The EU Pet Passport (the long-term option)
The EU pet passport is a small blue booklet, issued by an authorised veterinarian in any EU country (or in Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein). It contains: the pet's description (breed, sex, date of birth), a photo, the microchip number, the rabies vaccination history, and any other relevant treatments. Once issued, it is valid for the lifetime of the pet — you only renew specific entries (mainly the rabies vaccine, which expires every 1 to 3 years depending on the brand).
The passport is the most flexible document because it covers all EU countries plus the four EFTA states (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein) under one cover. It is also the cheapest in the long run: a single visit to your vet to get it issued (typically €30-60), plus the regular rabies vaccine cost (€30-50 every 1-3 years).
Eligibility is simple: your pet must be an EU resident (or a resident of one of the EFTA countries) at the moment the passport is issued. If you live in the United Kingdom, the United States, or any non-EU country, your home vet cannot issue an EU passport even if they wanted to. You can only get one if you become an EU resident, which is rare.
- →Format: small blue booklet, ~10 × 15 cm
- →Issuer: authorised vet in any EU country, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, or Liechtenstein
- →Validity: lifetime of the pet (with vaccine entries renewed as needed)
- →Cost: €30-60 to issue, plus rabies vaccine renewals
- →Coverage: 27 EU countries + 4 EFTA states (interchangeable)
- →Required tests: microchip ISO 11784/11785 + rabies vaccine valid for at least 21 days
The Animal Health Certificate (the trip-specific option)
The Animal Health Certificate (AHC) is a 10-page certificate issued by a vet within 10 days of the start of your trip, valid for entry into the country named on the document and for 4 months of internal travel and return travel. It exists because, after Brexit, the UK introduced its own pet-import system that does not recognise the EU pet passport — and the EU reciprocally does not recognise the old UK pet passport (the red one) for entry into the EU.
The AHC is much more expensive than a passport on a per-trip basis: typically £100-180 in the UK or €100-150 from an EU vet, plus a small administrative endorsement fee in some cases. It is single-use in the sense that you cannot reuse it for a second trip — you need a new AHC each time you re-enter the destination country (even if it's 4 months apart).
For someone who travels to the UK once a year, the AHC is the right document. For someone who travels to the UK three or four times a year, the cost adds up to €400-600 annually — which has driven a small but growing number of EU residents to consider getting their UK GB pet passport (issued by a UK vet during a visit to the UK), which is reusable for a year before requiring AHC renewal logic.
- →Format: 10-page certificate, must be physically printed and signed
- →Issuer: authorised vet within 10 days of departure
- →Validity: 10 days for entry + 4 months for internal travel and return
- →Cost: €100-180 per trip (much higher than EU passport)
- →Single-use: not transferable to subsequent trips
- →Required tests: same as passport (microchip + rabies vaccine + tapeworm treatment for UK)
The mandatory tapeworm treatment (the rule that catches most people)
Five countries in Europe — the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Norway, and Malta — require dogs to receive a praziquantel-based tapeworm treatment given by a vet between 24 hours and 120 hours (5 days) before arrival. The treatment must be recorded in the pet passport (or AHC) by the vet.
This is the single most common border issue we hear about. The treatment is straightforward — a single tablet, costs €15-30 at the vet — but it must be administered in the right window, by an authorised vet, and properly recorded. Owners frequently forget the 24-hour minimum (the treatment must be at least 24 hours before arrival) or the 120-hour maximum (it cannot be older than 5 days). Both rejections are equally common.
The reason for the rule is biosecurity: these five countries are free of the tapeworm species Echinococcus multilocularis, which is endemic in continental Europe. Without the rule, infected dogs could introduce the parasite via their faeces, which would cause major public health issues for humans (it causes alveolar echinococcosis, a serious liver disease).