Dog travel paperwork, in the order you need it

Start here, in this order

Get these wrong and nothing else on the list saves you.

1. Microchip first

   The microchip has to go in before, or at the same time as, the rabies vaccine. A rabies jab given before the chip doesn't count.

   Official source ↗

2. Rabies vaccine, from 12 weeks old

   Your dog has to be at least 12 weeks old. An EU vet can issue the pet passport the same day, with the vaccine recorded in it.

   Official source ↗

3. Then wait 21 days

   Your dog can't travel until at least 21 full days after the first rabies vaccine. Some vaccines say 30, so follow what your vet records. Keep the boosters on time and you never wait again.

   Official source ↗

4. Who can have an EU pet passport

   EU vets only issue them to owners who live in the EU. Northern Ireland residents still qualify. A Great Britain resident's EU passport isn't valid for entering the EU.

   Official source ↗

The tapeworm tablet

Needed for dogs going into Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway. This is the one that needs a vet while you're away.

1. 24 to 120 hours before you arrive

   A vet gives the tablet no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before you enter. Outside that window it doesn't count, so time the appointment from your arrival, not your departure.

   Official source ↗

2. What the vet writes in the passport

   The product name and manufacturer, the date and time, and the vet's stamp and signature, in the Echinococcus section. The product has to contain praziquantel.

   Official source ↗

3. It can't be done online

   The vet has to see your dog and give or watch the tablet. A video call won't do.

   Official source ↗

4. When you don't need it

   Not when travelling directly between the countries on the list. Ireland to Great Britain needs no tablet, but Great Britain to Ireland does. Norway doesn't exempt Great Britain.

   Official source ↗

5. Crossing back and forth a lot

   Finland and Norway accept a tablet every 28 days instead, recorded in an EU pet passport.

   Official source ↗

Leaving Great Britain: the Animal Health Certificate

1. A new one every trip

   Every trip from Great Britain to the EU needs a new AHC, signed by an official vet, with up to five pets on one certificate.

   Official source ↗

2. Enter the EU within 10 days

   You have to arrive in the EU within 10 days of it being issued. The issue date counts as day one.

   Official source ↗

3. Then it lasts 6 months

   Since 22 April 2026, an AHC covers 6 months of travel around the EU and 6 months to come back into Great Britain on it. It used to be 4.

   Official source ↗

4. Switzerland and Norway are different

   They aren't in the EU, so a Great Britain dog going straight there needs an export health certificate instead of an AHC.

   Official source ↗

5. Great Britain to Northern Ireland

   Since June 2025 you use a free Northern Ireland Pet Travel Document and a microchip, with no rabies or tapeworm, as long as you're not going on to Ireland or the EU.

   Official source ↗

Country by country

1. Switzerland

   EU dogs need a microchip, a valid rabies vaccine and an EU or Swiss passport. No tapeworm tablet to get in. Carry the passport with you the whole time.

   Official source ↗

2. Malta

   On top of the tapeworm tablet, fill in the online Pets Arrival Notification before you go and carry a printed copy.

   Official source ↗

3. Coming into Great Britain

   Only on approved routes and companies, except from Ireland. Dogs fly as cargo unless you're on a private charter or travelling with an assistance dog, which is why most of us come home by ferry or Eurotunnel.

   Official source ↗

From the USA to Europe and back

1. A USDA-accredited vet

   Only an accredited vet can fill in the EU health certificate. USDA then has to endorse it within 10 days of your dog arriving in the EU. A new form has been in use since 1 October 2026.

   Official source ↗

2. The USDA fee

   $101 to endorse the certificate when no lab tests are needed, which is the usual case for Europe.

   Official source ↗

3. Coming home

   From Europe and the UK, fill in the CDC Dog Import Form online. Your dog must be at least 6 months old with a readable microchip. The receipt is valid for 6 months.

   Official source ↗