Travelling with your Cat or Dog between the UK and the EU after Brexit

Without a Brexit deal, it is likely that the UK will be treated as an unlisted country and UK pet passports will no longer be valid for travel into the EU. If this occurs, the UK Government has outlined some new rules for pet travel from the UK to the EU to make sure you have no problems when travelling across the border with your furry friends.

Going to the EU for the First Time

Make sure you contact your vet at least 4 months prior to travelling to any EU country!

Prior to travelling, you must go through the following steps to ensure your pets entry to the EU. If it is your pets first time travelling, you must begin this process 4-months before you intend to travel!

Make sure your pet is microchipped and vaccinated against rabies!
30 days after the rabies vaccination, your cat or dog must have a blood test taken and sent to an EU-approved blood testing laboratory (See more information about EU approved testing laboratories here).
The results from the test must show that the vaccination was successful.
You must take your pet to an Official Veterinarian no more than 10-days before travel to obtain a health certificate.

A successful blood test is only required for the first time travelling as long as your pets rabies vaccinations are kept up to date with booster shots.

Once you receive your health certificate, it will be valid for:

Entry into the EU up to 10 days after the date of issue
4 months of travel within the EU
Re-entry into the UK for 4 months after the date of issue

When you arrive in the EU, owners and pets must enter through a specific Travellers’ Point of Entry and you will be asked to present proof of micro-chipping, rabies vaccinations, the pets blood test result and your pets healthcare certificate.

Repeat Trips to the EU

If your pet has already had a blood test and its rabies vaccinations are up-to-date, you don’t need to repeat the blood test, though your pet will need a health certificate for each EU trip. This is easily obtained from your vet within 10 days of your travel date. You must take proof of:

Vaccination history
Results of the blood test showing a successful rabies vaccination

Heading Back to the UK

There won’t be any changes to the current requirements for pets entering the UK from the EU after Brexit. Your pet must have one of the following documents when returning to the the UK:

An existing EU pet passport
The EU health certificate that was obtained in the UK used to travel to the EU
A UK pet health certificate which was issued outside the UK for entry into the UK

UK Nationals Living Abroad

If you’re living in the EU and planning to travel with your pet using a UK-issued pet passport, you’ll need to speak to your local vet, They will be able to help you understanf the impact of Brexit (if any) and make sure you are compliant with EU Pet Travel Regulations.

If you have a pet passport from an EU states, you can use it to bring your pet to the UK. To return to the EU from the UK, you need to ensure it has the results of the successful rabies vaccination test. If you had this test before leaving the EU, you do not have to wait 3-months before travelling back.

Approved Routes

When travelling with your pet between the UK and EU, there are existing approved routes which must be taken If you’re not travelling on an approved route, you will need to talk to your vet about what preparations you need to make before you travel. Click here for more information about approved routes in the UK and EU.

This article serves as a only as a guide for pet travel between the UK and EU if there is no Brexit deal. There are constant discussions between the UK and the European Commission to allow the UK to become a listed country which means pet travel will remain the same as it is now post-Brexit.