Taking Your Pet Abroad

Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) was introduced in February 2004 and allows pets to enter the UK without having to have a quarantine period as long as they satisfy certain criteria. It also means that people in the UK can take their pets to other European Union (EU) countries, and return with them to the UK. The Scheme applies to cats, dogs, rabbits, ferrets and rodents.

The Scheme only applies to pets coming into the UK from certain countries via specified travel routes; follow the link below for more information concerning this.

A pet cat or dog has to meet the following criteria to be able to enter or re-enter the UK without quarantine: They have to be:

vaccinated against rabies (but not before they are 3 months old)
blood tested at an EU-approved laboratory and get a satisfactory result

identified with a microchip
issued with an EU pet passport
treated against ticks and tapeworms

Note: 6 months must have passed from the date that the blood sample which gave a satisfactory test result was taken before a dog or cat can enter the UK.

The rules are to protect human and animal health and to reduce the risk of importing rabies into the UK.

If you have any questions concerning PETS please contact Alex Garrett.