Travelling with pets: EU and Great Britain rules

• Microchip: implanted according to the EU regulation’s technical standard; a clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011 is also accepted.
• Rabies vaccination: the animal must be at least 12 weeks old, the vaccination cannot pre-date the microchip, and validity begins not less than 21 days after completion of the primary vaccination protocol.
• Tapeworm: dogs entering Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway must be treated with a praziquantel product not more than 120 hours and not less than 24 hours before the scheduled entry. Cats and ferrets are not included.

Pets from countries that are not on the EU’s lists of listed countries and territories need an animal health certificate issued by an official or authorised veterinarian and endorsed by the competent authority, valid for 10 days from issue (extended by the time of a sea crossing), and a rabies antibody test taken at least 30 days after the primary vaccination and not less than 90 days before the certificate is issued. For animals from the listed countries the test is not required and a pet passport may be accepted instead of a certificate. The lists change: check the Commission’s page for your country.

Into Great Britain: GOV.UK lists as accepted a pet passport issued in an EU country or certain other countries, an animal health certificate issued in Great Britain in the last six months, a Great Britain pet health certificate, or a pet passport issued in Great Britain before 1 January 2021. Rabies vaccination must be at least 21 full days after the first vaccination, and dogs need tapeworm treatment no less than 24 hours and no more than five days before arrival in Great Britain.

From Great Britain to the EU: if you live in England, Scotland or Wales you cannot use a pet passport to enter the EU, even one issued in the EU; you need a new animal health certificate for each trip, valid for entry into the EU for 10 days and for up to six months for onward travel within the EU and re-entry to Great Britain, as GOV.UK states — check the page for the current wording. Northern Ireland residents have different rules.