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FAQs


An Animal Health Certificate (AHC) is a document required for pets traveling from Great Britain (GB) to the EU, Switzerland, or Norway. It certifies that a pet meets the health and vaccination requirements for the destination country, replacing the previous GB-issued pet passport system.

You need an animal health certificate for your dog, cat or ferret if you’re travelling from Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) or Northern Ireland to an EU country.

You can add up to 5 pets to an animal health certificate.

Your pet’s animal health certificate will be valid after the date of issue for:

  • 10 days for entry into the EU
  • 6 months for onward travel within the EU after you enter the EU
  • 6 months for re-entry to Great Britain

Yes. Certificates are valid for single trips (one exit and one re-entry into the UK) with forward travel throughout the EU for up to six months once you've entered the EU. We offer a discount for repeat animal health certificates here.

Some countries require dogs to have a tapewormer administered by a veterinarian prior to travel. Depending on your travel destination(s) we can administer the product for you as required at your appointment. This is chargeable for a small fee of £4.50 per tablet (one tablet per 10kg)

Regulations for travel are legally binding, as such if there has been an error with the rabies vaccination, such as the batch number or animals microchip not being recorded, we are unfortunately unable to provide you with an Animal Health Certificate until the issue is rectified (i.e. revaccination). Similarly, if the wormer was not administered at the correct time or correctly recorded, an AHC cannot be provided. Your veterinary practice can help you rectify this.

Current regulations as of April 2026 state that pets may exit the EU with a valid passport, but may not enter the EU as such. Therefore a valid Animal Health Certificate will be required to exit the UK. Passports can still be used to verify your pets' rabies vaccination status providing the original passport is provided at the appointment, copies will not be accepted. The passport may still be a useful means of re-entry to the UK for those planning to stay in the EU for more than six months, which is the validity of the AHC.