Bringing your pets to France: the post-Brexit rules, done right

Ask a room of British movers what worried them most about the move, and somewhere near the top — often above the visa — will be a quiet voice saying "getting the dog over." It's an entirely reasonable anxiety, because Brexit genuinely did change the rules, the reassuring old pet passport no longer works, and the internet is full of half-remembered advice from before 2021. But strip it back and it's a short, well-defined process that thousands of people complete every year without drama. The single thing that turns it stressful is timing — so let's get the order and the deadlines straight, and the rest falls into place.

The four steps, in the order they must happen

This is a sequence, not a checklist you can do in any order — the microchip must precede the jab, the jab must precede the certificate by three weeks, and the certificate must be fresh at travel. Open each.

First1 · Microchip — the foundation

Your dog or cat must carry a 15-digit microchip, and it must be in place before the rabies vaccination — a jab given before the chip doesn't count. Most British pets are already chipped, but check the number is registered and readable; the official vet will physically scan it when issuing the certificate.

The 21-day trap2 · Rabies vaccination — mind the 21 days

The animal needs a valid rabies vaccination, and here's the rule that catches people out: the certificate can't be issued until at least 21 days have passed since that jab (for a first vaccination). So a last-minute vet visit won't do — you must build in three clear weeks. A UK rabies vaccination typically stays valid for three years, so if your pet was done recently you may be fine, but confirm the dates.

Replaces the passport3 · The Animal Health Certificate (AHC)

This is what replaced the old pet passport for GB pets. An official veterinarian issues an AHC — within 10 days of your travel date — confirming the chip and rabies jab. It costs roughly £100–300, and once issued it's valid for four months of onward travel within the EU, so a single certificate covers your move and any short trips soon after. Book the vet well ahead; official-vet appointments get scarce in summer.

Designated crossings4 · Travel by an approved route

You must enter through a designated travellers' point of entry — in practice the usual crossings: Eurotunnel (Folkestone–Calais) and the ferries from Dover, Portsmouth, Newhaven, Poole and Plymouth. Tell the carrier you're travelling with a pet when you book, as most have a pet policy and a small charge, and some routes limit numbers.

The things people get wrong

Three misunderstandings cause most of the confusion. Open each — the third one is genuinely good news for anyone moving rather than just holidaying.

Common mistakeThe old UK pet passport no longer works

If you have a blue UK-issued pet passport from before Brexit, it is no longer valid for taking a GB pet to the EU. It's the AHC now, per trip. (Passports issued in an EU country, including Ireland, are a different matter.)

Return-onlyTapeworm treatment is for coming BACK, not going

A frequent muddle: the tapeworm treatment for dogs is a requirement to re-enter the UK, not to enter France. It must be given by a vet 1–5 days before your return to Britain and recorded. Entering France, you don't need it — but if you'll pop back to the UK, plan for it there.

The payoffOnce you're resident: get an EU pet passport

Here's the good news for movers. Once you're living in France, a French vet can issue your pet an EU pet passport — and from then on, future travel around the EU (and back to visit the UK) is far simpler than the per-trip AHC. So the AHC is really a one-time hurdle for the move itself; register with a local vétérinaire soon after arrival and switch to the passport.

Cats, and more than one animal

The framework is the same for cats as for dogs — microchip, rabies, AHC — with the tapeworm treatment being a dog-only, UK-return requirement. If you're moving with several animals, each needs its own certificate and the costs add up, so factor that in; and beyond a certain number of pets the rules shift from "pet travel" toward commercial import, which is a different and more involved process. For the ordinary household — a couple of dogs, a cat or two — you're firmly in normal pet-travel territory, just multiplied. And do tell your ferry or shuttle operator at booking; pet spaces and policies vary by route.

After you arrive: the easy bit

Here's the part that makes the initial hurdle worthwhile. Once you're living in France, register your pet with a local vétérinaire and ask about an EU pet passport — as a resident, your pet qualifies, and it replaces the per-trip AHC entirely. From then on, taking the dog on holiday around the EU, or back to see family in Britain, is a matter of keeping the rabies vaccination current (and the tapeworm treatment for UK returns), with none of the 10-day certificate scramble. Your French vet becomes the keeper of all this, and it quietly becomes as routine as it ever was at home.

So don't let the pet question loom over the move. It's a four-step sequence with one timing rule that matters, a certificate that costs less than the ferry, and a genuinely simpler life on the far side of it. Sort the rabies date early, book an official vet in good time, and your animal crosses the Channel in the car with the rest of the family — which, after all, is exactly where they belong.

Pet-travel rules, timings and costs here are current for 2026 and drawn from official and specialist sources, but they change and depend on your animal and route. Pimpernel are not veterinary or customs advisers. Always confirm the current requirements with an official veterinarian and the UK government's pet-travel guidance before you travel. This guide is general information.