Pet travel scheme

PETS is the Pet Travel Scheme started by the government in 2000 to enable pets travelling abroad to return to the UK without the need for quarantine.

The scheme applies to Cats, Dogs and Small mammals, and they must fulfil the following criteria:

  1. The animal must be travelling from an approved country. This includes the USA, European Union and Australia and New Zealand. A full list of approved countries can be found on the DEFRA website (link) or by ringing the PETS helpline.
  2. Pets from non-approved countries must still go through quarantine.
  3. Entry into the UK is possible by certain routes only, which include air, ferry and the Channel Tunnel. Details can be found on the DEFRA site: (link). It is not possible to bring in animals via private boat or plane.
  4. Pets must be fitted with a microchip which meets ISO specification 11784 or Annex A to 11785, so that the chip can be read by a standard scanner.
  5. The pet must be vaccinated against rabies. This can be done from 12 weeks of age. The pet must a microchip implanted FIRST and the chip read first to prove that the animal can be correctly identified. It is generally accepted that a single innoculation is needed rather than a course of 2. The vaccine has a duration of immunity of 3 years, however, if the animal is overseas for longer than 3 months then it is classed as a resident of that country and must comply with their revaccination requirements. In some EU countries the revaccination interval is only 1 year.
  6. 21-30 days after the rabies injection the pet must be blood tested to determine its rabies antibody titre. Only certain approved laboratories may process this blood. This applies to dogs and cats only- small mammals do not need to be blood tested.
  7. A passport can be issued once these requirements have been met. Since the start of the scheme on 28.02.00 owners cannot bring their pet back into the country until 6 months after the blood test. This is to allow time for any pets just infected with rabies at the time of sampling to develop signs of rabies before re-entering the country. Because small mammals do not require blood testing, they can re-enter the UK after 6 months from the date of the vaccination
    h.. The final requirement is that each pet must be treated for the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus with a licensed product (eg 'Frontline') and the fox tapeworm Echinococcus (with eg.'Droncit') between 24 and 48 hours before re-entry into the UK. This will usually be done by a vet abroad but in the unlikely event of taking your pet on a day trip a British LVI would need to administer these treatments. The relevant part of the passport is then completed. Both these parasites are a risk to human health so the treatment program has been devised to minimise this risk.
    Any vet can implant the microchip, vaccinate for rabies and send off the blood for the titre, but only an LVI (local veterinary inspector) can complete the passport. If the animal fails to produce sufficient antibodies then they must repeat the vaccination and blood test (this happens in approximately 4% of cases). If boosters are given as required then there is no need to repeat the blood test but if the vaccinations lapse then the vaccination and blood test will again need to be repeated. We do NOT send reminders for rabies vaccination as many of the pets are leaving the country for good, addresses change over a 3 year period as does legislation.
  8. Please note that even if an animal is not returning to this country, a passport still needs to be issued, as it is now a requirement that pets travelling from the UK must be chipped and vaccinated against rabies (but not necessarily blood tested).

Individual countries may specify additional testing and paperwork before a pet can be exported. For example, the USA requires a separate written certificate of health in addition to the passport, and Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Scandinavian countries require additional blood and/or faecal tests plus an export certificate. Contact DEFRA for details.

If the accompanying paperwork is unsatisfactory or if the microchip cannot be read then the transport company will refuse entry into the UK and the animal will either have to remain abroad until the paperwork is corrected or go into quarantine in the UK. The airlines sometimes choose to carry out these checks upon landing at Heathrow, in which case the animal may be returned or placed in quarantine. DEFRA will also carry out spot checks to ensure that the transporters are checking properly. Every animal will be checked; the checks are not random.

  • FURTHER INFORMATION

  • DEFRA Website
  • PETS helpline:
    +44(0)870 241 1710 (08:30 to 17:00 Monday to Friday)