The Joy of Pet Paperwork for Europe
We travel with a dog. Not just any dog, mind you — Nelly the slightly scruffy, frequently muddy, border-hopping co-pilot. But, if you want to travel to Europe with your four-legged friend, you’ll need more than biscuits and a collapsible water bowl.
Welcome to the thrilling world of the Animal Health Certificate (AHC). A glamorous process filled with forms, vet visits, microscopic timing, and the faint whiff of worming tablets. All dogs, cats and ferrets require an AHC to visit Europe. Apparently, showing up in a designer carrier bag just isn’t enough anymore!
Here’s what you need for your Animal Health Certificate for you dog:
✔️ A microchipped dog
✔️ An up-to-date rabies vaccination (must be at least 21 days old) This lasts for 3 years, after which a 3 yearly booster is required
✔️ Proof of your pets vaccination history (ideally not scribbled on a napkin)
✔️ An appointment with an ‘official veterinarian’ (OV) within 10 days of leaving the UK
It’s valid for entry into the EU once, and for up to 4 months of onward travel. You can have up to five pets on the same certificate. However, each additional pet after the first one incurs an additional charge (the amount depends on the vet)
🐶 Step One: Getting Your Dog Out of the UK
AHC prices vary significantly depending on which vet you use, so either shop around or if you are travelling from Folkestone or nearby, contact Abbeywell Vets, as they are the cheapest and the best we have found and more importantly, Nelly approved! Honestly, they were brilliant – we filled in a form on-line; got Nelly’s vet to email her records to Abbeywell; turned up on our nominated day; they scanned Nelly’s microchip and handed over the signed AHC. There’s even parking for a 7.5m motorhome round the back:
🛃 Step Two: The Return Worm
Now, here’s where it gets glamorous:
To come back into the UK, your dog must be given an approved tapeworm treatment by an official vet, no fewer than 24 hours, and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before re-entry.
And that’s how we found ourselves standing in a lovely little veterinary clinic in Ypres, Belgium, explaining to a kind vet that yes, Nelly did eat half a croissant that morning and yes, she probably will take the tablet if disguised in pâté.
Worming certificate completed, passport (well, AHC) stamped, and another slightly overpriced dog treat purchased out of guilt. Job done.
And some kind sole has put a map of suitable European vets together, which is the one we use when we’ve decided where we are going to be for the last few days of our hols:
🐾 Our Routine in Summary:
- A week before we leave: Abbeywell Vets in Folkestone → AHC issued
- During the trip: Nelly barks at cows in multiple languages
- 2–5 days before coming home: Ypres Vet → Worming treatment, certificate signed.
- Re-entry to the UK: Dog gets waved through faster than the humans
So, there you have it — crossing borders with a canine is part paperwork, part pâté bribery, part pilgrimage to trusted vets. But it’s all worth it for waggy tails, snout-out-the-window moments, and the chance to say, “Oui, mon chien est très légal.”
Stay tuned for photos of Nelly looking unimpressed outside various veterinary clinics across Europe.