The UK requires a defined sequence of steps to bring pet dogs, cats or ferrets into Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). These rules apply if you’re bringing pet dogs, cats or ferrets into Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).
The required order is: Microchip your pet . They must be microchipped before they get their rabies vaccination. Then Vaccinate your pet against rabies . How long you must wait before travelling to Great Britain depends on the type of rabies vaccine used. This will be at least 21 full days after the first vaccination (or the last of the first course of vaccinations). A Get a pet travel document from your vet. is then required (type depends on country of departure). For dogs, If you have a dog, you may need a vet to give them tapeworm treatment . Your dog must be treated no less than 24 hours before (and no more than 5 days before) you arrive in Great Britain.
Non-compliance carries penalties: Your pet may be put into quarantine for up to 4 months if you do not follow these rules - or refused entry if you travelled by sea. Breed restrictions also apply: You cannot bring a banned breed of dog into Great Britain unless it already has a valid Certificate of Exemption.
Related: eu_pet_movement_rules (EU pet-movement legal framework) and gb_pet_microchip_registration (UK microchip/registration mandate).
Source: pdf-parsed/gov-eu-landing/govuk_bring_pet_gb.txt (GOV.UK, landed 2026-08-12).
Claims (verified C1 substrings of source_file)
These rules apply if you’re bringing pet dogs, cats or ferrets into Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).Microchip your pet . They must be microchipped before they get their rabies vaccination.Vaccinate your pet against rabies . How long you must wait before travelling to Great Britain depends on the type of rabies vaccine used. This will be at least 21 full days after the first vaccination (or the last of the first course of vaccinations).Get a pet travel document from your vet.If you have a dog, you may need a vet to give them tapeworm treatment . Your dog must be treated no less than 24 hours before (and no more than 5 days before) you arrive in Great Britain.Your pet may be put into quarantine for up to 4 months if you do not follow these rules - or refused entry if you travelled by sea.You cannot bring a banned breed of dog into Great Britain unless it already has a valid Certificate of Exemption.