Moving to the UK with a Dog from the US

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.

Bringing a dog or cat from the United States to the UK needs no rabies blood test. What surprises American owners: pets fly in the hold, the airline and route must be approved, and dogs need a tapeworm treatment shortly before landing.

First, which rules: Great Britain, not the whole UK

The pet entry rules on GOV.UK cover England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has separate rules, run by DAERA, and APHIS states it continues to follow European Union requirements. This guide covers Great Britain only.

What Great Britain requires from US pets

As a listed country, the US needs no rabies blood test. Your pet needs:

A microchip, implanted before or on the same day as the rabies vaccination. Otherwise the vaccine must be repeated.
A rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks of age or older, with an inactivated or recombinant vaccine approved in the country where it is given. Wait at least 21 full days after the primary vaccination, Day 1 being the day after the shot. Some vaccines need longer.
A Great Britain pet health certificate, signed, stamped and dated by an official veterinarian, with entry into Great Britain within 10 days of issue.
Tapeworm treatment for dogs, every time, given by a vet between 24 and 120 hours before arrival.
A pet travel declaration stating the pet will not be sold or transferred to a new owner.

These rules cover up to 5 pets arriving within 5 days before or after you. APHIS states that a pet under 15 weeks old must already be vaccinated and past its waiting period, otherwise it is not eligible: in practice, about 15 weeks of age at the earliest.

The certificate and APHIS endorsement

A USDA-accredited veterinarian with the correct accreditation category completes the non-commercial certificate and submits it through VEHCS, the APHIS online system. APHIS then endorses it: for the UK, it ink-signs and embosses the certificate. The printed endorsed certificate must travel with your pet.

APHIS also notes:

The APHIS certificate number goes into the owner declaration after endorsement.
Your rabies certificate must match the health certificate: chip number, manufacturer and vaccine name.
The tapeworm treatment must be given by a USDA-accredited vet and recorded in section II.4. It can come before or after endorsement.

APHIS publishes its fees: a certificate with no lab tests, the normal case here, costs $101 whatever the number of pets on it. Vet fees are separate.

Timing your dates

APHIS says the endorsement must happen within 10 days of arriving in the UK, and the accredited vet's certificate is valid for 30 days after signing. GOV.UK does not say how the 10 days are counted, so keep a day of margin.

Step	Timing	Watch for
Microchip	Before or with the rabies vaccine	Same number on every document
Rabies vaccine	At 12 weeks of age or older	Keep boosters on time
Earliest travel	21 full days after the primary vaccine	Day 1 is the day after the shot
Accredited vet signs	After the 21-day wait, valid 30 days	Submitted through VEHCS
APHIS endorsement	Within 10 days before UK arrival	Certificate number goes in the declaration
Tapeworm (dogs)	24 to 120 hours before arrival	Flight delays can push you outside it
Arrival	At an approved airport	Customs clearance before collection

Flights: hold only, approved carriers only

GOV.UK states that pets arriving by air have to travel as cargo, and the APHA list states that approved commercial airlines carry pets in the hold. Cabin travel is possible only on a chartered private plane, or for guide and assistance dogs. Your airline and route must be on the APHA approved list, which changes, so confirm with the airline.

Approved airports include Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Listed carriers include Delta, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways and Lufthansa, each for specific airports.

At the time of writing, American Airlines states that checked pets are not accepted to the UK and that dogs and cats can ship as cargo through American Airlines Cargo. Its page names Heathrow and Manchester, but the APHA list shows Heathrow only: follow the APHA list. Delta's page closes the UK to cabin pets and says Delta Cargo currently accepts pets only for active US military or State Department staff on permanent change of station orders. Lufthansa's page says pet bookings may be refused on certain routes, giving the UK as an example.

Arrival in Great Britain

The microchip and documents are checked on arrival. Your pet can be collected only after customs clearance, usually handled by an agent, travel company or airline. For Heathrow, APHIS states that Animal Reception Centre pre-checks should be done before the USDA endorsement.

If the rules are not met, your pet can be quarantined for up to 4 months or sent back, at your expense.

Banned dog types

Great Britain bans the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully types, judged by appearance, not breed name. A dog of a banned type cannot enter without a valid Certificate of Exemption, and applications for new XL Bully exemptions have closed.

Plan it with the kit

The USA to UK kit includes a user guide, a timeline workbook that computes every date from your flight date, a vet visit brief, a document and airline checklist, and letter templates. It follows the GOV.UK and APHIS rules for Great Britain.

No titer, 10 days$29

USA to UK pet move kit

Great Britain from the US: chip, rabies vaccine and 21 days, the GB pet health certificate endorsed by USDA APHIS, tapeworm timing and approved routes.

See the kit

Moving to the UK with a Dog or Cat from the US