Bringing a dog or cat to United Kingdom
Pets from the EU and listed countries face no quarantine if microchipped, rabies-vaccinated 21+ days, and dogs are tapeworm-treated 1-5 days before arrival. Pets must use approved routes, and from unlisted countries need a blood test plus a 3-month wait.
Which rules apply to you
United Kingdom sorts arriving pets by where they travel from. Find your group, then follow its steps.
| Arriving from | Titer test | Wait after sample | Permit | Quarantine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From the EU and pet-passport countriesEU member states plus Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican, Gibraltar, Greenland, Faroe Islands and French overseas territories. Pet passport issued there, a GB-issued AHC from the last 6 months, a GB pet health certificate, or a GB passport issued before 1 Jan 2021. | No | — | No | Only if rules not met |
| From listed non-EU countriesCountries on GOV.UK's listed list that need a Great Britain pet health certificate (e.g. USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, UAE). Australian cats and pets from Peninsular Malaysia need an extra government certificate. | No | — | No | Only if rules not met |
| From unlisted countriesAll other countries not in the EU, the pet-passport list or the listed-country list. | Yes | 3 months | No | Only if rules not met |
| From Northern Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of ManPets coming from Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man. | No | — | No | No |
Step by step
Use an approved route
Check your airline, ferry or rail route is approved for pet travel into GB (not needed from Ireland or within the UK).
Microchip, then vaccinate
Microchip before the rabies vaccine, then wait at least 21 full days after the first vaccination before travelling.
Tapeworm treatment for dogs
A vet must give a praziquantel-based treatment 24-120 hours (1-5 days) before arrival and record product, date, time, stamp and signature. Not needed if travelling directly from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway.
Carry the right document
An EU (or listed-country) pet passport, a GB pet health certificate, or an animal health certificate issued in GB within the last 6 months (for pets returning). GB-issued pet passports only count if issued before 1 January 2021.
Complete the pet travel declaration
Declare you will not sell or transfer ownership. If the pet travels more than 5 days apart from you, or you bring more than 5 pets (not for a show/competition), stricter commercial (Balai) rules apply.
Non-compliant pets may be quarantined for up to 4 months at owner's cost, or refused entry if arriving by sea.
Use an approved route
Check your airline, ferry or rail route is approved for pet travel into GB (not needed from Ireland or within the UK).
Microchip, then vaccinate
Microchip before the rabies vaccine, then wait at least 21 full days after the first vaccination before travelling.
Tapeworm treatment for dogs
A vet must give a praziquantel-based treatment 24-120 hours (1-5 days) before arrival and record product, date, time, stamp and signature. Not needed if travelling directly from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway.
Get a GB pet health certificate
Signed, stamped and dated by a government-authorised official vet. The pet must enter GB within 10 days of issue.
Complete the pet travel declaration
Declare you will not sell or transfer ownership. If the pet travels more than 5 days apart from you, or you bring more than 5 pets (not for a show/competition), stricter commercial (Balai) rules apply.
Non-compliant pets may be quarantined for up to 4 months at owner's cost, or refused entry if arriving by sea.
Use an approved route
Check your airline, ferry or rail route is approved for pet travel into GB (not needed from Ireland or within the UK).
Microchip, then vaccinate
Microchip before the rabies vaccine, then wait at least 21 full days after the first vaccination before travelling.
Rabies blood test
At least 30 days after vaccination, a vet takes a blood sample for an EU-approved lab; result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml.
Wait 3 months
Travel no sooner than 3 months after the sample date; the vet records the sample date on the certificate.
Tapeworm treatment for dogs
A vet must give a praziquantel-based treatment 24-120 hours (1-5 days) before arrival and record product, date, time, stamp and signature. Not needed if travelling directly from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway.
Get a GB pet health certificate
Signed by an official vet; enter GB within 10 days of issue.
Complete the pet travel declaration
Declare you will not sell or transfer ownership. If the pet travels more than 5 days apart from you, or you bring more than 5 pets (not for a show/competition), stricter commercial (Balai) rules apply.
Non-compliant pets may be quarantined for up to 4 months at owner's cost, or refused entry if arriving by sea.
No paperwork needed
No pet passport or health certificate is required and no approved route is needed for travel within the UK.
Good to know
- Cats
- Same as dogs, except cats need no tapeworm treatment. Cats from Australia also need an Australian Department of Agriculture certificate.
- Banned breeds
- Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, XL Bully (only with a Certificate of Exemption)
- How many pets
- Up to 5 pets per person under non-commercial rules; more only for competitions, shows or sporting events, otherwise commercial (Balai) rules apply.
- Parasite treatment
- Dogs: tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis) treatment with praziquantel by a vet 24-120 hours before arrival, every trip; exempt when arriving directly from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway. For trips of 5 days or less the dog can be treated before leaving GB if it returns within 120 h; treat again within 28 days of return. None for cats.
- Arrival
- Must use an approved route (specific airlines, ferries, rail) unless travelling from Ireland or within the UK. Guide/assistance dogs have their own approved routes list.
- Banned dog types are judged by appearance, not breed name, and cannot enter without a Certificate of Exemption.
- Someone else can bring your pet if you authorise it in writing and it travels within 5 days of you.
- Northern Ireland follows EU pet rules - see DAERA guidance.
- Since 22 April 2026 GB residents should use an AHC (not an EU pet passport) to enter the EU; an AHC can be reused for re-entry to GB for up to 6 months while rabies vaccination is valid.
What we could not confirm
- Minimum age of 12 weeks at rabies vaccination not confirmed on the GOV.UK page fetched (microchip/vaccination subpages could not be loaded).
- How long a GB pet health certificate stays valid for re-entry (beyond the 10-day entry window) not stated on GOV.UK page.
- Ascension Island and St Helena both mapped to ISO2 SH; Azores/Madeira and Canary Islands covered by @EU.
- Status of a UK-EU SPS agreement affecting pet travel not confirmed; current rules as published Oct 2026 used.
- Scotland may have separate XL Bully rules (mygov.scot) - not checked.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain
- GOV.UK: Which pet travel document
- GOV.UK: Rabies blood tests
- GOV.UK: Tapeworm treatment (dogs)
- GOV.UK: Great Britain pet health certificate
- GOV.UK: Pet passport
- GOV.UK: Approved routes
- GOV.UK: Banned dogs
- GOV.UK news: New EU rules for pet travel for GB residents (21 Apr 2026)
Checked against official sources on 2026-10-28. Rules change: confirm with Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) / Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) before booking.