Guide on Importing a Puppy to the UK [2023 GB Regulations] - Pets That Travel (2024)

Can my puppy get a UK Pet Passport (GB)?

As of 2021, Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) no longer issues official Pet Passports. Prior to Brexit, you were able to obtain an EU Pet Passport which would allow you to travel within the EU with ease. Nowadays, ‘GB Pet Passport’ is just a term used to describe the documents that are required to travel to GB with a pet. Customs officials will need to see these documents in order to clear your puppy. Essentially, a pet passport demonstrates that your puppy is fit and healthy to travel. With a Pet Passport for GB, your puppy will not have to face a lengthly quarantine period, as long as you have followed all regulations and your puppy is healthy.

The documents required to import a puppy to GB depend on whether you are traveling from a Part 1 listed country, Part 2 listed country, or an unlisted country. You can check which category your country is in below, here.

To export pets from GB, you may require additional vaccinations and documents, as each country has different import requirements.

Great Britain – Listed & Unlisted Countries

‘Part 1’ listed countries

Great Britain accepts pet passports or a Great Britain pet health certificate from the following countries (known as Part 1 listed countries):

EUcountries, Andorra, Azores and Madeira, Canary Islands, French Guiana, Gibraltar, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Martinique, Mayotte (French territory), Monaco, Norway, Réunion (French territory), Saint Barthélemy (French Territory), San Marino, Saint Martin (French part of the island – French territory), Switzerland, Vatican City State

‘Part 2’ listed countries

Great Britain accepts a Great Britain pet health certificate from the following countries (known as Part 2 listed countries):

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Ascension Island, Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Bermuda, BES Islands (Bonair, Saint Eustatius and Saba), Bosnia-Herzegovina, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Curaçao, Falkland Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Russian Federation, Saint Maarten, Singapore, St Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre and Miquelon, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, USA (includes American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US virgin Islands), Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.

Great Britain does not accept a pet passport from these countries.

Countries that are not listed

If your country is not listed, you’ll need a Great Britain pet health certificate. Your pet will also have tofollow specific rules on rabies, vaccinations and blood tests.

What does a Pet Passport contain?

A Pet Passport contains all the treatments your pet has had. Essentially, it will prove that your pet is fit and healthy enough to travel. Pet Passports are required to ensure imported pets don’t pose as a health threat to other animals.

A Pet Passport can contain any of the following information:

1. Details of ownership (name, address, passport number, telephone, etc.)
2. Description of the animal (name, species, breed, date of birth, etc.)
3. Official veterinarian’s details
4. Rabies vaccination certificate
5. Microchip details
6. Health certificate
7. Parasite treatment records
8. Additional vaccinations recorded and treatment records
9. An optional photo
10. Rabies antibody titer test results

UK pet passport (GB) for puppies will contain those listed 1-7 at minimum. Those listed 8-10 are potential requirements that your pet may need, depending on where you are traveling from, and whether your transport will be commercial.

All records must be signed and stamped by your official veterinarian with official stickers from the medication used.

Step by step guide on importing a puppy to the UK (GB)

FIRST VET VISIT (MICROCHIPPING, RABIES VACCINE)

Puppies will need a microchip and rabies vaccination on their first vet visit. You will also require a GB Pet Health Certificate but this must be done within 10 days of entering the UK.

If you are traveling from Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, you will not require any of this documentation.

When booking the appointment, inform your vet where you and your puppy are heading to, so they can prepare your pup’s vaccinations. If you are traveling outside of the UK, they may need to prepare additional vaccinations and treatments.

At your appointment, your vet will first microchip your puppy, and then administer its primary rabies vaccination. Be sure to keep copies of your puppy’s certificates.

Please note you will also need a health certificate to import a puppy to the UK (GB), however this must be done within 10 days of entering GB. Because you must wait 21 days after your puppy’s rabies vaccination, before entering the UK, you will need a second vet visit. If your puppy has already had its rabies vaccinations

For more information on microchipping and rabies vaccinations, check the regulations section below.

SECOND VET VISIT (PET HEALTH CERTIFICATE AND/OR RABIES TITER TEST)

You will need a second vet visit to obtain your puppy’s pet health certificate. Additionally, if your puppy requires a rabies titer test.

If you are traveling from Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, you will not require any of this documentation.

To import a puppy to the UK (GB), you will need a pet health certificate issued within 10 days of entering GB. As you must wait 21 days after your puppy’s vaccination before entering GB with a puppy, you must visit the vet for a second time. For more detailed information on health certificates, check the regulations section below.

Furthermore, if traveling from a country that GB considers high-risk, your puppy will need a rabies titer test. You will need to wait 30 days after your pet’s primary or booster vaccination in order to have a rabies titer test. Once your pet has passed the test, they can enter the UK no sooner than 3 months after the date the blood was drawn.

We will go into more detail in the rabies titer test section below.

BOOK TRAVEL

Only once you have all of your documents in order, should you book your travel, just in case there are any complications. Be sure to book your travel with a company that will allow the shipment of your puppy.

If you are flying to Great Britain, puppies imported can only arrive as manifest cargo. When a pet travels as manifest cargo, they are booked on their own ticket (called an air waybill). This means that pets can arrive before or after you. Many pet owners enjoy this option as it allows them time to get their new home set up so their pet is able to be welcomed into a happy and calm environment (and not into a chaotic moving day).

Additionally, there are specific carriers and routes that are approved by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to bring your pet to England and Scotland. There are no approved routes for Wales.

For more information on flying into the UK (GB) with puppies, check the ‘flying with puppies‘ section below.

GET YOUR PUPPY USED TO IT’S CRATE

As mentioned above, puppies are only allowed to enter the UK as manifest cargo. This means they will be spending a reasonable amount of time in a crate or carrier. For your puppy’s wellbeing, we recommend that you spend some time making sure he or she is used to their travel crate.

Introduce them to their carrier as early as possible to ensure your puppy has a stress free journey. Take your puppy out in its crate for test runs.

For information and guidance on puppy crates, check the puppy carrier guidelines below.

Regulations for importing a puppy to GB

To import a puppy to the UK (GB), your puppy will usually require the following:

• A microchip
• Rabies vaccination
• Health certificate
• Tapeworm treatment

You will also require a rabies-titer test if you are traveling from a high-risk country. You can check which countries are considered high risk for rabies here.

If you are traveling from Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, you will not require any documentation.

MICROCHIPPING

In order to import puppies to the UK (GB), they must be microchipped.

A microchip is a permanent method of electronic identification. The chip is around the size of a grain of rice – and is implanted just under your pet’s skin between its shoulder blades. Each chip has a unique number that is detected using a microchipscanner.

It is important that you microchip your puppy is before getting it’s rabies vaccination. Otherwise, your puppy’s vaccination will not be valid.

RABIES VACCINATION

When importing puppies to the UK (GB), you must have them vaccinated against rabies. The timing of your puppy’s rabies vaccination depends on where you are traveling from.

Puppies must be at least 12 weeks old in order to have their rabies vaccination.

Traveling from a Part 1 or Part 2 listed country

In order to obtain a GB Pet Passport, puppies will need their primary vaccination administered no sooner than 21 days before entering the UK (GB). The primary vaccination is the first vaccination your pet gets after being microchipped.

Once your puppy has entered GB, a 21 waiting period is not required for any subsequent visits, as long as your puppy’s rabies vaccinations are up to date.

Traveling from an unlisted country

You will need to wait 30 days after your puppy’s rabies vaccination, and do a rabies titer test. Please check the rabies titer test section below for more information.

Booster Vaccinations

You must get regular booster vaccinations for your puppy. You must check your pet passport or pet health certificate to find out when your puppy’s booster vaccination is due.

If you happen to miss the booster and you’re traveling from an unlisted country, your travels will be delayed 3 months. This is because you will need to have your pet vaccinated and blood tested again before traveling.

Vaccination record

Your pet’s vaccination record in their pet passport or health certificate must show the following:

• your pet’s date of birth
• microchip number, date it was put in or read, and where it is on your pet’s body
• vaccination date
• vaccine manufacturer and product name, for example Nobivac
• vaccine batch number
• date the vaccination is valid until
• the vet’s signature and contact details

GB PET HEALTH CERTIFICATE

In order to obtain a Pet Passport to import a puppy to the UK (GB), you will need a GB pet health certificate.

You must use this certificate for a pet that’s entering or returning to GB (England, Scotland or Wales) the UK from a listed or unlisted country and does not have a valid EU or NI pet passport, Part I listed pet passport or if you are not using an Animal Health Certificate issued in GB.

Your puppy must enter GB no later than 10 days from the date the certificate was issued. The certificate must be signed and dated by an ‘official’ vet who has authority from their government to issue it.

Get in contact with your vet to find out if they can complete the form. They might need to contact their local authorities to get a copy of the form and it may need to be signed and stamped by an official vet.

TAPEWORM TREATMENT

In order to get a UK Pet Passport to import puppies to the UK, they will need to be treated against tapeworm.

Your puppy must be treated against tapeworms between 24 hours (1 day) and 120 hours (5 days) before entering the UK. If you fail to have your puppy treated within this time scale, then he or she may be put into quarantine for up to 4 months.

The tapeworm treatment must be administered by a vet and officially recorded in your pet’s UK pet passport. Over the counter treatments will not be valid.

RABIES TITER TEST (IF TRAVELING FROM AN UNLISTED COUNTRY

If you are importing a puppy to the UK (GB) from an unlisted country,your puppy will require a rabies blood test to show that their rabies vaccination was successful.

Your puppy can get a rabies titer test at accredited veterinary clinics.

1. Your pet must have a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination.
2. Your vet must then send the blood sample to an approved blood testing laboratory.
3. Your pet’s blood test results must show a rabies antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml.
4. You must wait 3 months from the date the blood sample was taken before you travel – this doesn’t apply if your pet was vaccinated, blood tested and given a pet passportin theEUbefore travelling to an unlisted country.
5. The vet must give you a copy of the test results and enter the day the blood sample was taken in athird-country official veterinary certificate.

NON-COMMERCIAL TRAVEL

You must travel to the UK within 5 days of your puppy’s arrival to avoid the transport being labeled as ‘commercial’.If you cannot travel within five days of your pet, you can still send them on a commercial health certificate. However, the timeline will be tighter and atax will be imposed upon the arrival of your pet.

Prior to 2021, the non-commercial movement of puppies into UK was regulated by the European Union (EU) under the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), which required puppies to be a minimum of 15 weeks of age upon importation. Unfortunately, it is widely acknowledged that commercial importers were illegitimately using PETS as a route to import puppies under the age limit, raising serious implications for both the welfare of puppies and the risk of diseases.

As of 1 January 2021, the UK Government now possesses the ability to set import rules into the UK, although these are currently the same as the requirements that were in place prior to the end of the transition period.

The following rules apply to dogs being imported into GB from outside of the UK*, and for import into NI (including from GB):

All puppies must be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies. Vets will require proof that your puppy is at least 12 weeks of age upon vaccination, and travellers from the EU and certain other countries (including GB for import into NI) will be required to wait 21 days after the primary vaccination before travel. Puppies from these countries will have to be at least 15 weeks of age before importation. Puppies entering from a ‘non-listed’ third country must pass a blood test 30 days after their initial vaccination, followed by a three month wait. Unless traveling from Malta. Norway. Finland or Ireland, pups must also receive tapeworm treatment no more than five days before travelling.

Guidelines for flying puppies into the UK

Whether you are flying with your puppy or it will be flying without you, it is important to choose an airline that serves the entire route from beginning to end. Before selecting an airline you will need to check their pet policies to ensure that they will allow your pet to fly. Another option for airline pet travel is by private charter. Although this is more expensive than commercial airlines, pets will fly in the cabin with their owners in luxury, regardless of their size.

BEFORE YOU FLY

You are permitted to bring up to 5 puppies with you – if you are planning on bringing more you will need to submit a request to the Import of Products, Animals, Food & Feed System (IPAFFS).

Book your flight with an approved carrier and on an approved route – you can check approved airlines and airports here, and approved sea and rail routes and companies here.

Ensure you have the correct carrier – pets are required to travel in an appropriate cage according to its size and weight if travelling.

ONCE YOU LAND

Clinical examination and document check – after arrival a quarantine officer will verify your pet’s veterinary health certificate and vaccination records. Additionally, your puppy will have a clinical examination/quarantine observation to ensure your puppy is healthy and disease free. If your puppy is free from any clinical illness as well as the documents including veterinary certificate/vaccination records are found in order, quarantine isn’t usually required. However, if the pup is detected with any signs of clinical illness during inspection, then they will be placed in quarantine.

FLIGHT OPTIONS

Manifest cargo – unless your puppy is a registered emotional support animal, they will need to travel as manifest cargo. Manifest cargo is a system wherein the import of pet is done using the airline cargo. If the pet is being transported in this manner, the documents must include of copy of the passport of the owner/caretaker, a copy of the owner/caretaker’s e-ticket and a copy of the air way bill.

Private charter – if you and your pet are flying into the UK on a private aircraft, you must enter at Biggin Hill, Blackpool, Cambridge, Doncaster, Farmborough, Sheffield, Stansted, London Ashford or London Oxford. This is only allowed if your private charter is approved to transport live animals to these airports.

Guidelines for puppy travel carriers

If you are flying to the UK with a puppy, it is important that you use a pet carrier that is approved by your airline. Different airlines have different pet carrier policies, which often vary between aircrafts and routes. Check that your pet carrier is approved for your chosen airline, aircraft and route.

The rules and regulations have been set out by International Air Transport Association (IATA) ensure that pets are comfortable when travelling. Thus, inside their travel carriers, pets must be able to stand up, turn around and lie down in a natural position in their kennel (without touching any side or the top of the container).

If you are travelling in the cabin with your puppy (only permitted for emotional support animals), then you will need to ensure that the carrier fits under the seat in front of you. This is why, generally, only small dogs weighing under 7-8kg are permitted in the cabin. Additionally, if traveling with a puppy in the cabin, airlines often require that he or she is be obedient to your commands and can behave appropriately in public. Thus, he mustn’t bark or growl at other passengers or staff. If your dog does not behave in an appropriate manner, some airlines may transfer him to the cargo hold at an additional cost, or refuse to transport him all together. Some airlines require a consent form to ensure your pet is flight-ready.

MOST AIRLINES ONLY ACCEPT CAGES THAT COMPLY WITH THE FOLLOWING IATA REGULATIONS:

• The cage must not have wheels
• It must have a solid roof
• The screws and nuts that hold the lower and upper parts of the cage must be properly installed and tightened – because yes, the cage must consist of two sections, made of solid and rigid plastic
• The cage must also include bowls firmly attached to its lower wall containing food and water
• It must be clean, but also and above all waterproof and covered with materials capable of absorbing liquid materials
• It must be well ventilated, with openings in all 4 sides of the cage
• The cage must also be properly closed, using a lock that cannot be opened from the inside
• Finally, it must bear a label distinguishing the top from the bottom and another indicating that the cage contains a live animal

For a list of airlines that allow dogs to fly in the cabin with their owners, check.

How much will it cost to import a puppy to the UK?

The cost of a UK Pet Passport can vary drastically. The price you pay will depend on the following:

• Your home country
• Where you are traveling to
• The veterinary clinic that you visit
• The species of your pet
• Whether your pet already has a microchip and rabies vaccination

Firstly, different countries and veterinary clinics will have different prices for veterinary treatments and vaccinations. If you want to save some money, check the prices of a few different veterinary clinics.

Additionally, some pets species may require more treatments and vaccines than others. For example, dogs require more vaccinations than cats, when traveling to the UK. Alternatively, rodents, rabbits, reptiles and amphibians do not require any vaccinations.

If your pet already has a microchip, and a recent rabies vaccination, you will probably pay less for your UK pet passport. Generally, a microchip and rabies vaccination both costs between $20-50 each, in the USA.

The cost of importing a puppy to the UK is broken down into the following (USD):

1. Microchipping – $20-50
2. Rabies vaccination – $20-50
3. Health certificate – $25-150
4. Tapeworm treatment – $3-15
5. Pet air ticket – $1000-4000 (depends where you are traveling from and the weight/size of your puppy)
6. Document endorsem*nt – $38 per endorsem*nt
7. Pet crate – $20-100+
8. Airport consignment fee – £210 at London Heathrow

How long will it take to import a puppy to the UK?

This will depend on where you are traveling from. It can take you as little as 21 days to import a puppy, but can also take up to 4 months.

If you are traveling from a country the UK considers controlled from rabies, the time scale will be shorter. In these cases, you will simply need to wait 21 days after your puppy’s primary rabies vaccination.

However, if you are traveling from a high-risk rabies country, your puppy will need a rabies titer test, also know as a rabies blood test. You will need to wait 30 days after your puppy’s rabies vaccination in order to have their blood taken for the test. You must then wait 3 months from the date the blood sample was taken before you travel – this doesn’t apply if your pet was vaccinated, blood tested and given a pet passportin theEU before travelling to the high-risk country.

Importing puppies to the UK (GB) from Malaysia

Frequently Asked Questions

Risk Categorisation

The country or animal risks shown below represent risks as assessed by Public Health England for use in post-exposure risk assessments. They incorporate the presence or absence of rabies in domestic and wild animals, surveillance systems in place, and consideration of UK traveller behaviour.

No-risk country – no indigenous rabies in terrestrial animals. Related lyssaviruses in bats.

Low-risk country– rabies occurs in wild animals but not in companion animals. Related lyssaviruses in bats.

High-risk countries – rabies occurs in wild and companion animals (or there are no data to prove otherwise). Related lyssaviruses in bats.

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Bottom Line

Importing a puppy to the UK (GB) is pretty straight forward, as long as you are aware of the strict regulations. The requirements vary depending on whether you are traveling from a part 1 listed, part 2 listed, or unlisted country. However, it is likely that your puppy will require a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination, and either a pet passport or a pet health certificate. Furthermore they may need a tapeworm treatment administered within 5 days of entering GB. If you are traveling from an unlisted country, your puppy will also need a rabies titer test.

When organising travel, ensure that you select an approved carrier and route. You can check approved airlines and airports here, and approved sea and rail routes and companies here. Additionally, ensure you have an approved puppy carrier and try to get your puppy used to it before traveling.

Quarantine in GB is not common, however if your puppy is shown to have any signs of disease upon clinical inspection, they will be quarantined.

Hope you have found this helpful – happy travels!