Reintroduction of UK Pet Passports: A Gateway to Freedom for British Pets

Posted byJacqueline Lambert @WorldWideWalkiesPosted inBrexit, Dog Travel TipsTags:, , , , , ,
Black and white photo of a pug with a suitcase on a railway line looking expectant and wishing to travel

Following the UK/EU summit in May, 2025, UK Pet Passports are set to make a comeback, offering travel emancipation of British dogs, cats and ferrets!

The timescale for re-introduction has not been announced, but a return to Part 1 listed status for the UK signals a huge win for British pets and their owners.

The government said, “It is important that we get the right agreement for the UK, so the Government is not putting an arbitrary deadline on negotiations. We will provide more information on pet passports valid for travel to the EU in due course.”

Four British pet passports, now defunct
Obsolete British Pet Passports

Prior to Brexit, UK pets and their owners could travel freely to EU countries with minimal bureaucracy, using the pet passport scheme. This negated the need for quarantine. Since 1st of January 2021, when the Brexit transition period ended, the Brexit deal granted Britain, except Northern Ireland, ‘Part 2’ listed status for pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) travelling to the EU.

Except for Northern Ireland, UK-issued pet passports became invalid overnight. Since then, unless they have an EU pet passport, British pets travelling to the EU require an Animal Health Certificate (AHC).

Brexit added a huge amount of red tape and expense to pet travel. The AHC is a 10-page, bilingual document, which must be issued by an Official Vet no sooner than 10 days prior to arrival in the EU at a cost of anything between £100 – £250. It is valid for a maximum of four months, and for one EU entry only. Exit the EU on your trip, and you need another AHC to re-enter. Plus, without an EU pet passport, entry into other countries is also affected.

Pet Passport Validity

A pet passport remains valid for multiple trips and for the lifetime of the pet, so long as the vaccinations are kept current. You would only need to replace the passport if the vaccinations lapse, or if you are a frequent traveller, when one of the sections gets full.

Pet Passport Benefits

A return to UK-issued pet passports will reduce pet travel costs significantly, and streamline the travel process for British pets.

It will also negate the need to have rabies boosters done in the EU, because at present, a UK vet updating an EU pet passport invalidates it.

What Will the New Passport Look Like?

Pet Passports for non-EU Part 1 listed countries follow the same internal format as the EU Pet Passport, but have a different cover. For example, pet passports from Gibraltar are purple, and those from Switzerland are orange.

Parasite Protection & Other Travel Requirements

A pet passport or AHC is not a cover-all for international travel with pets. Besides the requirements of the passport, some countries have their own specific entry requirements. Pet Travel.com lists the entry requirements for over 200 countries. Since requirements change frequently, do double check with the official website of the countries that you will be visiting.

Look out for things like:

  • Countries who do not recognise the 3-year rabies jab and require annual boosters.
  • Countries which require a rabies blood titer test to prove that the rabies jab is effective. If done in a non-EU country, such as the UK, it takes 4 months (or longer if your test fails!) before your dog can travel. Note that a rabies blood titer test is required to re-enter the EU and UK if you travel to an unlisted high rabies country. This can include many Schengen Shuffle countries, such as the Balkans, Morocco, or Turkey, and often catches travellers out. Get a rabies blood titer test if you intend to visit any unlisted countries.
  • Countries who require their own AHCs for pets to enter, such as Albania.
  • With or without a pet passport, some countries still enforce quarantine.

In addition, you should consider other health needs of your pet which are not covered by the passport.

Important health considerations are as follows:

  1. Tapeworm (Echinococcus) Treatments – with or without a pet passport, treatment against Echinococcus multilocularis remains a requirement for entry or re-entry into the UK, Eire, Finland and Malta. It must be administered by a vet and, along with a health check, recorded in the passport in 24-hour clock format between 24 and 120 hours (5 days) before entry into the destination country.
  2. Rabies Blood Titer Test – If you travel outside the EU to unlisted countries, eg to many Schengen Shuffle countries, such as Turkey, Morocco, or the Balkans, your pet will need a valid rabies titer test certificate to re-enter the UK and/or EU. This requirement catches a lot of people out, since they just look at the entry requirements for the countries they are visiting, not how to return to their country of origin.
  3. Local Disease Protection – check with your vet that your pet is fully vaccinated for other doggie diseases and is appropriately protected for local risks, such as parasite- and disease-carrying mosquitos, ticks and sandflies, since these are not covered by the passport or AHC. See my post on Travelling from the UK to Europe & Back with Dogs and my post on Leishmaniasis.

Since you are officially exporting your dog to the EU for the duration of your holiday, you must comply with the guidelines set out by the APHA. It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that your documentation is appropriate for the countries you wish to visit and that any additional local requirements are met.

How Long Will It Take to Get an Pet Passport?

The timescale for reintroduction has not been announced, but to get a pet passport, you will need to visit your vet in good time before you intend to travel. To get a pet passport, your pet will need to be microchipped, although microchippint is already a legal requirement for UK dogs and cats (but not ferrets!) Then:

  1. >1 Month Before Travel – Rabies Vaccinations
    • Not Vaccinated – if your pet is not vaccinated, get the initial rabies vaccine at least 21 days before your you intend to travel.
    • Vaccinated – check that their rabies boosters are all up to date and will last the duration of your trip. If they have lapsed, you will have to wait 21 days after vaccination before the passport or AHC can be issued.
  2. >4 Months Before Travel – Rabies Blood Titer Test – allow at least four months from the initial rabies vaccination. The titer test can only be carried out 21 days after the initial rabies vaccination. However, it can go ahead straight after a booster, which will give your dog a better chance of passing. If the titer test is not carried out in an EU country, the dog can still not travel for 3 months after a successful titer test.
Four French pet passports
We’re relieved that The Fab Four’s French passports will remain valid

In The Meantime…

If you don’t have an EU passport, you will need an AHC to travel with your pet until the new British pet passports are re-introduced. For full details on how to obtain one, see my post Animal Health Certificates – What You Need To Know.

If you want to obtain an EU pet passport to tide you over before the UK passports are re-introduced, check out my post Can I Get My Dog an EU Pet Passport?

Yappy Travels!

Related Posts

Check out The Wuff Guide to Travelling with Dogs for more information on doggie travel requirements, including:

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Published by Jacqueline Lambert @WorldWideWalkies

AD (After Dogs) - We retired early to tour Europe in a caravan with four dogs. "To boldly go where no van has gone before". Since 2021, we've been at large in a 24.5-tonne self-converted ex-army truck called The Beast. BC (Before Canines) - we had adventures on every continent other than Antarctica!