Pet Travel Scheme

Information on taking your pet abroad.

Pet Travel Scheme

The pet Travel Scheme is the system that allows:

Pet dogs, cats and ferrets to enter the UK without quarantine as long as they meet the rules.
People in the UK to take their dogs, cats and ferrets to other countries and territories, and return with them to the UK without the need for quarantine.

The rules are to keep the UK free from rabies and certain other exotic diseases. The UK has been free from rabies for many years, but because of the existence of the disease in other countries there is a continued need for an effective system to be in place to manage the risk of rabies being introduced by imported animals.

You are responsible for ensuring your pet meets all the rules for entering the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme. Make sure you have had the procedures carried out in the correct order and your pet’s documentation is correctly completed. If you do not, your pet may not be able to enter the country or may have to be licensed into quarantine on arrival. This will mean delay and cost you money.

In Great Britain, it is illegal to possess certain types of dogs. If you bring one of these dogs into Great Britain, you could be prosecuted and the dog seized and destroyed. If in doubt, don’t travel with it.

What you must do to take your dog or cat abroad

PETS will allow your dog or cat to re-enter Britain without the need for quarantine following travel to certain foreign countries. The UK does not allow dogs, cats, and ferrets that have not been vaccinated against rabies to enter the UK.

Entry rules for pets entering the UK from the EU and listed third countries

Microchip
Rabies Vaccination
Pre-entry waiting period 21 days after vaccination against rabies.

Entry rules for pets entering the UK from unlisted third countries

Microchip
Rabies Vaccination
Blood sample taken at least 30 days after rabies vaccination.
Pre-entry waiting period of 3 months from date of blood sample.

What pet owners need to do.

All pet dogs, cats and ferrets can enter or re-enter the UK from any country in the world without quarantine provided they meet the rules of the scheme, which will be different depending on the country or territory the pet is coming from.
Animals which do not meet all the rules must be licensed into quarantine until they are compliant. They might then be able to obtain early release if they can be shown to comply with the necessary pet travel requirements.

1. Check the Government website for latest details (www.defra.gov.uk) or call the PETS helpline on 0870 241 1710
• Are the countries you plan to visit listed in the scheme?
• Do those countries have any additional requirements?
• Check return travel routes. Your pet must return to the UK with an authorised transport company on an authorised route.

Around this time it’s wise to find a vet at the port or airport from which you will be returning to the UK, able to provide the necessary parasite treatment.

Entering the UK from the EU and listed non-EU countries

Have your pet fitted with a microchip so it can be properly identified.
Have your pet vaccinated. After your pet has been fitted with a microchip, it must be vaccinated against rabies. The vet will check and read your pet’s microchip number before vaccinating. There is NO EXEMPTION to this requirement, even if your pet has a current rabies vaccination. Rabies boosters must be kept up to date. The length of the waiting period before entry to the UK is 21 days after the first vaccination date. A waiting period is not required for subsequent entries into the UK, provided rabies boosters are kept up to date. If the vaccination is in two parts, the 21 day wait will be from the date of the second vaccination.
Get your pet travel documentation, usually an EU passport. If you are preparing your animal in a non-EU listed country or territory you will need to obtain an official third country veterinary certificate (apart from Croatia, Gibraltar, Norway, San Marino, and Switzerland who also issue pet passports).

Get tapeworm treatment (dogs only). Before entering the UK all pet dogs must be treated for tapeworm by a vet not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours before its scheduled arrival time in the UK. No treatment is required for dogs entering the UK from Finland, Ireland, or Malta. Tick treatments are not a requirement under the scheme; HOWEVER, we STRONGLY advise that prophylactic tick treatment is continued.
Arrange for your animal to travel with an approved transport company on an authorized route as your pet must enter the UK from a listed country or territory travelling with an approved transport company on an authorized route.

Entering the UK from Ireland?

The requirement is that all pets travelling from the Republic of Ireland to the UK should be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and accompanied by a pet passport. However, as both countries have had no indigenous rabies for many decades compliance checks on pets travelling between them will not be applied.

Entering the UK from unlisted non-EU countries

The same requirements as listed for EU countries all apply; however, there are some differences.

A blood test must be done after your pet has been vaccinated for rabies to make sure the vaccine has given it a satisfactory level of protection against rabies. The blood sample will be sent to an EU approved laboratory for testing and the vet will receive the results. The blood sample must be taken at least 30 days after vaccination. The length of the waiting period before entry to the UK is three calendar months from the date we take the blood sample which led to a satisfactory test result. A satisfactory test result must show the rabies antibody titre to be equal or greater than 0.5IU/ml in which case the vet will sign the certificate to show your pet has passed the blood test.
Get pet travel documentation – you will need to obtain an official third country veterinary certificate.

Tapeworms and Ticks

As part of the rules, your dog must be treated against the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis using an approved/licensed veterinary medicine whose active ingredient is Praziquantel, or an equivalent product. A qualified vet must carry out and record the treatment in your pet’s passport or third country certificate, and you must not administer the treatment yourself. This treatment must be carried out every time you pet enters the UK.
If, before you enter the UK, less than 24 hours has passed since the treatment, you will have to wait until the full 24 hours have passed before you can enter with your pet. If the treatment was done more than 120 hours before you enter the UK, you will have to have your pet treated again; have the treatment recorded in the relevant document, and wait at least 24 hours before entry. In these circumstances the waiting period and treatment for tapeworm can be carried out in quarantine.

Pets being taken abroad from the UK on day trips will need to have the treatment carried out in the UK not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours before they enter the UK on the RETURN journey. In these circumstances, it is recommended that a further treatment should be administered 28 days after return.

Why do we have to treat for tapeworm?

The tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis can cause a serious or fatal liver disease in humans. Symptoms include abdominal pain, jaundice, fever and anaemia and tapeworm cysts may develop in the liver. Treatment may involve surgery or lifelong chemotherapy. Without treatment the disease is usually fatal. This tapeworm is not found in the UK, but is present in France, Germany, and other parts of continental Europe. The treatment needs to be given not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours before the dog enters the UK to ensure that the tapeworm eggs are not shed in the UK.

Tattoos

Pets that have been identified by a clearly legible tattoo which was applied on or before 3 July 2011 before the pet was vaccinated against rabies do not need to be microchipped.