Travelling Abroad and to Northern Ireland with your pet

Many people like to take their pets with them on holiday to countries within the EU and to travel to Northern Ireland. With Brexit, the rules have changed so visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-and-from-great-britain for the most up to date advice. Here at Dunedin Vets, we can help to advise on the rules and regulations, but it is your responsibility to check that your travel arrangements are compliant with the regulations that apply.

From 01.01.2021 a UK issued EU Pet Passport can no longer be used for entry into a member state of the European Union.

To enter the European Union or Northern Ireland from Great Britain your pet will need:
• Microchip identification
• Rabies vaccine given at least 21 days before entry into EU or travel to Northern Ireland
• An Animal Health Certificate (AHC).

The above-mentioned Animal Health Certificate (AHC) is valid for 10 days from the date of issue. It is a bilingual certificate. The second language being that of the port of entry. The AHC is valid for a period of 4 months and allows travel between EU member states and return to the UK during this time. An AHC is also required to travel to Northern Ireland.

You and your pet will need to travel through an approved route. See the government website for details. Margot Hunter, Christopher Monk and Catriona McHardy have been appointed as Official Veterinarians as designated by the Animal Health and Plant Agency (APHA) and are authorised to issue the relevant certificates.

It is imperative that you abide by the rules to allow you to take your pet to the EU or Northern Ireland and to allow you to bring your pet back into Great Britain, without them going into lengthy quarantine.

Your pet must also be wormed 24 to 120 hours before return to Great Britain (see above website for further details). This is also a requirement when entering Northern Ireland and the following EU countries: Republic of Ireland, Norway, Finland, and Malta.

To find out more, or if you require an Animal Health Certificate for your pet please, use the Contact Us form at the bottom of this page, and we can send you more detailed information. For travel to non-EU countries please enquire at the embassy of the country you are planning to travel to and also the government website above.

Aside from rabies, your pet could be at risk of other disease whilst abroad including Leishmaniosis, which is transmitted by sand flies to dogs. Heartworm, as the name suggests, is a parasitic worm which lives in the heart of the animal while babesiosis, ehrlichiosis are both tick-borne diseases.
Prevention is always better than cure so please talk to us here at Dunedin Vets if you are going abroad and we will advise on the best course of action.