Travelling to Europe and several other countries has been made easier by the introduction of the Pet Passport. With a valid passport your dog can travel to and from those countries back to the UK without having to go into quarantine. The basic requirements are a microchip, rabies vaccination and the issue of a Pet Passport. The rabies vaccination has to be repeated within a strict period of time to keep the passport up to date.

If you are thinking about travelling with your dog, please plan well in advance as the process takes some time and initially the dog is only allowed to travel back to the UK 21 days after rabies vaccination (if you are travelling in the EU - rules for other countires may vary). In addition, the dog must be treated against tapeworm by a veterinary surgeon 1 to 5 days before returning to the UK. For the most up to date information (the rules changed on 1 January 2012) we advise that you contact DEFRA on their website: www.defra.gov.uk.

While rabies is scary and travelling is strictly regulated because of it, it is also a fairly rare disease. Your dog is much more likely to encounter other diseases when travelling, some of which are common in other countries, but unknown or rare in the UK. We strongly advise that you find out about other possible diseases in the area. In line with BSAVA recommendations, we also advise that all travelling dogs are treated against ticks as well as tapeworms, as ticks can carry a number of significant diseases (see our Diseases abroad information sheet for more details).

 

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