Pet Travel Post-Brexit: New UK-EU Deal Simplifies Journeys

For UK travellers looking to bring their pets to an EU country, the process is now filled with bureaucratic steps, including rabies vaccinations and tapeworm treatments.

These complex processes arose due to Brexit, bringing about numerous bureaucratic obstacles that were non-existent before.

Nevertheless, the latest talks for a ' Brexit reboot' agreement between the UK and the EU appear likely to streamline regulations regarding pet travel once more.

Below are the present rules for importing pets into the EU along with details of anticipated changes.

How Brexit muddied the waters for pet travel between the UK and EU.

Prior to Brexit, UK residents could easily travel with their pets requiring very little documentation.

Dogs Cats and other fluffy friends came through via a straightforward pet passport scheme.

Pet travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland was completely unrestricted in both directions.

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However, Brexit introduced numerous new administrative procedures for British citizens traveling with their pets.

The present requirements indicate that pets must be microchipped. Animals over 12 weeks old must receive a rabies vaccination, and more than three weeks must pass between the jab and travel.

Each journey requires a new EU animal health certificate (AHC) confirming both microchipping and vaccination.

Dogs require tapeworm treatment between one and five days prior to entering the EU or Northern Ireland, along with a health certificate valid for up to 10 days from your arrival date. The cost for each certificate from a vet is roughly £200 (€236).

Upon arrival at the EU border, travelers should go to specific entry points where authorities will check and stamp the pet’s paperwork.

Upon your return to the UK, the validation of the same certifications you had when departing remains applicable.

Owners of pets say that dealing with the documentation is tough and often leads to mistakes which might stop travel plans completely.

Although the certifications stay effective for as long as four months for returning to Britain, they surpass the 90-day restriction applicable to British citizens within the EU, making them unimportant for the majority of travelers.

Traveling with your pet to Northern Ireland, Ireland, Finland, Malta, or Norway?

Although there are currently no limitations on bringing pets from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, the aforementioned regulations come into play when moving animals in the reverse direction due to the 'sea border' established by Boris Johnson’s administration.

To directly travel to Ireland, Finland, Malta, or Norway, dogs need a vet-prescribed tapeworm treatment administered between 24 hours and 5 days prior to arriving, with this being noted on either the health certificate or a valid pet passport.

How the Brexit reset deal might make pet travel easier

The UK government is seeking to negotiate with the EU to restore something closer to pre-Brexit ease of pet travel.

This would likely involve UK pet passports regaining a similar status to EU documents.

While there's a small health risk in facilitating more animal movement between countries, officials believe this is outweighed by both social benefits (allowing more people to travel with their pets) and economic advantages for the tourism industry.