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Pet Travel

If you are planning on travelling abroad with your pet, you will need a travel certificate and there may be other requirements in addition to the certificate. What you need will depend on where you are travelling to. At Vets on the Common, all of our vets are Official Veterinarians, which means they have the necessary training to certify travel documents. 

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Animal Health Certificates

  • AHCs are for dogs and cats travelling to Europe.

  • AHCs have replaced pet passports since the UK left the European Union. If you still have a European pet passport with an up to date rabies vaccination, which was given in Europe, you can still use this to travel instead. The European pet passport is not valid if the rabies vaccination was given in the UK.

  • An AHC must be completed within 10 days of your intended travel date. We advise getting the certificate a few days before you travel in case you need to change your flights.

  • Once in the EU, your AHC will be valid for 4 months, and you can use this same AHC to travel between European countries. If you are away for more than 4 months, you will need a new AHC from Europe to re-enter the UK.

  • Once you are back in the UK, the AHC becomes invalid and a new certificate is needed for your next trip.

  • Dogs and cats will need a valid rabies vaccination to be given at least 21 days before you travel and must be microchipped.

  • Tapeworm treatment must be given to dogs between 1-5 days of travel to Finland, Malta, Ireland and Norway. Dogs returning to the UK must receive tapeworm treatment by a vet in Europe, unless you are returning from the above 4 countries.

  • At Vets on the Common, we offer same day AHCs. These are 40 minute appointments, where you must bring your pet so we can scan their microchip. No clinical exam is performed. If you do want a vet to check over your pet, you will be asked to pay a consultation fee and the certificate will be ready for collection 1-2 days later, as the allocated 40 minutes is just enough time to create the certificate. 

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Export Health Certificates

  • EHCs are usually required by most countries outside of Europe.

  • Some countries may have unique entry requirements for pets, so it is vital that you research what is needed before coming to us.

  • You can find all the information you need on the GOV.UK website, as well as to apply for an EHC.

  • Click the link above, or simply Google "Export cats and dogs to" and the country you are travelling to and look for the GOV.UK link.

  • You must register and apply for the EHC online, so that a digital copy is sent to us to complete at your EHC appointment. You must bring your pet to this appointment, which is usually a day or two before your flight.

  • Some countries do not require an EHC, but a Fit to Fly certificate for the airline instead, such as the USA.

  • Countries such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have extremely strict requirements, where blood tests and parasite treatments are required at specific dates prior to travel. We advise using a pet travel company for these cases, where they advise us on exactly what to do and when.

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