All of the information was obtained from the following website: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/carry/animal-plant/index_en.htm. Please refer to this website for additional information!
EU rules make it easy to travel to another EU country (in this case the 27 EU countries + Norway and Northern Ireland) with your dog, cat or ferret. These rules also cover travel to the EU from a country or territory outside the EU.
With a few exceptions, your pet can travel with you to another EU country or from a non-EU country to an EU country if it has:
- been micro-chipped (in line with the technical requirements of Annex II of the EU Regulation on the movement of pets) or has a clearly readable tattoo if applied before 3 July 2011
- been vaccinated against rabies
- had treatment against the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, where your destination area is free from this tapeworm (Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway and Northern Ireland)
- a valid European pet passport, when travelling from an EU country or Northern Ireland to another EU country or Northern Ireland or an EU animal health certificate, when travelling from a non-EU country.
European pet passport
Travel documents for your pet dog, cat or ferret
A European pet passport is a document, which follows an EU standard model and is essential for travel between EU countries. It contains a description and details of your pet, including its microchip or tattoo code as well as its rabies vaccination record and contact details of the owner and the vet who issued the passport. You can get a European pet passport for your dog, cat or ferret from any authorised vet (permitted by the relevant authorities to issue pet passports). A pet passport is valid for life as long as your pets rabies vaccination is in date.
If you are travelling to an EU country or Northern Ireland from Andorra, Switzerland, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Vatican City State, your pet can also enter the EU with a pet passport issued in one of these countries or territories.
EU animal health certificate
An EU animal health certificate is another type of document, which contains specific information about your pet (identity, health, rabies vaccinations) and is based on an EU standard model.
If you are travelling from a non-EU country or territory, your pet must have an EU animal health certificate issued by an official State vet in the country of departure not more than 10 days before your pet arrives in the EU. The certificate is valid for travel between EU countries for 4 months from this date or until the anti-rabies vaccination expires, whichever lapses first.
In addition, you should also complete and attach a written declaration to your pet’s EU animal health certificate stating that its relocation is for non-commercial reasons. This declaration is also required if your pet is travelling under the responsibility of a person authorised by you. In this case, your pet must be reunited with you within 5 days of your relocation.
From 1 January 2021, EU pet passports issued to a pet owner resident in Great Britain are no longer valid for travel with pets from Great Britain to an EU country or Northern Ireland.