Bringing Pets to the UK from Abroad: Complete Guide

Step 1: Microchip

Whether you are arriving on a Skilled Worker visa, spouse visa, or another route, your pet must be microchipped before, or at the same time as, the rabies vaccination. If it is done afterwards, GOV.UK says the pet will need to be vaccinated again.

Step 2: Rabies Vaccination

The vet needs proof your pet is at least 12 weeks old before vaccinating. You must then wait at least 21 full days after the first rabies vaccination, or the last dose of the first course, before travelling. Day 1 is the day after the vaccination. Some vaccines take longer to work — one GOV.UK example uses a vaccine that takes 30 days — so ask the vet how long to wait.

The vaccine must be an inactivated or recombinant vaccine approved in the country where it is given. If doses or boosters are missed, the primary course may have to be started again.

Step 3: Tapeworm Treatment (Dogs Only)

A vet must treat your dog against the Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm no less than 24 hours and no more than 5 days (120 hours) before you arrive in Great Britain. The treatment must be approved for use in the country it is given in and contain praziquantel or an equivalent proven effective against that tapeworm. The vet records the product name and manufacturer, the date and time, and their stamp and signature in the "Echinococcus treatment" section of the pet passport or health certificate.

No tapeworm treatment is needed if you come directly to Great Britain from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway. Cats and ferrets never need it.

Step 4: The Travel Document

Which document you need depends on where you are travelling from:

• From an EU country: a pet passport issued in an EU country or certain other countries; or an animal health certificate issued in Great Britain within the last 6 months; or a Great Britain pet health certificate; or a pet passport issued in Great Britain before 1 January 2021.
• From Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man: no pet passport or health certificate is needed.
• From the rest of the world: a Great Britain pet health certificate is accepted from any country. It must be signed, stamped and dated by an official veterinarian with authority from their government, and your pet must enter Great Britain within 10 days of it being issued.

You also fill in a declaration confirming you are not going to sell the pet or transfer its ownership.

Check the GOV.UK pet travel rules for your specific country.

Step 5: Approved Routes and Points of Entry

Pets must enter the UK through approved routes and approved points of entry:

• By air. Pets travel as cargo, not in the cabin, unless you are on a chartered private plane or travelling with a guide or assistance dog.
• By sea or Eurotunnel. Check the company's own rules before you book. A private boat can only bring a pet into Great Britain from Ireland or Northern Ireland.
• Within the UK, or from Ireland. No approved route or company is required.

Approved routes change and some run only at certain times of year, so check the published list of approved air, sea, rail and charter routes before booking. Ask the travel company whether it will take your pet and how many it will accept.

Extra rules, known as the Balai rules, apply if you are going to sell, rehome or transfer ownership of the pet, if the pet arrives more than 5 days before or after you, or if you are bringing more than 5 pets and are not going to a competition, show or sporting event. A banned breed of dog cannot be brought into Great Britain at all unless it already has a valid Certificate of Exemption.

Costs

There is no UK government fee for bringing a pet in. Everything you pay goes to private providers, and none of it is a published rate, so get quotes rather than working from an estimate. The items are:

• The microchip
• The rabies vaccination, and any boosters
• The rabies blood test, where one is needed
• The vet's charge for the pet passport, animal health certificate or Great Britain pet health certificate
• Tapeworm treatment for a dog, before each entry
• Transport, which for a plane means air cargo rates
• A pet transport company, if you use one to handle the logistics. See our shipping belongings guide for more on moving costs.

Countries With Extra Requirements

If you are travelling from a country that is not in the EU and not on the listed-country table, your pet also needs a rabies blood test. The blood sample must be taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, sent to an EU-approved laboratory, and show a rabies antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml. You must then wait 3 months from the date the sample was taken before travelling. Once done, the test stays valid as long as the rabies vaccinations are kept up to date.

That sequence — vaccination, 30 days, blood sample, 3 months — is what sets the earliest travel date for pets from those countries. Check our first week in the UK checklist and renting guide to plan your accommodation (many landlords have pet policies).

After Arrival

• Register your pet with a local vet.
• Keep your pet's vaccination records and travel document safe.
• Under the Control of Dogs Order 1992, a dog in a public place in England, Wales or Scotland must wear a collar with the owner's name and address on it, or on a tag. Dog licences were abolished in Great Britain in 1987, so there is no licence to buy. Dogs must also be microchipped and the details kept up to date.
• Consider pet insurance — vet bills in the UK can be expensive. For details on healthcare for yourself, see our Immigration Health Surcharge guide.

Next Steps

Work backwards from the travel date. The rabies waiting period is at least 21 full days, and a country that needs a blood test adds at least another 4 months on top of the vaccination. Check the requirements for your own country on the GOV.UK pet travel page. For general settling-in advice, see our guides on registering with a GP, opening a bank account, and making friends in the UK.

Questions and answers