Confusion over new pet passport rules for travellers from Great Britain remains following their introduction last week.
EU pet passports for pets whose owners live outside the EU, notably in Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales - Northern Ireland operates under the EU pet travel scheme), are invalid as of April 22, including for those who own second homes in the EU.
This means new pet passports cannot be obtained by residents in GB and previously valid pet passports can no longer be used, even if they were accepted prior to April 22, 2026.
The updated rules require those whose principal residence is in Great Britain (and other non-EU countries) to obtain an animal health certificate to travel with their cat, dog, or ferret into the EU, including France.
These certificates must be obtained from an official veterinarian (OV) in Britain prior to travelling.
Costs can vary considerably – read our article here for tips on how to get one.
There has been criticism over the lack of wider announcement about the rules, with many owners only becoming aware a few days before the changes due to media coverage.
UK government guidelines state that “GB residents should no longer use EU pet passports to travel into the EU. EU pet passports may now only be issued to people whose main home is in the EU and should not be used by people who have holiday homes in the EU or visit seasonally.”
However, travel companies have differed in their responses to this.
Below, we answer five key questions we have received on the topic.
1: Why are the changes happening?
The changes are a result of the coming into force on April 22, 2026 of a new EU animal health regulation, updating pet transport rules, based on reducing the risk of disease when transporting animals.
EU pet passports aimed originally at easing pet travel between EU countries and the preamble to the new regulation states the aim was for them to be used by EU residents. In practice, however, many French vets issued them to second-home owners, creating a legal grey area around eligibility.
Brexit rules only clearly prohibited British vets from issuing the passports, and not UK-based owners being able to obtain them.
This allowed second homeowners on subsequent trips to bring their pets using an EU pet passport – valid indefinitely once administered and containing up-to-date information about the animals vaccinations, etc – as opposed to obtaining an animal health certificate for each trip.
The new rules aim at bringing more clarity to the situation.
It is worth noting also that the new EES digital borders scheme will also bring more clarity over the issue of who lives in the EU as opposed to merely visiting it.
It should also be noted that aligning sanitary and phytosanitary regulations for food and live animals transported between the EU and the UK is a key goal of recent and upcoming UK/EU summits.
It is hoped that as a result, UK-issued pet passports would be eligible for use when travelling in the EU, potentially from as early as the latter part of 2027.
2: Is a new document needed for every visit?
Yes. Updates to the animal health certificate on the UK side mean these are now valid for six months for re-entry back into the UK (previously, they were only valid for three months).
However, rules on when they must be used to enter the EU remain the same.
The certificate has an exit validity of 10 days (with ‘day one’ being the date the certificate is obtained) and pets must travel to the EU within this date.
This means a new certificate is required for each subsequent visit, even if these only happen a few weeks apart.
Note that if you are making onward travel within the EU (for example, arriving in France and then taking your dog to Spain), the certificate is now valid for six months.
In both cases, the increased six-month validity period is only in place if the pet's rabies vaccinations cover this period, otherwise it lasts only for the duration of the vaccination.
A further change to animal health certificates concerns the rules on authorised persons transporting the pet.
If the person transporting the pet is not the owner, in order to be eligible to travel with the animal they must have both written authorisation form the animal’s owner and have their name/details recorded on certificate.
3: Are only Britons affected? What about French citizens in the UK?
Rules are based on residency, not on nationality.
Anyone who has their main residency in Great Britain and wants to bring a pet into the EU for a visit must comply with the regulations.
This includes for example, French or Irish citizens whose main residency is in the UK.
It also applies to pets that were raised in the EU but taken to the UK by their owners, even if they have an EU pet passport from their time in the EU.
4: Does this affect people returning to the UK?
Rules for people returning to the UK remain unchanged, notwithstanding the extended six-month validity included for animal health certificates.
EU pet passports are still accepted by UK authorities for people whose main residence is in the EU, and this continues to be the case.
This is also based on the owner’s residency, not their nationality status.
For example, Britons who have their main home in France can obtain an EU pet passport for their animals living with them, which can then be used for taking trips back to the UK.
Dogs returning to the UK after a trip of more than five days from most countries including France must have a tapeworm treatment administered in France.
This needs to be administered between 24 hours and five days before the return journey, and is recorded on the animal’s health certificate or EU pet passport.
French vets are familiar with this procedure and will be happy to carry it out. Most store-purchased treatments are not accepted, so a visit to a vet is necessary.
If travelling out of the UK for less than 24 hours the treatment must be given in the UK (this is also possible for trips of up to five days away).
5: Does this affect ‘Northern Ireland loophole’?
Residents of Northern Ireland are not affected by the rule changes above.
EU pet passports issued in Northern Ireland remain valid for travelling into the EU.
Those who have these usually cross into the Republic of Ireland before making an onward journey, but can travel to other parts of the UK and then head into the EU using their passport.
However, Northern Ireland-issued pet passports are only valid for those resident in the country.
If the pet’s owner lives in England/Scotland/Wales, they must still obtain an animal health certificate for EU travel.
This was previously a ‘loophole’ used by some GB residents to obtain EU pet passports, but is now closed.
Further official advice for UK residents travelling to the EU can be found on the UK government website.
