Pet Travel

Travelling with your pet abroad requires some research. Areas to consider include:

• The health implications for your pet
• The disease risks of the country you are travelling to
• Your pet insurance cover
• Finding a suitable local veterinary surgeon that can meet your language needs
• What is legally required before you travel
  
   

Please read the following information in full if you are planning to take your pet abroad. 

Travelling to the European Union

If your pet is travelling to the EU, they will need to be examined by a vet and issued with an Animal Health Certificate (AHC). 

In May 2025, the UK Government announced the return of pet passports for Great Britain for travel to the EU. However, no date has been provided for when these will be available yet, and so the AHCs will be required until further notice. 

We can only provide AHCs for pets that meet the following requirements:

• Travelling to the EU or Andorra, Switzerland, Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, and Vatican City State
• Travelling by car with your pet
• The person travelling with the pet must be the owner, and they must be present at the time of the AHC consultation
• Has had a valid rabies vaccination within  3 years (including covering the date of return to Great Britain)

We cannot provide an AHC for animals that:

• Will be travelling to countries outside of the EU (even on the same trip)
• Are travelling for ‘commercial’ reasons, such as those participating in competitions or where a change of ownership is planned
• Any animal other than a dog, cat or ferret
• If you are travelling with more than 5 pets
• If you are not travelling by car
• Any pet younger than 15 weeks

We will need to know the following information before booking your pets appointment prior to travel:

• Which country you are travelling to
• The exact date of travel
• The length of travel
• The date of the last rabies vaccination
• If you are not a registered client, we must have the pet’s up-to-date history sent over before the AHC

Booking in an AHC:

• The AHC must be completed  within 10 days of travel in the country of arrival
  • The day of the AHC is counted as day 1, and you must arrive in Europe by day 10
• The AHC must be performed at least 21 days after rabies vaccination. The pet must be at least 12 weeks old before rabies vaccination
• An AHC can only be performed by Official Veterinarians. Please contact our reception team to arrange so we can find you an appropriate consult
• The owner must be the one travelling with the pet, and they must attend the AHC along with the pet
• Appointments will last 45-60 minutes, with an additional 15 minute appointment for each extra pet. Please be prepared to wait in our reception for around 30 minutes whilst we complete the required documentation
• A full clinical examination will not be carried out during the AHC – if you have any concerns about your pet’s health, please book for a separate appointment. If you are not a registered Millennium Vets client this should be carried out by your own veterinary practice

Fees:

Correct as of 01/07/2025

• Millennium Vet registered client: £236.52
• Clients not registered with Millennium Vets as their primary care vets: £297.01
• If more than one pet is travelling, the fee for each additional pet is an additional £35.18
• Rabies vaccination: £99.29
• All fees are payable at the time of consultation

Tapeworm treatment:

• For dogs, tapeworm treatment is required within 24-120 hours before re-entry to Great Britain. This must be witnessed and documented by a vet. For short trips, this can be performed in Great Britain, but for trips longer than 5 days you must arrange for a vet visit in the EU before returning.
• If you are travelling to Finland, Malta, Norway, or Ireland, you must have had tapeworm treatment before travel to these countries. It is therefore not required to return to Great Britain

Additional information:

• AHCs are valid for return to Great Britain for up to 4 months from the date of issue
• If your pet is travelling on a pet passport, rather than an AHC, please note that Great Britian vets cannot fill in the pet passport (aside from the tapeworm documentation section) and so you will need to ensure it is kept up-to-date in the EU, such as having following rabies vaccinations performed in the country of issue
• You cannot take products of animal origin (POAO) with you into the EU, including meat or dairy-based pet food, unless a vet has provided written confirmation that the animal requires a certain food for medical reasons and that the food weighs below 2 kg. Unless you qualify for this exemption, you will need to plan where you will be purchasing your dog’s food from when abroad. Read the full rules from the European Commission here: https://food.ec.europa.eu/animals/animal-products-movements/personal-imports_en
• Please see https://www.gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad for additional information

Travel to Northern Ireland:

• Since 4th June, pets travelling to Northern Ireland no longer require an AHC, although this is still required if travelling to the Republic of Ireland or another EU country
• Instead, owners need to apply for a ‘pet travel document’ which will be valid for the pet’s lifetime. These documents are free to apply for. You will need to reapply if you change your details, such as your address
• Pet travel documents are not needed for return to Great Britain, or for Northern Ireland residents visiting Great Britain that are then returning to Northern Ireland
• Please see https://www.gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad/travelling-to-northern-ireland for more information

Travelling to non-European Union countries:

• Please see https://www.gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad for information on travelling to non-EU countries. We would recommend you contact an external travel company or airline who can guide you through the requirements, which will depend on which country you are visiting

Diseases when abroad:

• When travelling abroad, your pet may be exposed to diseases that are not present in Great Britain.
• Whilst not mandatory for travel, we recommend that pets use adequate tick protection to protect against tick-borne disease, and
• to be protected against sandfly which can carry a disease called Leishmania, especially in southern Europe. Please speak to a vet if this is something you are interested in – we would recommend doing this before the date of your visit so we can ensure we have the required products available.
• For more information on the risk for each country, please see (https://www.esccap.org/travelling-pets-advice/)

Additional considerations for travel:

• Some ferry companies require that all dogs brought on board which are not staying in the car wear a muzzle at all times, and some ports require a dog to wear a muzzle if they leave the car to walk around the port. We suggest checking with the ferry company and port what their rules are before you travel. For more information on muzzle training, see: https://millenniumvets.co.uk/advice/muzzle-training
• Certain airlines will not transport specific breeds of dogs. Please ensure you check your individual company requirements before booking travel.
• For more information, see the RSPCA guide to taking your pet on holiday: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/holiday#:~:text=Pet%20checks%20before%20your%20holiday,are%20up-to-date