Exporting a dog from the UK can be a confusing process if you haven’t done it before. Thankfully by now I am a bit of a pro in travelling so it was kind of a breeze! The UK Gov website has a lot of information on it as to how to go about it. This is very useful. You can also contact the Pet Travel Scheme if you are going to the EU on pettravel@apha.gov.uk. If you are going outside of the UK then you can contact APHA on exports@apha.gov.uk.
The requirements and process are slightly different if you are planning on going to the EU or if you are planning on going outside of the EU.
Exporting to the EU
There are 3 basic requirements for an export to the EU which are standard for most countries globally;
- Microchip
- Valid rabies vaccine
- Animal health certificate or pet passport*
*Only pet passports issued in the EU are now accepted. You can no longer use a pet passport issued in England, Wales or Scotland). If you don’t have a pet passport you can easily get an animal health certificate. But if you have a pet passport issued in Europe this is the easiest way as you don’t need to do anything else at all before leaving the UK! I managed to get an EU pet passport in Spain which will hopefully make things easier if I come back again.
Microchip
The microchip must be done before or at the latest at the same time as the rabies vaccine. If it is done after the rabies vaccine, you will need to repeat your rabies vaccine. The microchip number must be put in the animal health certificate or in the pet passport.
Animal Health Certificate
An animal health certificate can be issued by your local vet as long as they are classed as an official veteranarian (OV). Not all vets have an OV so please check with yours well in advance to make sure they do have one.
The certificate must be done maximum 10 days before your departure date and you will need to take your vaccine history with you along with your microchip certificate. It is valid for 10 days after issue to allow you into the EU. Although it is valid for 4 months for travelling around the EU and also for coming back to the UK. So once you are in the EU you can use this same certificate for travelling between EU countries and for coming back to the UK. If you want to go back to the EU after arriving back in the UK, you will need a new certificate every time you enter the EU, even if it is within the 4 months.
We contacted a number of vets as I don’t have a regular vet here in the UK. The costs of the certificates vary quite drastically. One vet asked to charge over £500 for the certificate alone! The cheapest we found was £108 at Sore Paws in Winlaton, North East England.
Some vets don’t seem to realise the difference between the animal health certificate and the Export Health Certificate (EHC) that is required if you are exporting outside of the UK. So please be careful to specify which certificate it is you require. There is a slightly difference process which you can read about below.
Rabies Vaccine
Your rabies vaccine must be done after the dog is 12 weeks old. Most vaccines last for a period of 1 year, so you will need to make sure your last one is still up to date. If you need a new vaccine, you will need to wait at least 21 days from the date of vaccine before you can travel to the EU.
Leaving the UK
We left the UK via the Eurostar from St Pancras Station. Eurostar doesn’t usually allow dogs on board but as I qualify as an assistance dog I was allowed. We therefore allowed a lot of extra time in order to go through all the formalities at the station as we weren’t sure that they would be familiar with the process. Our train was due to depart at 09:01 and we got there at 07:30.
We took with us my microchip certificate, vaccination record and animal health certificate from the vet. On top of the humans covid papers.
Exporting Outside of the EU
If you will be going ouside of the EU the process is slightly different. Instead of getting an Animal Health Certificate, instead you need an Export Health Certificate. They sound quite similar so don’t get confused. Our vet didn’t seem to know the difference either so you really need to be careful. Even if you transit through the EU to get out, you need a transit EHC.
You need to apply online for the EHC and fill in all the details of your pet and your flight details. You will have to search for the correct form on the EHC site on which you can search by your destination country. This is the form for the EHC to Thailand.
Before you can apply for the certificate you must have a Government Gateway account and a DEFRA account. If you don’t have either of these you can apply for them on the website. When completing the form you will choose the Official Vet you will be using. Once the form is complete a copy of the form will be sent to them 7 days before the export or within one working day if you are leaving in the next 7 days.
You will then arrange an appointment to take your pet with you for the health check. The vet will do the health check and then complete the certificate. You will get a copy and they will keep a copy. This is what you will take with you when you leave the UK.
For an Export Health Certificate, the Offical Vet (OV) must be registered to use the online system as the certificate will be sent to them electronically which they will need to print out. So it’s worth checking with them in advance since not all are (mine wasn’t).
Conclusion
I only ended up exporting to the UK so I don’t have personal experience of actually doing the Export Health Certificate. But it seems straight forward as long as you follow the instructions and speak to your vet in advance so they are registered online.
It can be a bit confusing exporting your dog from the UK. But it’s certainly doable yourself. Just make sure you shop around to get a good price, as some vets are charging ridiculous prices!
Check out what I got up to on my Europe trip here. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel where you can see lots of videos of my travels too.
Let me know your experience of leaving the UK in the comments below. Woof woof, Wylie x
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If any of my travel tips help, please feel free to leave a small donation which would be greatly appreciated 😊
