FAQs Frequently Asked Questions - europets.co.uk

An Animal Health Certificate is a single use document that allows entry into the EU, as well as onwards travel within the EU for up to 4 months and return to the UK. You will need a new certificate each time you travel from UK to EU.

The Animal Health Certificate is replacing the previously used PETS passports.

An AHC – Animal Health Certificate is used for non-commercial movements of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets.

An animal health certificate (AHC) can only be issued by an Official Veterinarian (OV) approved by the APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency). 

In order for us to be able to issue an AHC – Animal Health Certificate your pet needs to be vaccinated against rabies and the vaccine needs to be valid on the day when you will collect the certificate.

An appointment for this can be arranged by using our online booking system. Please do this well in advance of your travelling date.

• Previously issued AHC
• Rabies vaccination certificate
• Vaccination card containing pet’s and owner’s details, rabies vaccination details, record that the microchip was checked at the time of the rabies vaccination, full name and signature of the administering vet, practice stamp
• Medical history from your vet with clinical records covering the rabies vaccination and microchip scanning emailed  by the practice directly to info@europets.co.uk

After the primary rabies vaccination you have to wait for at least 21 days(vaccination day is day 0) before we can issue an AHC. If a rabies booster is given before the previous rabies vaccine expired, there is no need to wait.

There are also rabies vaccines that become valid after 30 days from the primary vaccination (e.g. Rabisin from Boehringer Ingelheim)

It’s best to get your pet vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days before you plan to collect the certificate.

An AHC – Animal Health Certificate is valid for 10 days from the issue date(collection date) for entering the EU and for a further 4 months for travelling within the EU and return to the UK.

No, if you return to the UK, any new visits to the EU require a new AHC – Animal Health Certificate.

A health check is not required for an AHC (Animal Health Certificate), however we need to see your pet and scan the microchip before we can issue the certificate.

Our office is located at Unit 59, Basepoint Centre, Shearway Business Park, Shearway Rd, Folkestone CT19 4RH, United Kingdom.

If you don’t travel with your pet but you will be reunited within 5 days we need to see proof of travel arrangements-flight/ferry/bus/train tickets.

Your pet can also travel with an authorized person designated by you e.g. a friend.

No, we only need to know the first country of entry into the EU. That will determine the language of the certificate. 

A treatment against tapeworms is required to return to the UK. This treatment must be given by a vet in the EU and added to your Animal Health Certificate 24-120 hours (1-5 days) before arriving back to the UK.

For short trips, when you return to the UK within 120 hours, we can administer the tapeworm treatment during the appointment for the Animal Health Certificate.

There are some countries that also require a tapeworm treatment to be administered between 24 and 120 hours before entry: Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Northern Ireland. If you are travelling to any of these countries within 120 hours of collecting your certificate, we can administer the tapewormer and record it on the certificate.

No, this is a requirement for dogs only.

The only vaccine required to enter the EU is the rabies vaccine.

It is still advisable, however, to keep your pet up to date with the other vaccinations but please avoid having them done on the same day as the rabies vaccination.

Some vaccines are licensed to be given with the rabies vaccination whilst others are not. To avoid any issues, it is best to have the rabies vaccination done on its own.

Leishmaniasis is a serious disease of dogs that can be transmitted through the bite of sandflies. If you are travelling in areas with a high prevalence of leishmania (highlighted red on the map below), please use sandflies protection on your dog. This can be a collar (Scalibor) or spot-on solution. Your vet should be able to advise on this.