Taking pets to Europe could soon be made easier with potential reversal to Brexit rules

Brits looking to travel to Europe with their pets might soon see changes to the rules. Since Brexit, it has become fairly complicated to bring dogs or cats in the European Union (EU) countries.

But now the Government is looking to negotiate with the EU to bring back something similar to pre-Brexit pet travel rules. Prior to 2021, travelling with a pet in the EU was quite simple.

Dogs, cats, and other animals were stamped in and out using a straightforward pet passport system. But after the UK left the EU this changed.

Now, you must meet a number of criteria to be allowed to travel with your pet.

All pets must be microchipped and animals over 12 weeks old must have been given a rabies vaccination, and more than three weeks must pass between the jab and travel.

Each journey also needs a new EU animal health certificate (AHC) confirming both microchipping and vaccination. Further to this, dogs need tapeworm treatment one to five days before entering the EU or Northern Ireland.

A health certificate must be issued within 10 days of entry, for which vets typically charge around £200. Brits must also need to make sure they enter EU countries at specific points where officials are able to validate and stamp their pet’s documents.

The same certifications that are used for departure are then needed when coming back to the UK. These certificates remain valid for up to four months at a time.

Rules for dogs are slightly different in some other EU countries. If you are travelling directly to Ireland, Finland or Malta, dogs must have a veterinarian-administered tapeworm treatment between 24 hours and five days before arrival.

These must be documented in either the health certificate or a valid pet passport. It is important to note that you currently cannot take more than five pets to an EU country unless you’re:

• Attending or training for an event
• Exporting for commercial purposes

Luckily for pet-owners, this could all change. As reported by Euronews, the UK government wants to restore “something closer to pre-Brexit ease of pet travel”.

“This would likely involve UK pet passports regaining a similar status to EU documents,” the site said. “While there's a small health risk in facilitating more animal movement between countries, officials believe this is outweighed by both social benefits (allowing more people to travel with their pets) and economic advantages for the tourism industry.”

For more information, visit gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad.