Taking pets to Great Britain: origin and travel documents

Updated: 2026-10-30

Great Britain and Northern Ireland are different destinations

This guide concerns England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland as destination has another procedure. Keep proof of owner travel within five days and at most five own pets without sale/transfer; using airline cargo does not itself make the journey commercial. Ordinary commercial flights require cargo, while private charter and assistance-dog exceptions need separate arrangements.

Use the British origin list

The EU and Great Britain do not have identical origin lists. For a standard unlisted-origin first entry, identify and vaccinate, take blood at least 30 days later, obtain at least 0.5 IU/ml from an EU-approved laboratory, then wait three months from sampling before travel. Do not replace three months with 90 days. Listed/EU direct routes do not require routine antibody testing, but still need valid vaccination, identification and documents. Mainland China and Hong Kong are different selections; US territories are expressly included in the British listed-country table.

Choose one valid travel-document branch

Recognised passports and GB health certificates are document options under their own conditions; do not require both on every trip. The GB health certificate needs government-authorised official completion and entry within ten days of issue. Passport entries and originals matter, and EU rabies entries require an EU vet. Returning with an AHC needs separate confirmation of dates because the overview and AHC page describe the six-month start differently. NI/Channel Islands/Isle of Man have a specific document exception for entry into Great Britain; that does not settle every other condition.

Dogs and special origins add conditions

Dog tapeworm treatment is 24–120 hours before entry, not before departure; direct Finland/Ireland/NI/Malta/Norway routes can be exempt. Delay can invalidate the window. Cats from Australia need a Hendra non-exposure certificate for the preceding 60 days. Peninsular Malaysia dogs/cats need the government Nipah declarations and negative test described on the destination page. Confirm prohibited dog types, approved reception and customs before collection.