The EU Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) enables travel without quarantine for dogs, cats and ferrets to EU member states. On 1 October 2001, the European Union introduced the PETS scheme, under which animals from any member country may freely travel to any other member country. With the EU Pet Passport, the PETS Scheme was originally established to control the transmission of rabies between European countries, but over time other locations such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand were included. There’s four categories of countries within the EU Pet Travel Scheme for cats, dogs and ferrets. Both the requirements of your countries of origin and destination determine the preparations you need to make for your pet to travel. There are four categories of country under the EU PETS – EU Member States, Part 1 Listed, Part 2 Listed, and Unlisted Third Countries. Details for each EU Pet Travel Scheme category are set out below. Keep reading for everything you need to know about the Pet Travel Scheme in continental Europe for cats, dogs and ferrets travelling internationally.
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Table of contents
- Which Countries are Covered by the EU Pet Travel Scheme?
- Changes to the EU Pet Travel Scheme
- EU Pet Travel Scheme Categories of Countries
- Pet Travel within EU Member States (Including NI)
- Travelling from a Part 1 Listed Country to EU (incl. NI)
- Travelling from a Part 2 Listed Country to an EU Member State
- Unlisted Third Countries to EU
- Pet Travel Scheme Restrictions on Number of Pets
- Pets Travelling without Owner
- Related Pages
Which Countries are Covered by the EU Pet Travel Scheme?
The Pet Travel Scheme in Europe applies to the 27 EU member states, plus Norway and Northern Ireland. The current EU member states are:
Changes to the EU Pet Travel Scheme
Following Brexit, the rules for travelling from Great Britain (Scotland, England & Wales) to EU member states changed. However, although part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland (NI) is currently subject to the same pet travel rules as EU Member States. Current NI pet passports can be endorsed for EU travel. Pet Passports issued in GB are no longer accepted to enter mainland Europe, but you can use a GB issued Pet Passport to enter the UK.
Originally, after Brexit pet travel rules were agreed to come into effect from 1 January 2021, an Animal Health Certificate was required to enter the EU and Northern Ireland (NI). But, on 15 September 2021 the NI Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA) announced that checks on all pet dogs, cats and ferrets travelling from GB to NI would be suspended indefinitely while negotiations between the UK government and EU continue.
Subsequently, you now don’t need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) to travel to NI, but you still need to obtain one from a vet to travel to the EU from GB. Remember though, that if you have an EU issued Pet Passport for your cat, dog or ferret, you can use this to enter the EU from GB.
Changes were also introduced to PETS to reduce the number of animals being unethically bred and sold in the EU. To combat this issue, rules on pet transport within the EU changed as of 29 December 2014. The key amendments were:
- Dogs, cats and ferrets can’t receive a rabies vaccine before the age of 12 weeks. However, some countries make provisions for transporting younger pets.
- A new style of Pet Passport with laminated pages detailing micro-chipping, vaccination information and other details about the pet. Laminate is used to avoid this information being fraudulently changed later.
- Owners must travel with their pets or within five days of their pets being transported. A pet that travels more than five days before or after the owner must fulfil the requirements that apply to animals transported for trade.
EU Pet Travel Scheme Categories of Countries
There are four categories of countries under the EU PETS scheme, with different pet travel rules for each. However, a microchip and rabies vaccination are always required.
The four categories in the EU Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) are:
| EU PETS Categories | Description |
|---|---|
1. Members of the European Union (EU) | All EU member states, as well as Northern Ireland (NI) |
2. Part 1 Listed Countries | EU territories and countries authorised to issue an EU Pet Passport |
3. Part 2 Listed Countries | Listed third countries |
4. Unlisted Third Countries | All countries that aren’t covered in the first three categories |
Pet Travel within EU Member States (Including NI)
Under EU Pet Travel Scheme laws n Europe, you can travel between EU member states, as well as Northern Ireland, if your pet has the following:
- Working Microchip or clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011.
- Rabies Vaccination administered by an authorised vet and in date at the time of travel.
Your cat, dog or ferret must be microchipped the Rabies Vaccination, and they have to be at least 12 weeks old at the date the vaccine is administered. At least 21 days must pass from the date of the pet’s first Rabies Vaccination before travel. - Valid EU Pet Passport or an EU Animal Health Certificate
- Tapeworm Treatment for dogs if you’re travelling directly to the UK, Finland, Ireland, Norway or Malta
Also, check with your airline as they may need a Fit to Fly Certificate from a vet confirming your pet is in good health for travel.
| EU Pet Travel Scheme | Requirements for Pet Travel Between EU Member States & NI |
|---|---|
Microchip | ✔️ |
Rabies Vaccination | ✔️ |
Rabies Blood Test & Waiting Time Prior to Travel | ❌ |
EU Pet Passport or Animal Health Certificate (AHC) | ✔️ |
Tapeworm Treatment (Finland, Ireland, Norway or Malta) | ✔️ |
Arrival through a Travellers Point of Entry TPE | ❌ |
Travelling from a Part 1 Listed Country to EU (incl. NI)
If you’re taking your cat, dog or ferret to an EU country or Northern Ireland from Andorra, Switzerland, the 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.
These are known as EU PETS Part 1 Listed Countries, so your cat, dog or ferret needs a:
- Working Microchip or tattoo applied before 3 July 2011.
- Rabies Vaccination administered by an authorised vet, which must be in date at the time of travel. Your cat, dog or ferret must be microchipped beforehand and be at least 12 weeks old at the date the vaccine is administered. You have to wait 21 days after your cat, dog or ferret’s primary Rabies Vaccination before travel.
- Pet Passport issued by a Part 1 Listed country, or an EU Animal Health Certificate. This is valid for 10 days from issue to entry of an EU Member State, and for 4 months onward travel within the EU.
- Tapeworm Treatment for dogs if you’re travelling directly to Finland, Ireland, Norway or Malta. Note that this is also an entry requirement for dogs going to the United Kingdom (UK) though the UK is no longer a member of the EU.
| EU Pet Travel Scheme | Required for Part 1 Listed Country |
|---|---|
Microchip | ✔️ |
Rabies Vaccination | ✔️ |
Rabies Blood Test & Waiting Time Prior to Travel | ❌ |
EU Pet Passport OR Animal Health Certificate (AHC) | ✔️ |
Tapeworm Treatment (Finland, Ireland, Norway or Malta) | ✔️ |
Arrival through a Travellers Point of Entry | ❌ |
Travelling from a Part 2 Listed Country to an EU Member State
Following Brexit, Great Britain (Scotland, England & Wales) became a Part 2 Listed Country. Under the EU PETS travel laws, when entering the EU from a Part 2 Listed Country, cats, dogs and ferrets need a:
- Working Microchip or readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011.
- Rabies Vaccination administered by an authorised vet, which must be in date at the time of travel. Your cat, dog or ferret must be microchipped beforehand and be at least 12 weeks old at the date the vaccine is administered. You have to wait at least 21 days from the date of your pet’s primary Rabies Vaccination before travel.
- Tapeworm Treatment for dogs if you’re travelling directly to Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway or Malta
- Animal Health Certificate confirming microchip and vaccinations, which is valid for 10 days from issue to enter an EU Member State and for four months onward travel within the EU
- to enter EU through a Travellers’ Point of Entry (TPE)
| EU Pet Travel Scheme | Required for Part 2 Listed Country |
|---|---|
Microchip | ✔️ |
Rabies Vaccination | ✔️ |
Rabies Blood Test & Waiting Time Prior to Travel | ✔️ |
EU Pet Passport OR Animal Health Certificate (AHC) | ✔️ |
Tapeworm Treatment (Finland, Ireland, Norway or Malta) | ✔️ |
Arrival through a Travellers Point of Entry (TPE) | ✔️ |
If you’re traveling from Great Britain (GB), read more about taking a cat, dog or ferret to GB from the EU, and to the EU from GB.
Initially, when taking a pet from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI) after Brexit, the same rules applied as for entering the EU with a cat, dog or ferret. But, to simplify pet travel between GB and NI, on 15 September 2021 the NI Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA) announced that checks on all pet dogs, cats and ferrets travelling from GB to NI would be suspended indefinitely while negotiations between the UK government and EU continue. You can read more about this announcement on the DAERA website.
Unlisted Third Countries to EU
If you are travelling from a country that is not listed, in addition to the requirements for Part 2 Listed Countries:
- Your pet must have a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination.
- Your vet must send the blood sample to an EU-approved blood testing laboratory from either inside the EU or outside the EU.
- The results of the blood test must show that the vaccination was successful (rabies antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml).
- You must wait 3 months from the date the blood sample was taken before you travel – you do not need to wait if your pet was vaccinated, blood tested and given a pet passport in the EU before travelling to a country that is not listed.
- The vet must give you a copy of the test results and enter the day the blood sample was taken in the Animal Health Certificate.
The blood test will continue to be valid as long as your pet’s rabies vaccinations are kept up to date.
Pet Travel Scheme Restrictions on Number of Pets
The Pet Travel Scheme in continental Europe covers the movement of up to five pets with their owners. In addition to the above requirements, when more than five pets are travelling in a consignment or in the case of commercial movement of pets, the requirements for commercial trade laid down by the Balai Directive must also be met. Commercial trade includes any transfer of ownership and also relates to dogs travelling for the purpose of re-homing.
Before travelling it is always recommended that you contact the competent authority of the country of destination as there may be additional requirements that have to be met.
Pets Travelling without Owner
Under EU law, an accompanied pet can travel independently of their owner as long as the owner is joining the cat, dog or ferret within 5 days.
Check out other aspects of global pet travel scheme rules for travelling with your furry friend.
Remember to always keep your cat or dog safe from vector borne diseases when you travel internationally, due to the threat from fleas, mosquitoes, sandflies and ticks. And leave a review to tell everyone about your latest adventure with your pet!
