Travelling to Great Britain with a dog: entry requirements from the EU, Northern Ireland, and non‑EU countries

Travelling to Great Britain with a dog is fairly straightforward, and dogs are a normal part of everyday life. As with any trip, though, you’ll need good planning and a clear grasp of the entry rules. Expect to arrange the required documents and tapeworm treatment, and remember you can only enter via approved routes and carriers.

First, a quick note on geography. The United Kingdom (UK) is the state made up of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain comprises England, Scotland and Wales. This article covers travel with a dog to Great Britain. Entry requirements for taking a dog to Northern Ireland have their own set of rules, so we cover them in a separate article.

The rules in this article also don’t automatically apply to the UK’s overseas territories, such as Gibraltar, Bermuda, or the Cayman Islands. If you’re travelling with a dog to any of these, check the entry requirements separately.

Quick overview by country of departure

In short:

• if travelling from an EU country, you’ll need a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination, an EU Pet Passport and, in most cases, tapeworm treatment
• from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination are sufficient; no health certificate or tapeworm treatment is required on this route
• from a non‑EU country, you’ll generally use a Great Britain pet health certificate, and for some countries a rabies antibody titration test as well
• for every route, also check the carrier, as entry to Great Britain with a dog is only possible via approved routes and carriers

How the EU Pet Passport works in Great Britain after Brexit

The role of the EU Pet Passport after Brexit is one of the most common points of confusion when travelling to Great Britain with a dog. It helps to distinguish two situations: a dog arriving in Great Britain from the EU, and a dog living in Great Britain and travelling to the EU.

If you live in the EU and your dog has a valid EU Pet Passport issued in an EU country, you can use it as the dog’s travel document when entering Great Britain. The EU Pet Passport must be completed correctly and show a valid rabies vaccination. We break down the entry conditions, including tapeworm treatment, below.

It’s different for residents of Great Britain. Since Brexit, Great Britain no longer issues EU Pet Passports. Moreover, from April 2026, residents of England, Scotland, and Wales should not use an EU Pet Passport to travel with a dog from Great Britain to the EU, even if the passport was originally issued in the EU. For travel from Great Britain to the EU they must use an Animal Health Certificate, issued shortly before departure.

Entry requirements for dogs travelling from the EU to Great Britain

If you’re travelling with a dog from an EU country to England, Scotland or Wales, your dog must have:

• a microchip
• a valid rabies vaccination
• a valid EU Pet Passport or another recognised travel document
• tapeworm treatment, unless an exemption applies

The microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination. If this is the dog’s first rabies shot, allow for the post‑vaccination waiting period before the dog becomes eligible to travel.

If you’re travelling from the EU, one practical detail to note: check that the rabies vaccination will remain valid for the entire stay and for your return to the EU. If it expires while you’re in Great Britain, you can have the dog re‑vaccinated there. However, under current rules a vet in Great Britain cannot record the new rabies vaccination in an EU Pet Passport as a valid entry for EU travel. On return to the EU you may therefore need to declare the new vaccination via an Animal Health Certificate.

Transport matters too. You can’t enter Great Britain with a dog by just any route — you must use an approved route and carrier for pet travel. In practice that means air travel, ferries or the Eurotunnel.

Mandatory tapeworm treatment on entry to Great Britain

For most dogs, treatment against the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis is required before entering Great Britain. It must be administered by a vet and recorded in the EU Pet Passport or other appropriate travel document.

The treatment must be given:

• no earlier than 120 hours before entry to Great Britain
• and no later than 24 hours before entry to Great Britain

In practice, your dog needs the treatment 1 to 5 days before arrival. Giving a tablet at home is not enough — the entry in the documents is what counts.

The treatment is not required if the dog arrives in Great Britain directly from these countries or territories:

• Finland
• Ireland
• Northern Ireland
• Malta
• Norway

For a typical trip from most countries, assume tapeworm treatment is a mandatory part of preparation.

Entering Great Britain with a dog from Northern Ireland

If you’re travelling with a dog from Northern Ireland to England, Scotland or Wales, the rules are simpler than for entry from most other places. This assumes the dog is already in Northern Ireland and you’re only arranging its move to Great Britain.

Your dog must have:

• a microchip
• a valid rabies vaccination

Not required on this route:

• a health certificate
• tapeworm treatment

In practice, if a dog arrives in Great Britain directly from Northern Ireland, you don’t need to arrange a health certificate before entry. Tapeworm treatment is also not required on this route.

Entry conditions for taking a dog to Northern Ireland have their own set of rules, so we cover them in a separate article.

Entry requirements for Great Britain from non‑EU countries

Unlike many countries, Great Britain’s rules vary depending on the country of departure. If you’re travelling from outside the EU, don’t rely only on the generic entry conditions — also check whether your country of departure is on the UK list of countries with a simplified regime, or falls outside it.

Basic entry conditions from non‑EU countries

Your dog will generally need:

• a microchip
• a valid rabies vaccination
• a veterinary certificate for entry to Great Britain
• tapeworm treatment, if required
• entry to Great Britain via an approved route and carrier

These are the basics. Depending on the country of departure, additional requirements may apply.

Additional conditions by country of departure

For travel from outside the EU, Great Britain distinguishes between countries on the UK list of those with a simplified regime and countries not on that list.

If your country of departure is on the list, a rabies antibody titration test is usually not required. Examples include the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina and Chile.

If your country of departure is not on the list, your dog will need, in addition to the usual documents, a rabies antibody titration test. This can significantly extend the preparation timeline, as the test must be correctly timed and performed in an approved laboratory.

A “simplified regime” doesn’t mean the conditions are identical for every country on the list. Some countries have specific additional requirements — for example, dogs from Peninsular Malaysia may be subject to special rules related to the Nipah virus. Always check the rules for your exact country of departure.

What the Great Britain pet health certificate is for

When travelling from non‑EU countries, the main document is usually the veterinary certificate for entry to Great Britain. UK guidance uses the term Great Britain pet health certificate.

This certificate confirms that the dog meets the entry requirements for Great Britain. It can be used for travel from non‑EU countries whether or not the country is on the UK’s simplified‑regime list.

The Great Britain pet health certificate is arranged in the country of departure. In practice it is completed or endorsed by an authorised vet, or by the competent veterinary authority under that country’s rules. The certificate must follow the UK template. It’s best to start with a vet in the country of departure and check who is authorised there to issue or officially endorse such a document.

Approved routes, carriers and document checks

You can only enter Great Britain with a dog via approved routes and carriers. Having the vaccinations, documents and tapeworm treatment in order is not enough — how you get the dog into the country also matters.

In practice this usually means approved routes via the Eurotunnel, ferries or air travel. Examples include Eurotunnel Le Shuttle on the Calais/Coquelles – Folkestone route; ferries to ports such as Dover, Portsmouth, Harwich or Newcastle; and carriers like Brittany Ferries, DFDS Seaways, Irish Ferries, P&O Ferries and Stena Line.

By air, most pet dogs do not travel to Great Britain in the cabin but as cargo, and only via an approved airport and approved carrier. Likewise, you can’t just book any ferry or arrive by private boat from any country.

Your documents may be checked not only by border control on arrival but also by the carrier before boarding. Be ready to show proof of microchipping, proof of valid rabies vaccination, the correct travel document, and confirmation of tapeworm treatment if required.

Before travelling, always check that your specific route and carrier accept pet entry to Great Britain. The list of approved routes can change, and some operate only seasonally.

Practical rules for getting around Great Britain with a dog

Once in Great Britain, be mindful of local rules for dogs in public. As a rule of thumb, your dog should remain under control. Parks, beaches, nature areas, public transport and places near livestock often have their own restrictions, such as lead requirements or no‑dog zones.

Always clean up after your dog and observe the rules of accommodation, carriers and public places. Pay particular attention to the regulations on banned or restricted types of dogs. If you’re travelling with a dog that might fall into a regulated category, check the conditions before you go.

Summary of the conditions for travelling to Great Britain with a dog

Travel to Great Britain with a dog is manageable if you check the rules in advance for your country of departure. In most cases the essentials are a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and the correct travel document — typically an EU Pet Passport for trips from the EU, and usually a Great Britain pet health certificate for trips from outside the EU.

In most cases you’ll also need tapeworm treatment 24 to 120 hours before entry. Equally important is to use an approved route and carrier — you can’t enter with a dog by just any route.