Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Germany → the United Kingdom
What the official rules ask for on this route, for a family pet travelling with its owner. Enter your travel date and your pet’s details to turn it into a dated checklist.
Limited official guidance. The authority for leaving Germany publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Germany has no single national procedure: the certificate comes from the veterinary office (Veterinäramt) of your district or city, and deadlines and fees differ between offices. This file shows two official examples (the district of Munich and the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick). Ask your own office.
How early to start
3 weeks
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
1 day
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Counted only from the officially fixed waiting periods. Vet, lab and paperwork appointment times are on top, so start earlier.
Which rules apply to you
Germany is in the group “EU country” in Bringing a dog, cat or ferret into Great Britain’s published list.See every group
Headlines for the United Kingdom
- Rabies blood test for some origins
- Tapeworm treatment for some pets
What your dog needs
Dogs
Route
Use an approved travel route
Book an airline, ferry or rail route that is approved for pet travel into Great Britain.
Details and the official words
“Check your route is approved for pet travel.”
Identification
Microchip
Your pet must be microchipped on or before the day of its rabies vaccination. An ISO 11784/11785 chip can be read at the border; otherwise bring your own reader.
Details and the official words
If this is missed: The rabies vaccination doesn't count and must be given again.
“You must get your pet microchipped before, or at the same time as, their rabies vaccination.”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
Vaccinate against rabies (pet at least 12 weeks old). After a first (primary) vaccination you must wait at least 21 full days before arriving; no wait after a booster if the cover never lapsed.
Details and the official words
Some vaccines take longer to work (e.g. 30 days) — your vet will tell you.
“Your vet needs proof that your pet’s at least 12 weeks old before vaccinating them.”
“You will have to wait at least 21 full days after the first rabies vaccination (or the last of the first course of rabies vaccinations) is given.”
Paperwork
Pet passport or animal health certificate
Travel with a pet passport issued in an EU country (or a GB-issued AHC from the last 6 months, or a Great Britain pet health certificate).
Details and the official words
“If you’re travelling from an EU country your pet must have one of the following documents”
Treatment
Tapeworm treatment (dogs)
A vet must treat your dog for tapeworm (praziquantel) and record it. It must be given no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before you arrive.
Details and the official words
The window is in hours: check the treatment time against your arrival time. If your journey is delayed past 120 hours, your dog needs a new treatment.
If this is missed: Your dog can be refused entry or put into quarantine.
“no less than 24 hours before you enter Great Britain”
“You do not need to treat your dog for tapeworm if you’re coming directly to Great Britain from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta or Norway.”
Paperwork
Non-commercial declaration
Sign a declaration that you won't sell or transfer ownership of your pet.
Details and the official words
“You also need to fill in a declaration if you’re not going to sell or transfer the ownership of your pet.”
On arrival
Checks on arrival
Your pet's microchip and documents are checked on arrival. Pets arriving from outside the EU must be taken through customs (an agent or the airline usually does this).
Details and the official words
If this is missed: Your pet could be put into quarantine for up to 4 months, or refused entry if you travelled by sea — at your expense.
“When you arrive in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland), your pet’s microchip and documents will be checked.”
Official stamp
Official health certificate (amtstierärztliche Gesundheitsbescheinigung) from your district's veterinary office
Send your veterinary office the completed application with the required documents (in Berlin's Treptow-Köpenick three to four weeks before the trip; in the district of Munich the application and a copy of the EU pet passport must arrive at least 3 working days before departure). Then you book an appointment: the pet must be brought in person, so the official vet can examine it and read its microchip. Bring the destination's own health-certificate form.
Details and the official words
Deadlines and fees differ between offices (see the notice above): ask yours. The destination decides how recent the certificate must be.
“Geforderte Bescheinigungen können von uns ausgestellt bzw. bestätigt werden.”
“Ihr vollständig ausgefüllter Antrag und die Kopie des EU-Heimtierausweises mindestens 3 Werktage vor Abfahrt bei uns im Veterinäramt vorliegen muss”
“Das Tier muss zum Termin mitgebracht werden, da es im Veterinäramt von einem Amtstierarzt untersucht werden muss und seine Identität durch das Ablesen des Mikrochip festgestellt werden muss.”
“übersenden Sie uns einfach das ausgefüllte und unterschriebene Antragsformular einschließlich der erforderlichen Unterlagen, drei bis vier Wochen vor der geplanten Reise.”
Good to know
- Some dog breeds are banned in Great Britain and can only enter with a valid Certificate of Exemption.
- By plane, pets must travel as cargo into Great Britain unless you fly a chartered private plane or travel with a recognised assistance dog.
- When you travel to a non-EU country, the rules of that country apply. As the owner you must find out the current rules yourself and in good time, for example from the embassy or consulate. The Berlin office says it cannot give information on other countries' entry rules.
- If the country you travel to, or your return to the EU, needs a rabies titer value, talk to your own vet about it.
- Fees depend on the office. In the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick the fee follows the time spent, from 41 to 615 euros, and covers the final check of all documents, preparing the health documents and the official vet's consultation.
- Planning to bring your pet back to the EU? After a short stay in a non-EU country you can skip the 3-month wait after the rabies blood test, but only if, before you leave the EU, your pet was vaccinated against rabies, passed a successful titer test, and your vet recorded both in its EU pet passport. So do the blood test before you go.
What your cat needs
Cats
Route
Use an approved travel route
Book an airline, ferry or rail route that is approved for pet travel into Great Britain.
Details and the official words
“Check your route is approved for pet travel.”
Identification
Microchip
Your pet must be microchipped on or before the day of its rabies vaccination. An ISO 11784/11785 chip can be read at the border; otherwise bring your own reader.
Details and the official words
If this is missed: The rabies vaccination doesn't count and must be given again.
“You must get your pet microchipped before, or at the same time as, their rabies vaccination.”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination
Vaccinate against rabies (pet at least 12 weeks old). After a first (primary) vaccination you must wait at least 21 full days before arriving; no wait after a booster if the cover never lapsed.
Details and the official words
Some vaccines take longer to work (e.g. 30 days) — your vet will tell you.
“Your vet needs proof that your pet’s at least 12 weeks old before vaccinating them.”
“You will have to wait at least 21 full days after the first rabies vaccination (or the last of the first course of rabies vaccinations) is given.”
Paperwork
Pet passport or animal health certificate
Travel with a pet passport issued in an EU country (or a GB-issued AHC from the last 6 months, or a Great Britain pet health certificate).
Details and the official words
“If you’re travelling from an EU country your pet must have one of the following documents”
Paperwork
Non-commercial declaration
Sign a declaration that you won't sell or transfer ownership of your pet.
Details and the official words
“You also need to fill in a declaration if you’re not going to sell or transfer the ownership of your pet.”
On arrival
Checks on arrival
Your pet's microchip and documents are checked on arrival. Pets arriving from outside the EU must be taken through customs (an agent or the airline usually does this).
Details and the official words
If this is missed: Your pet could be put into quarantine for up to 4 months, or refused entry if you travelled by sea — at your expense.
“When you arrive in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland), your pet’s microchip and documents will be checked.”
Official stamp
Official health certificate (amtstierärztliche Gesundheitsbescheinigung) from your district's veterinary office
Send your veterinary office the completed application with the required documents (in Berlin's Treptow-Köpenick three to four weeks before the trip; in the district of Munich the application and a copy of the EU pet passport must arrive at least 3 working days before departure). Then you book an appointment: the pet must be brought in person, so the official vet can examine it and read its microchip. Bring the destination's own health-certificate form.
Details and the official words
Deadlines and fees differ between offices (see the notice above): ask yours. The destination decides how recent the certificate must be.
“Geforderte Bescheinigungen können von uns ausgestellt bzw. bestätigt werden.”
“Ihr vollständig ausgefüllter Antrag und die Kopie des EU-Heimtierausweises mindestens 3 Werktage vor Abfahrt bei uns im Veterinäramt vorliegen muss”
“Das Tier muss zum Termin mitgebracht werden, da es im Veterinäramt von einem Amtstierarzt untersucht werden muss und seine Identität durch das Ablesen des Mikrochip festgestellt werden muss.”
“übersenden Sie uns einfach das ausgefüllte und unterschriebene Antragsformular einschließlich der erforderlichen Unterlagen, drei bis vier Wochen vor der geplanten Reise.”
Good to know
- By plane, pets must travel as cargo into Great Britain unless you fly a chartered private plane or travel with a recognised assistance dog.
- When you travel to a non-EU country, the rules of that country apply. As the owner you must find out the current rules yourself and in good time, for example from the embassy or consulate. The Berlin office says it cannot give information on other countries' entry rules.
- If the country you travel to, or your return to the EU, needs a rabies titer value, talk to your own vet about it.
- Fees depend on the office. In the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick the fee follows the time spent, from 41 to 615 euros, and covers the final check of all documents, preparing the health documents and the official vet's consultation.
- Planning to bring your pet back to the EU? After a short stay in a non-EU country you can skip the 3-month wait after the rabies blood test, but only if, before you leave the EU, your pet was vaccinated against rabies, passed a successful titer test, and your vet recorded both in its EU pet passport. So do the blood test before you go.
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies blood test to go from Germany to the United Kingdom?
No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for a rabies blood test.
Do I need an import permit to bring my dog into the United Kingdom?
No. The official rules we have verified for this route don't ask for an import permit.
Will my dog be quarantined in the United Kingdom?
Not on the routes we have verified: the official rules list no quarantine for a pet that meets the requirements.
Does my dog need a microchip?
Yes: Your pet must be microchipped on or before the day of its rabies vaccination.