The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) allows for limited movement of pets between the UK and some European countries under controlled conditions.
If you wish to take your pet abroad with you and bring it home again you must ensure that you follow all the rules.
The current requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme should be checked on the UK Government website: https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad
At the time of writing, the requirements of the PETS can be summarised as follows:
- Your pet must be fitted with a permanent form of identification (a microchip).
- Your pet must have received a rabies vaccination. This is not carried out as part of the routine vaccination protocol in the UK.
- Your dog must be treated against tapeworms between 1 and 5 days before entry.
- Your pet must have been issued with a Pet Passport.
You are responsible for ensuring that all the relevant documentation is completed before you travel and for arranging to see a vet abroad before you return to the UK. The cost of meeting all these requirements is your responsibility.
Before you enter the UK your dog’s microchip and all relevant documentation will be checked by the transport company. If documentation is not in order your dog will be returned to the country from which it is travelling or be required to undergo 6 months quarantine before being allowed back into the UK.
Make sure you can answer yes to the following before arriving at UK immigration…
- My pet has a microchip.
- My pet’s rabies vaccination is up to date.
- We are travelling to an approved country.
- We are travelling by an approved route using an approved carrier.
- I have a health certificate from a vet abroad to confirm treatment for tapeworm (this entry should be made in the pet certificate).
- I have checked that additional certificates are not required by the country I plan to visit.
A pet microchip is a small implant that your vet will insert under your pet’s skin that carries a permanent identification number.
DEFRA do not specify a particular type or brand of microchip to be used.
In Europe, however, particular microchips may be required. It is therefore best to ensure that your pet has an ISO (International Standards Organisation) Standard microchip meeting specifications 11784 or Annex A of ISO Standard 11785, if you plan to take your pet abroad.
A microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination is given. Rabies boosters must be kept up to date. The length of the waiting period before entry into the UK is 21 days after the vaccination date. If the vaccination is in two parts the 21 days wait will be from the date of the second vaccination. For more information, visit the UK Government website: https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/rabies-vaccination-boosters-and-blood-tests
A pet must not enter the UK under PETS until at least 21 days have passed from the date of rabies vaccination.
Pets entering the UK from non-approved countries will still need a blood test. This test is usually performed about 1 month after the last rabies vaccination – see https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/rabies-vaccination-boosters-and-blood-tests
Your vet will examine your dog before you travel to certify that it has a microchip and is up to date with rabies vaccination and tapeworm treatment. He will then issue your pet with a Pet Passport.
The Pet Passport can only be completed by a specially registered vet. Only vets approved by the government (LVIs) can sign and issue a Pet Passport – so check with your veterinary practice that they have a vet who is able to complete your documentation.
In some instances it may be necessary for your vet to complete a separate certificate to show that your pet meets the health requirements of the countries you are visiting or travelling through. You should contact the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) office or Embassy of the country you are visiting for details of these requirements.
Does your pet normally live in the UK and has only visited countries these listed countries? https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/listed-and-unlisted-countries
No preparation or documentation is necessary for the movement of pets directly between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Pets returning to the UK from an increasing number of additional non-EU countries are eligible to enter the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme. An up-to-date list of these countries can be obtained from the UK Government website: https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/listed-and-unlisted-countries
You may not bring a pet into the UK from a private boat or plane.
Your pet may travel to the UK via any qualifying country or countries. It must not have been to any non-qualifying country in the 6 months before entering the UK.
It should be noted that there are no approved routes to the UK from the following PETS countries:
EU countries and territories:
- Faroe Islands
- French Guiana
- Greenland
- Reunion
Non-EU countries:
- Andorra
- Aruba
- Ascension Island
- British Virgin Islands
- Chile
- Belarus
- Bosnia Herzegovina
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- Grenadines
- Guam
- Jamaica (which, although rabies-free, is excluded from PETS by Jamaican law)
- Liechtenstein
- Mayotte
- Monaco
- Montserrat
- New Caledonia
- St Helena
- St Pierre & Miquelon
- St Vincent
- San Marino
- Taiwan
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City
- Wallis & Futana
See: https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/listed-and-unlisted-countries
The up-to-date list of approved routes and approved carriers should be obtained from the UK Government website: https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/approved-routes
Your pet must be treated against ticks and tapeworms between 1 and 5 days (although it is preferable if treatment takes place between 24-48 hours) before it is checked in for the journey to the UK.
The vet will sign your pet’s passport to certify that this treatment has been administered. These treatments should be recorded in sections VI and VII of the EU Pet Passport.
For further information, see – https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/tapeworm-treatment-dogs
On certain approved air routes (i.e. those approved by DEFRA to carry pets into the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme), assistance dogs can travel with their owners in the passenger cabin rather than in the hold as cargo. The up-to-date list of approved routes and carriers can be obtained from the DEFRA website.
Assistance dogs entering the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme must, however, meet all of the rules of the Scheme – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-travelling-with-assistance-dogs