What documents do I need to travel with a pet?

The core documents

Pet travel paperwork follows the same shape almost everywhere, even though the details differ by country. Sort it out before you book flights and a trip1 stay, because the vaccination timings, not the flight schedule, set your earliest possible travel date.

• An ISO compliant microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination. If the chip went in after the vaccination, the vaccination usually has to be repeated.
• A rabies vaccination recorded with the date, the vaccine product and the vet's details. Most countries make you wait a set period after the primary vaccination, commonly 21 days, before the pet can travel.
• An identification and health document: an EU pet passport, or an animal health certificate signed by an official vet.
• A rabies antibody blood test for travel from some countries into rabies-controlled territories, taken at an approved laboratory and followed by its own waiting period.

EU pet passport or animal health certificate?

EU pet passport

An EU pet passport is a booklet issued by an authorised vet to pets resident in the EU, Northern Ireland or a listed territory. It records the microchip number, the rabies history and any treatments, and it stays usable for repeat trips as long as the rabies vaccination stays current.

Animal health certificate

An animal health certificate is a single-trip document for pets traveling from outside that scheme, including from Great Britain into the EU. A vet completes it close to your travel date, it is valid for entry within a short window of a few days, and it then covers onward movement and the return leg for a limited period.

Which one applies depends on where your pet is resident, not on where you are going. Check the destination government's animal import page and your own government's pet travel page together, because both sets of rules apply to the same journey.

Extra requirements some countries add

• Tapeworm treatment. Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway and Northern Ireland require a vet to treat dogs against Echinococcus and record it, typically between 24 and 120 hours before arrival.
• Import permits. Many countries outside the EU want a permit applied for in advance, sometimes with a fixed arrival date on it.
• Breed and airline restrictions. Several countries restrict specific breeds, and airlines often refuse snub-nosed dogs and cats in the hold for welfare reasons.
• Quarantine. Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and several island nations run strict rabies-free regimes involving blood tests, long waiting periods and, in some cases, a mandatory quarantine stay you pay for.

Airline rules are separate from country rules

The country decides whether your pet may enter. The airline decides whether it flies in the cabin, in the hold or as cargo, and each carrier sets its own crate standards, weight limits and booking process.

Most airlines cap the number of animals per flight, so book the pet as soon as you book the seat. Ask what documents the airline itself wants at check-in, since some request a fitness-to-fly note from a vet on top of the country's requirements.

Booking a hotel that takes pets

A hotel's pet policy is set by the hotel, not by trip1, and it is shown on the property's listing. Read it before you book rather than after, because policies vary on whether pets are allowed at all, any size or weight limit, how many animals per room and whether there is a cleaning fee.

Message the property through your trip1 booking to confirm the details before arrival. Ground floor rooms and somewhere nearby to walk the dog are much easier to arrange in advance than at the desk.