Pet passport guide

There is no single "pet passport" any more for a pet leaving Great Britain. What a border officer wants to see is a small set of documents that fit together: the chip number on the certificate must match the chip in the animal, the rabies date must be after the chip date, and the certificate must be issued in a narrow window before travel. Get the order right and the rest is paperwork.

1. Microchip

An ISO 11784/11785 microchip, implanted and recorded before the rabies vaccination. A chip fitted after the vaccination makes the vaccination void for travel, which is the single most common reason a journey stops at a border.

2. Rabies vaccination

Given by a vet after the microchip, with at least 21 days between the vaccination and travel. It has to be kept in date: a booster given after the previous one expired starts the 21-day wait again.

3. Animal Health Certificate, or an EU pet passport

For a journey from Great Britain into the EU or Northern Ireland, an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) issued by an Official Veterinarian within 10 days of arrival in the EU. It is valid for a single entry into the EU, for onward travel within the EU for four months, and for re-entry to Great Britain within those four months. A pet passport issued in the EU (or in Northern Ireland) is still valid and replaces the AHC; a passport issued in Great Britain before 2021 is not accepted for entry into the EU.

4. Tapeworm treatment (dogs only)

Before a dog enters Great Britain, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway, a vet must give a tapeworm treatment between 24 and 120 hours before arrival and record it in the certificate or passport.

What we check before we collect

• The chip number on the certificate matches the animal
• The rabies date is after the chip date and at least 21 days before travel
• The AHC is dated within the 10-day window for the day you cross
• For dogs coming into Great Britain, the tapeworm treatment is timed for the arrival day

We do not arrange the certificate ourselves; your own vet does, and most practices have an Official Veterinarian or can refer you to one. We tell you the dates to book for as soon as the journey is confirmed, and we read the documents before we set off.