Pet import · EU rule change

Taking Your Pet to the EU: What Changes on 1 October 2026

If you are heading to the European Union with a dog, cat or ferret, 1 October 2026 is the date to watch. From Great Britain, the Animal Health Certificate switches to a new template that day — the old one can only be issued through 30 September 2026. From the United States, new EU health certificates take over on the same date for non-commercial pets, following changes in EU legislation (EU 2026/131 and EU 2026/848). Here is what changes, exactly when, and what to sort out before you book.

GB: new AHC template from 1 Oct 2026 US→EU: new certificates from 1 Oct 2026

Where the authority lies

This page tells you where the official rule is and what it says. It is not the rule and it is not legal advice. The official source decides, and the official source is the one that counts if this page and it ever disagree.

What's changing, and when

The dates that matter, in order. Each one links to the official source it comes from.

22 April 2026

EU pet passports stop working for GB residents

New EU rules took effect. Great Britain residents can no longer use an EU pet passport to enter the EU, and passports issued to GB residents before this date may no longer be valid for EU entry. You can still use the passport for the return journey to GB — but for the trip out you now need an Animal Health Certificate.

Source: GOV.UK — New EU rules for pet travel for GB residents
30 September 2026

Last day for the old GB certificate template

An Official Veterinarian in Great Britain can issue the old Animal Health Certificate template up to and including this date. In the US, non-commercial export certificates already in progress can be endorsed on or before 30 September 2026.

Source: GOV.UK — Checks on pets by transport carriers
1 October 2026

New templates become mandatory (GB and US non-commercial)

From this day the new AHC template must be used for travel from Great Britain, and the new EU non-commercial health certificate takes effect for pets exported from the United States — dogs, cats, ferrets and birds. This is the single date most travellers need.

Source: GOV.UK carriers + USDA APHIS pet export
17 October 2026

New US commercial certificate takes effect

For commercial exports from the US (dogs, cats and ferrets), the new health certificate is effective from this date; older commercial certificates could be endorsed on or before 16 October 2026.

Source: USDA APHIS — Pet travel, US to the EU

If you're travelling from Great Britain

If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, the pet passport is no longer your document for the EU. Here is what the Animal Health Certificate route looks like now.

An Animal Health Certificate replaces the passport

Get an AHC for your dog, cat or ferret from an Official Veterinarian before you travel from GB to an EU country.

Source: GOV.UK — New EU rules for GB residents
Ten days to enter, then six months of cover

Once issued, the AHC is valid for 10 days to enter the EU, then for up to six months for onward travel within the EU and for re-entering Great Britain, as long as the rabies vaccination stays valid. It covers one outbound trip, so each separate journey out of GB needs its own certificate.

Source: GOV.UK — Taking your pet abroad
New template from 1 October 2026

The old template can be issued until 30 September 2026; from 1 October the new AHC template must be used. Electronically signed certificates are not accepted in Great Britain.

Source: GOV.UK — Checks on pets by transport carriers
Travelling without your pet: the five-day rule

If you are not travelling with your pet, it must travel within five days of you, and whoever accompanies it must carry written permission alongside the travel document.

Source: GOV.UK — New EU rules for GB residents
Five pets per vehicle, not per person

A new five-pet limit applies to a private vehicle, replacing the old five-per-person rule. The five-per-person limit still applies to people travelling on foot.

Source: GOV.UK — New EU rules for GB residents
Enter the EU at a travellers' point of entry

When you arrive in an EU country you have to go through a designated travellers' point of entry, where officials may check the microchip, the rabies vaccination and the Animal Health Certificate — plus a tapeworm treatment for dogs where the destination requires one.

Source: GOV.UK — Taking your pet abroad
Coming home: tapeworm treatment and an approved route

To bring a dog back into Great Britain, a vet must give a tapeworm treatment no less than 24 hours and no more than 5 days before you arrive — a strict window that is recorded in the travel document. Check your return route is approved for pet travel too; that is not required within the UK or when travelling from Ireland.

Source: GOV.UK — Bring your pet to Great Britain

If you're exporting from the United States

Exporting a pet from the United States to the EU? The certificates themselves are changing, and the microchip-and-rabies timing is where most people trip up.

New EU health certificates from October 2026

Driven by EU legislation (EU 2026/131 and EU 2026/848), the new non-commercial certificate is effective 1 October 2026 and the new commercial certificate 17 October 2026. Certificates already in progress could be endorsed on or before the day before each.

Source: USDA APHIS — Pet travel, US to the EU
Microchip first, then the rabies shot

Your pet needs a working microchip, and the vet must scan it before giving the rabies vaccination — a shot given before the chip does not count. ISO 11784/11785 chips are usually 15 digits.

Source: USDA APHIS — Pet travel, US to the EU
Then wait at least 21 days

After a primary rabies vaccination, wait at least 21 days — or the manufacturer's recommended immunity period; some advise 30 — before travelling. That wait fixes your earliest possible date.

Source: USDA APHIS — Pet travel, US to the EU
Keep the booster current

A US primary rabies vaccination is treated as valid for only one year even from a 3-year product, so a booster is due within 12 months. Let it lapse and it resets to a primary, restarting the 21-day wait. Boosters are valid 1–3 years and allow immediate travel when the primary is also recorded.

Source: USDA APHIS — Pet travel, US to the EU
Leave time for the USDA endorsement

A USDA-accredited veterinarian completes the health certificate, and for the EU it must then be endorsed by USDA APHIS before you travel. The endorsement is the final step and is timed close to departure, so build it into your plan rather than leaving it to the last day.

Source: USDA APHIS — Pet travel, US to the EU

Before you book: working back from your travel date

Every EU trip runs on the same spine, and the order is not optional: the microchip governs the rabies shot, the shot governs your earliest travel date, and the certificate is issued close to departure. Work back from the day you want to travel.

First

Microchip — before anything else

Your pet needs a working ISO microchip, and the vet must fit or scan it before the rabies vaccination. A rabies shot given before the chip does not count and has to be done again.

Source: GOV.UK — Taking your pet abroad
Then a 21-day wait

Rabies vaccination

The pet must be at least 12 weeks old to be vaccinated, and you cannot travel until at least 21 full days after the first vaccination. From the US some manufacturers advise 30 days — this wait fixes your earliest possible travel date.

Source: GOV.UK — Taking your pet abroad
Close to travel

The health certificate

From GB, an Official Veterinarian issues the Animal Health Certificate, valid 10 days to enter the EU. From the US, an accredited vet completes the certificate and USDA APHIS endorses it. Both are timed to your departure, not booked months ahead.

Source: GOV.UK + USDA APHIS
On arrival

The EU border

Enter through a travellers' point of entry with the microchip, rabies record and certificate ready for inspection.

Source: GOV.UK — Taking your pet abroad
Before you come home

Tapeworm treatment for dogs

To return to Great Britain, a dog needs a vet-administered tapeworm treatment between 24 hours and 5 days before arrival, and the return route must be approved for pet travel.

Source: GOV.UK — Bring your pet to Great Britain

The kit almost every EU move needs

Heads up: some links below are affiliate links. Buy through one and Animalsss may earn a small commission — it costs you nothing extra, and it never changes what we list. We put down the kit this particular move actually needs, and nothing we were paid to.

An IATA-approved travel crate or carrier
Airlines check the container against the IATA live-animal rules before they will load it: hard-sided, well ventilated, and big enough for the animal to stand up and turn around. The wrong crate is the most common reason a booked pet gets bumped at the counter.
See options on Amazon →
Clip-on food and water cups
The crate has to travel with bowls fixed inside that ground staff can top up without opening the door. Free-standing bowls do not count.
See options on Amazon →
Absorbent crate lining
A layer that holds an accident through a long leg keeps the animal dry and keeps the crate from being pulled off the ramp for leaking.
See options on Amazon →
"Live Animal" labels and orientation arrows
Most carriers want the crate marked LIVE ANIMAL with "This Way Up" arrows. A cheap sticker set beats hunting for a marker at check-in.
See options on Amazon →
An ID tag that reaches you at both ends
A number someone can actually answer on the day — not just your home line — is what reunites a pet with you if the crate and the paperwork get separated in transit.
See options on Amazon →

Common questions

The questions people ask most about the 2026 change, answered from the same official sources.

Does this affect travel from the US, or only from the UK?

Both, on almost the same date. From Great Britain the AHC template changes on 1 October 2026. From the United States the new EU health certificate is effective 1 October 2026 for non-commercial pets and 17 October 2026 for commercial ones, under EU 2026/131 and 2026/848.

My EU pet passport was issued in GB — can I still use it?

Not to enter the EU. Since 22 April 2026, EU pet passports issued to GB residents may no longer be valid for entry to the EU, so you need an Animal Health Certificate for the trip out. You can still use the passport for the return journey to Great Britain.

How long is the new Animal Health Certificate valid?

It is single-use for the outbound trip, but then valid for up to six months for onward travel within the EU and for re-entering Great Britain, as long as your pet's rabies vaccination stays valid.

I already hold an AHC issued in September 2026 — is it still good?

The 1 October change is about which template a vet may issue: the old template can be issued up to 30 September 2026, and the new one must be used from 1 October. If you already hold a certificate, check its own dates and confirm with your vet or carrier before you travel.

Do I still need a rabies titre (blood test) for the EU?

It depends where you start. Some non-EU countries require a titre; the USDA guidance for exporting to the EU relies on a microchip and a valid rabies vaccination rather than a blood test, and the GB route is the same. Always confirm the entry conditions for your specific country.

Can I still take five pets with me?

For a private vehicle it is now a five-pet limit for the whole vehicle, not five per person; on foot the five-per-person limit still applies. Above that, commercial movement rules generally apply.

What if someone else flies with my pet?

From GB, the pet must travel within five days of you, and whoever accompanies it must carry written permission along with the travel document.

How far ahead should I start?

Work back from your travel date. The microchip has to go in before the rabies shot, the shot needs at least a 21-day wait from the US (some manufacturers say 30), and the certificate is issued close to travel by an Official Veterinarian. A month or more ahead is the safe minimum for a straightforward route; strict destinations need far longer.

Does my dog need a tapeworm treatment?

Coming back into Great Britain, yes: a vet must treat your dog for tapeworm no less than 24 hours and no more than 5 days before you arrive. Some EU countries require the same treatment on the way in — check your destination's rule before you travel. Cats and ferrets are not covered by the tapeworm requirement.

Do I have to enter the EU at a particular place?

Yes. You must arrive through a designated travellers' point of entry, where border officials can check the microchip, rabies vaccination and the Animal Health Certificate before your pet is allowed in.

What happens if my paperwork is wrong?

Getting it wrong is expensive. A pet that does not meet the rules can be refused travel, licensed into quarantine — in Great Britain for up to four months — or in some cases sent back. That is exactly why the microchip order, the 21-day wait and the certificate dates are worth getting right the first time.

Work out your route and your budget

The step-by-step corridor guides and the cost hub carry the paperwork order and the real figures for your exact move.

Reviewed by the Animalsss Movement Desk. Dates and rules gathered 24 Sep 2026 from the official GOV.UK and USDA APHIS sources linked beside each line. Rules change — check the source before you book.

This page is free to read. Some links to gear and services are affiliate links, marked where they appear; they never change what we list.

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