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Guide

How pet travel works

Every route is built from the same few blocks. Learn them in the order they happen, and why the dates matter more than the paperwork.

Updated 2026-10-09

Whatever the destination, pet travel is a small set of requirements put in a particular order, with waiting periods between them. The countries differ in which blocks they ask for, and which numbers they attach to them. The planner does that arithmetic. This page explains what the blocks are.

  1. 1

    Identify your pet

    An ISO microchip ties every document to your pet. It usually has to come first: the UK and the EU only accept a rabies vaccination given on or after the day the chip was implanted.

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  2. 2

    Vaccinate against rabies

    The one requirement almost everywhere. The first vaccination is usually only valid at 12 weeks or older, and after a waiting period (21 days in the UK, the EU, Switzerland and Brazil).

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  3. 3

    Prove it worked, if required

    Countries that see your origin as higher-risk ask for a blood test of at least 0.5 IU/ml, and then make you wait before entry. This is the step that takes months.

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  4. 4

    Get the paperwork signed

    A health certificate, often endorsed by a government vet, issued within a short window before travel; sometimes an import permit as well.

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  5. 5

    Arrive and clear the border

    Documents and microchip are checked on arrival; a few destinations add a treatment just before landing, a designated entry point or a period of quarantine.

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Why the order and the dates matter

A vaccination given before the microchip may not count. A blood test taken too early or too late may not count. A certificate signed too soon expires before arrival. Most “refused entry” stories come from a correct step done at the wrong time, not from a missing one.

Why your starting country matters

Many destinations sort origin countries into groups (the EU lists “listed” and “unlisted” countries, Australia has three groups, Singapore three schedules, Hong Kong four groups). The same pet can need a three-month blood test from one country and nothing from another. Each destination guide shows the groups as the authority publishes them.

Why you need both ends

The country you leave often has its own steps (a government vet’s endorsement, an export licence, a Notice of Intention). The country you enter has its own. The planner combines both, plus any layovers and the trip home.

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