Animal Health Certificate UK to EU Explained

General information, not veterinary advice. Requirements are set by the destination authority and can change: confirm with the official authority, your accredited vet and your airline.

If you live in Great Britain and are moving to an EU country with your dog or cat, your pet travels on an Animal Health Certificate, usually called an AHC. GB-issued pet passports have not been valid for EU travel since 31 December 2020. Here is how it works.

Great Britain, not Northern Ireland

This guide covers pets leaving England, Scotland or Wales. Northern Ireland residents can still use an EU pet passport, while GB residents cannot use any pet passport to enter the EU, even one issued in an EU country.

Because the United Kingdom is a listed country, your pet does not need a rabies antibody titer test, provided any transit through an unlisted country, even airside, is covered by a signed transit declaration.

What your pet needs before the AHC

A microchip, then the rabies vaccine. The vaccine is only valid if it was given after the chip was implanted or read. The same day is fine.

A valid rabies vaccination. Your pet must be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated, and GOV.UK says you must wait at least 21 full days after the primary vaccination, or longer if the vaccine needs it, before getting the AHC. A booster given before the previous dose expires keeps cover with no new wait. A lapse means starting again, including the 21 days.

Tapeworm treatment for some dogs. Dogs going to Finland, Ireland, Malta or Norway must be treated by a vet against Echinococcus multilocularis between 24 and 120 hours before the scheduled arrival, and the AHC is signed on or after the treatment. Cats are exempt.

Who issues the AHC: the Official Veterinarian

Only an Official Veterinarian (OV) can sign an AHC. If your vet cannot issue it, GOV.UK says they should help you find an OV.

Bring proof of your pet's microchip date and vaccination history. The vet also gives you a declaration to sign confirming the move is non-commercial: no sale or change of owner.

One AHC can cover up to 5 pets, and you need a new one for each trip into the EU.

The two clocks: 10 days and 6 months

10 days to enter the EU. The issue date counts as Day 1. If your OV signs on a Monday, Day 10 is the Wednesday of the next week.
6 months. Once your pet has passed the entry checks, the AHC covers onward travel within the EU for 6 months, and re-entry to Great Britain for 6 months after its issue date.

There is a catch: if the rabies vaccination expires during that period, the AHC can no longer be used for onward travel or for coming back to Great Britain.

Step	Timing	What to check
Microchip	Before or on the day of the rabies vaccine	Chip number matches every document
Rabies vaccine	At 12 weeks of age or older	Keep the vaccination record
Wait	At least 21 full days after the primary vaccination	No wait after an on-time booster
OV appointment	Up to 10 days before entry, issue date is Day 1	Bring chip date and vaccine history
Tapeworm (dogs to FI, IE, MT, NO)	24 to 120 hours before arrival	Recorded before the AHC is signed
Entry checks	On arrival at a travellers' point of entry	Authority notes the check on the AHC
Onward EU travel	Up to 6 months after entry	Ends early if rabies cover expires

Traveling with someone else, or with several pets

If another person moves your pet for you, they must travel within 5 days of you, to the same destination, and only the owner named on the certificate can authorize them. In a private vehicle you can take up to 5 pets. More is allowed only if you are attending or training for a competition, show or sporting event, with written proof of registration. Outside those cases, commercial rules apply.

Arriving in the EU

Great Britain is not one of the countries with equivalent rules, so pets from GB must enter through a travellers' point of entry. The competent authority there checks documents and identity and records the check on the AHC. Each Member State publishes its own list.

Moving to Ireland

Ireland has applied the AHC requirement to GB residents since 22 April 2026, and GB-issued pet passports are not valid. Irish compliance checks for pets arriving from Great Britain are free. Ireland accepts pets only through Dublin Airport, Dublin Port, Cork Airport, Shannon Airport, the Port of Cork (Ringaskiddy) and Rosslare Europort, and asks you to give advance notice through DAFM's portal and book a compliance check. Dogs need the tapeworm treatment.

After you settle in

Once you live in an EU country, a vet there can issue an EU pet passport, because passports are issued in the Member State where the owner habitually resides.

Plan it with the kit

The UK to EU kit gives you a user guide, a timeline workbook that computes every date from your flight or crossing date, a vet visit brief for the OV appointment, a document and airline checklist, and letter templates. It follows the GOV.UK and EU rules above.

No titer, 10 days$29

UK to EU pet move kit

The European Union from the UK: chip, rabies vaccine and 21 days, the GB Animal Health Certificate signed by an Official Veterinarian, tapeworm rules and the 6-month onward validity.

See the kit

Animal Health Certificate from the UK to the EU, Explained