If you’re planning to travel abroad with your cat or dog, you might wonder how to get a UK pet passport in 2025. Since Brexit, the old pet passport system has changed, and UK pet owners now need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) instead. This guide explains how to get the right travel documents for your pet, including the steps to apply, vet requirements, costs, and medical checks.
You’ll also learn about the new pet travel rules for the UK, EU, and Northern Ireland. Whether it’s your first trip or a regular journey, this guide makes pet travel simple and stress-free.
What Is a Pet Passport and Why It Changed After Brexit
A pet passport used to be your furry mate’s golden ticket to Europe. This slim booklet logged the pet microchip number, rabies vaccination dates and vet stamps. Owners breezed across borders with zero fuss. Pre-2021 any UK vet issued or updated them.
Brexit flipped the script overnight. Great Britain became a third country so old GB passports lost EU magic. Animal health certificates stepped in as short-term fixes. Yet the May 2025 agreement flips it back—new UK pet passports mirror the old glory.
Northern Ireland never lost its EU-aligned Northern Ireland pet passport system. Vets there still dish out lifelong booklets. The revival means England, Scotland and Wales owners apply once and travel endlessly. No more ten-day deadlines or four-month clocks. Check the official scoop at GOV.UK pet travel.
Can You Still Get a Pet Passport in the UK?
Yes, and it feels like Christmas came early. Since autumn 2025 every official veterinarian in England, Scotland or Wales issues shiny new UK pet passports. Pop in with your microchipped pet, prove rabies cover and walk out with lifetime access. Northern Ireland owners never stopped enjoying EU versions. The June-launched pet travel document covers GB-to-NI dashes for free. Apply online via APHA, declare no EU onward jaunts and scan chips at ports.
Frequent flyers save hundreds yearly. One fifty-pound setup beats endless animal health certificate fees. Assistance dogs glide even smoother with priority lanes. Double-check your vet offers the new scheme—most do now.
Pet Travel Documents Explained: AHC VS Pet Passport
Animal health certificates shout single-trip hero. Your DEFRA-approved vet fills twelve pages confirming micro-chipping pets, rabies booster and tapeworm treatment for dogs. Validity? Ten days entry plus four months roaming. Costs sting at one to three hundred pounds. Pet passports? Lifelong legends needing booster top-ups only. Northern Ireland issues EU ones instantly while mainland vets roll out UK versions post-deal.
Here’s your quick comparison table:
Feature
Animal Health Certificate
Pet Passport
Validity
10 days + 4 months
Lifetime
Cost
£100–£300 per trip
£50–£100 once
Vet visits
Every journey
Boosters only
The switch slashes pet travel cost overnight.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Get an Animal Health Certificate (AHC)
Even with pet passports back some trips still need animal health certificates—like non-EU hops. Start early because rabies waits twenty-one days.
1. Find a DEFRA-Authorised Vet
Search the APHA database for an official veterinarian trained to issue export-ready certificates. Book early because slots vanish faster than biscuits at playtime and confirm they handle veterinary authorisation for your breed.
2. Book an Appointment Within 10 Days of Travel
Time your visit inside the magic ten-day window before departure. Bring your pet so the vet scans the pet microchip number and verifies health in person avoiding last-minute panics.
3. Meet All Medical Requirements (Microchip, Rabies, Tapeworm)
Microchips implant under skin using ISO standards before any jabs otherwise restart the clock. Rabies shots suit pups over twelve weeks with twenty-one-day waits while dogs need tapeworm treatment for dogs containing praziquantel one to five days prior for countries like Ireland.
4. Provide Your Pet and Owner Details
Share passport copies, addresses and journey plans so the twelve-page form captures every pet residency requirements detail accurately. Double-check spellings because mismatches trigger border headaches.
5. Receive and Carry the Original AHC
Collect the signed original because photocopies flop at checkpoints. Tuck it alongside pet vaccination record inside a waterproof pouch ready for scans at every pet border requirements stop.
Medical Requirements for Pet Travel
Micro-chipping pets happens before anything else. ISO chips link lost souls home fast. Rabies vaccination suits pups over twelve weeks with twenty-one-day countdowns. Boosters last one to three years—lapse and restart. Dogs eyeing Finland or Ireland swallow tapeworm treatment for dogs containing praziquantel timed perfectly.
Cats and ferrets skip that bit. Unlisted countries demand blood tests proving 0.5 IU/ml antibodies three months early. New passports relax return proofs for compliant pets. EU pet travel rules stay rabies-focused with zero quarantine for winners.
Costs and Validity of Animal Health Certificates
Vet exams hover one hundred to two hundred pounds. Add forty for rabies booster, fifteen for tapeworm and twenty for chips. Total two hundred plus per certificate. Validity covers ten days outbound then four months circling Europe and returning.
Pet passports? One-off fifty to one hundred pounds then booster pennies. NI’s pet travel document costs nothing ever. Bundle jabs during check-ups to save. Some pet insurance abroad reimburses fees.
Travelling to the EU, Ireland, and Beyond With Your Pet
Flash your new UK pet passport at travellers’ points of entry. Officers scan chips and smile. Ireland demands dog tapeworm proof. NI welcomes the free pet travel document declaring no onward plans.
Non-EU spots like America accept passports for short stays but Australia insists on export health certificates plus blood tests. Over five pets? Declare events. Email ports scanned docs for pre-clears. Assistance animals skip queues.
Travelling by Plane, Ferry, or Car With Your Pet
Planes love IATA crates and ban snub-noses in summer. British Airways cabins take tiny mates. Ferries offer pet lounges while Eurotunnel scans in fifteen minutes. Freeze bowls, spritz pheromones and stretch hourly. More pet-friendly cabins popped up post-deal
Pet Travel Insurance and Safety Tips
Policies cover overseas bills, lost searches and repatriation. GPS collars ping locations. Train crates early, tag IDs and hydrate constantly.
Key Changes for 2025: What Pet Owners Need to Know
May’s deal reborn the UK pet passport scrapping per-trip animal health certificates. June gifted the free lifelong pet travel document for GB-NI hops. Post-Brexit pet travel now mirrors pre-2021 ease. Track rollouts on official sites.
Pet Travel Checklist Before You Leave
Tuck original documents beside vaccination records. Label carriers, pack overseas vet numbers and insurance papers. Add tapeworm tabs for dogs, water bowls and toys. Photograph everything. Happy tails await! 🐕✈️
Ready to turn international pet travel into pure joy? Bookmark this guide, share with fellow owners and watch borders blur for your best mate. Here’s to sunnier shores and endless sniffaris together.
FAQS
Are UK pet passports coming back?
No, UK pet passports are not returning. Since Brexit, Animal Health Certificates (AHCs) have replaced them for travelling with pets to the EU.
How to obtain a pet passport in the UK?
You can’t get a pet passport in the UK anymore. Instead, you must apply for an Animal Health Certificate from a DEFRA-approved vet.
How quickly can I get a pet passport?
Animal Health Certificates must be issued within 10 days before travel. Booking early is best, as vets may be busy during peak travel times.
How much does a pet passport cost UK?
An Animal Health Certificate usually costs between £100 and £200 in the UK, depending on the vet and the number of pets you’re travelling with.
How hard is it to get a pet passport?
It’s straightforward to get an Animal Health Certificate if your pet meets all health requirements, including microchipping, rabies vaccination, and tapeworm treatment for dogs.
Can I travel to the EU with a UK pet passport?
No, UK-issued pet passports are no longer valid in the EU. You’ll need an Animal Health Certificate for each trip to Europe.
How to fly with pets?
Book with a pet-friendly airline, follow their travel guidelines, and carry your Animal Health Certificate, vaccination record, and approved pet carrier for safety.
Is it worth getting an EU pet passport?
Yes, if you live in or can legally register your pet in an EU country or Northern Ireland, an EU pet passport allows easier, multi-trip travel.
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