports
- Travel export documentation
- Leishmania vaccination (for dogs travelling to southern European countries)
Check out our list of local suppliers for kennels, catteries and other useful services.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us