Seek to Rejoin the EU Pet Passport Scheme
- Parliament:
- 2024–present
- Signatures:
- 10,612
- Responded:
- 4 Jul 2025
- Department:
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The petition
Cut the cost of pet travel by seeking to rejoin the EU pet passport scheme. This does not require EU membership; Norway, Switzerland and Andorra are members, as is NI. The scheme allows vaccinated pets to travel freely without needing expensive documentation every time.
When owners could get pet passports in GB, our microchipped and vaccinated pets could travel free of extra certification to the EU, and return freely (with particular requirements for tapeworm treatment for dogs).
GB leaving the scheme has added admin costs of about £100+ for EVERY trip to the EU. It costs time and money to get the required paperwork every time.
The government's response
The Government is working toward a deal with the EU that will improve and streamline pet travel for GB pet owners to and from the EU. This will make taking pets to the EU easier and cheaper.
The pet health and documentary requirements for non-commercial pet travel to EU countries are determined by the EU under the EU Pet Travel Regulations.
DEFRA applied to the European Commission in February 2020 for the United Kingdom (UK) and Crown Dependencies to be listed as a ‘Part 1’ third country for the purposes of the EU pet travel scheme. However, the EU formally listed the UK as a ‘Part 2’ third country, meaning pet owners can no longer use pet passports issued in GB for travel to the EU and instead need a single use Animal Health Certificate, which allows entry into the EU and re-entry into GB.
As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on May 19 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which would make taking pets on holiday into the EU easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an Animal Health Certificate each time you travel, pet owners would be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.
It is important that we get the right agreement for the UK, so the Government is not putting an arbitrary deadline on negotiations. We will provide more information on pet passports valid for travel to the EU in due course.
In the meantime, owners will still need an Animal Health Certificate for their dog, cat or ferret(s) if they are travelling from Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) to an EU country. Current guidance on taking your pet to the EU is available at: https://www.gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs