Travelling with your pet is an exciting time! We also understand it can be a stressful time with having to organise their paperwork, as well as get yourselves sorted. We offer a range of pet travel services, including Animal Health Certificates, Export Health Certificates and OV66 services. Read on to find out more about each of these services.

If you would like more information about anything on this page, or any other specific enquiry, please feel free to contact pettravel@connaughtvets.co.uk (please allow up to 3 working days for a response. If your query is time-sensitive, please contact the practice to let them know that an email has been sent and we will do our best to get to it as soon as possible).

You can also find more information on pet travel on the gov.uk website.

 

 

Animal Health Certificates

If you are planning on travelling with your pet to the EU, you will need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC).

EU passports and Northern Ireland passports are no longer valid, even if it is a current up to date one, if your main residence is in Great Britain.

To travel to the EU, your pet will need to have had their rabies vaccine. If it is the first time they have had the vaccine, they will need to wait 21 days before the paperwork to travel can be started, so we recommend getting the vaccine done at least a month before your planned travel.

If it is a booster rabies vaccine, done within the timescale before it was due, then you will not need to wait the 21 days before you are able to travel.

You also need to make sure your pets microchip details are up to date.

 

How do I get the AHC done?

You and your pet need to come into the practice for an appointment within 10 days before travelling. We need to scan your pet’s microchip, check the details on there match the pet in front of us, and also check their rabies vaccine details. You will also need to sign a declaration form as the owner travelling with them. This declaration form is to confirm that the travel is not commercial travel (in other words, you are not taking them to sell them or transfer their ownership to someone else). You then leave the paperwork with us while we get it all sorted, then checked by a second OV, before handing it to you a few days later in plenty of time for your travel.

 

So, what do I need to bring to the appointment?

• Yourself (as the owner who is named on the microchip certificate)
• Your pet
• Their microchip certificate showing owner and pet details
• Their rabies vaccination certificate/card (If the rabies vaccine has not been done by us, you will also need to contact the vets who did it and make sure they send the clinical history to us, as we need to see this)

 

What if it is not the owner who will be travelling with the pet?

Your pet can still travel to the EU even if you are not travelling with them, but in addition to the documents listed above, we need to see a signed declaration by you as the owner, to confirm that you are giving them permission to travel with someone else. This declaration needs to contain certain specific details, so please contact us and we can provide you with a sample letter so you can see everything that needs to be included. It is still ideal if you, as the owner, are present to sign the declaration form, but the person authorised to travel can do this on your behalf if needed.

 

What other things will be needed for my travel?

Your dog will need tapeworm treatment before returning to Great Britain (cats do not need this). This needs giving no less than 24 hours, but no more than 120 hours, before returning to Great Britain. If you are travelling to Southern Ireland, Norway, Finland or Malta, then this needs doing before you travel, not for the return. This is also the case for travelling to Northern Ireland, but you do not need an Animal Health Certificate to travel to Northern Ireland.

 

Is there anything else I need?

It is recommended that pets are treated for fleas and ticks before travel, and ensure they remain protected throughout their stay and on their return. It may also be necessary to consider sandfly protection depending on where in the EU they are travelling to. We can give you tailored advice on this.

We also recommend that the tapeworm treatment is repeated within 30 days of your return to Great Britain.

These are not specific requirements for travel, but are our recommendations. We are happy to discuss this further with you.

 

What about travel to Northern Ireland?

You do not need an Animal Health Certificate to travel to Northern Ireland. You will need a Northern Ireland Pet Travel Document. More information about this can be found at Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad: Travelling to Northern Ireland – GOV.UK.

 

 

 

 

Export Health Certificates

We offer Export Health Certificates, but the nature of these varies greatly between countries, both in terms of how long before travel they need to be completed, and also with what the requirements are for them. If you are thinking about travelling outside of the EU, or need to travel within the EU for commercial purposes (rather than non-commercial), please contact us to discuss your travel plans, and we can help to guide you through the process.

 

 

OV66 Services

We have 2 OV66 vets, who can offer services for travel to Australia.

We offer:

• Rabies vaccines
• ID Declarations
• Rabies Blood Sampling
• RNATT Declaration
• Export Health Certificate