CollarPassA pet passport is a veterinary document, not a travel permit, and the label covers more than one thing. Inside the European Union it is a booklet recording one animal's microchip, rabies vaccination and, for dogs, any tapeworm treatment. Outside the EU the phrase is often used for whatever vaccination record a clinic hands over, which is how owners reach check-in with a folder that border staff will not accept.
Four numbers decide whether the document works: 12 weeks, the minimum age at first rabies vaccination; 21 days, the wait afterwards; 10 days, how long an animal health certificate stays valid for entry; and 6 months, how long it then covers onward travel. This guide covers what a passport is, who may issue one, and which routes need a different document. CollarPass explains the rules; it does not issue or endorse documents.
Sources: European Commission within-EU rules, European Commission entry rules, and GOV.UK travel documents — checked November 11, 2026.
Quick answer
- An EU pet passport is an individual booklet, one per animal, modelled on Annex I, Part 1 to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705.
- An official or authorised veterinarian completes and issues it, recording the microchip code, the rabies vaccination and, where required, tapeworm treatment.
- A correctly issued passport remains valid for the animal's lifetime, but the rabies vaccination inside it must stay in date.
- Great Britain has not issued EU passports since 1 January 2021. A GB-issued passport is accepted for entry to Great Britain only if it was issued before that date.
- From England, Scotland or Wales you cannot use a pet passport to enter the EU, even one issued in the EU; you need an animal health certificate for each trip.
- The United States does not issue a pet passport at all. The outbound document there is a USDA-endorsed health certificate.
Sources: European Commission, GOV.UK, and USDA APHIS — checked November 11, 2026.
What the passport actually contains
The EU model is a paper booklet, one per animal, not a database entry. The veterinarian writes in the alphanumeric code shown by the microchip or the tattoo, the rabies vaccination details, and any tapeworm treatment given before entry to Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway or the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland). A separate owner declaration covers the non-commercial nature of the trip.
It is not a rabies antibody report, an import permit, a health certificate for a country outside the EU, or proof that the animal is fit to fly. The passport records what a veterinarian has certified, nothing more.
Sources: European Commission within-EU rules — checked November 11, 2026.
Who issues one, and who can hold one
In the EU, an official or authorised veterinarian completes and issues the passport. The same vet normally implants or reads the microchip, vaccinates and records both, because the vaccination date must not precede the date the chip was implanted or read.
Two limits catch people out. A passport issued in certain non-EU countries and territories listed in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, as amended, can replace an animal health certificate for entry. Residency is the other limit. Ireland's official pet travel portal states that EU rules require the owner to be an EU resident to hold an EU pet passport, and that non-EU residents must travel with an EU health certificate instead. Other member states apply the same regulation, but the appointment and paperwork vary, so ask the issuing authority.
Great Britain has no issuing route: since 1 January 2021 British vets issue animal health certificates for outbound travel, and a GB passport is not an EU document.
Sources: European Commission, Ireland's Pet Travel Portal, and GOV.UK — checked November 11, 2026.
Which older versions still count
For movement between EU countries, the Commission lists these accepted models and issue-date conditions. The transitional row extends the issue window for the same old model; 22 April 2026 is not a universal passport expiry date. See the EU travel guide for the separate rules for third-country passports and certificates:
| Model | Accepted if issued |
|---|---|
| Commission Decision 2003/803/EC | Before 29 December 2014 |
| Annex III, Part 1 to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013 | Before 22 April 2026 |
| Same 577/2013 model, issued under transitional rules | Before 1 January 2028 |
All of these stay valid for the lifetime of the animal, provided they complied with the rules in force when they were issued. A valid passport is not a valid vaccination. If the booster lapses, the passport still exists but the protection it records does not, and a new primary course restarts the 21-day wait. Check the vaccination expiry date before the passport's.
Sources: European Commission within-EU rules and European Commission entry rules — checked November 11, 2026.
When you need a different document
| Route | Document | Who issues it | Time window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain to the EU | Animal health certificate, GB model, plus owner declaration | An official veterinarian in Great Britain | Enter within 10 days of issue; new certificate each trip |
| Non-EU country to the EU | Animal health certificate, Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2026/705, plus owner declaration | Official veterinarian, or authorised veterinarian with competent-authority endorsement | 10 days to the entry checks, extended by any sea crossing; then up to 6 months inside the EU, ending earlier if the rabies vaccination expires |
| EU to Great Britain | EU pet passport, a GB animal health certificate issued in the last 6 months, a GB pet health certificate, or a GB passport issued before 1 January 2021 | Issuing vet in the country of origin | Depends on the document |
| Not-listed country to Great Britain | GB pet health certificate | Official veterinarian with government authority | 10 days, after a rabies blood test and 3-month wait |
| Commercial movement | Health certificate under Regulation (EU) 2021/403, with TRACES notification | Official veterinarian | Per consignment |
The last row is the one owners miss: selling, rehoming or transferring ownership turns a pet into a commercial consignment, and a passport is not the document for that movement.
Sources: GOV.UK travel documents, European Commission entry rules, and European Commission commercial movements — checked November 11, 2026.
Great Britain, in both directions
Outbound, GOV.UK is blunt: if you live in England, Scotland or Wales, you cannot use a pet passport to enter the EU, even one issued in the EU, and using one instead of an animal health certificate may get your pet refused entry. Northern Ireland residents can still use an EU passport. The Commission says the same thing from its side: an EU passport issued to an owner resident in Great Britain is no longer valid for travel from Great Britain to the EU.
Inbound, the position is more generous: a pet arriving from the EU can travel on an EU passport, a GB animal health certificate issued in the last 6 months, a GB pet health certificate, or a GB passport issued before 1 January 2021. From a listed country the accepted document depends on the country; from a country that is not listed, it is a GB pet health certificate plus a rabies blood test taken at least 30 days after vaccination and followed by a 3-month wait.
Dogs entering Great Britain also need tapeworm treatment 24 to 120 hours before arrival, recorded in the document they travel on; direct arrivals from Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta and Norway are exempt.
Sources: GOV.UK taking your pet abroad, GOV.UK travel documents, and GOV.UK tapeworm rules — checked November 11, 2026.
Five ways a passport stops working
The failures are administrative. The microchip was implanted after the rabies vaccination, so the vaccination does not count. A booster lapsed by a few weeks, invalidating the series. The passport was issued in Great Britain after 2020, or a GB resident travelled on an EU-issued passport. The owner assumed a passport replaces a rabies blood test for a not-listed country. Or the animal is moving commercially and needs a consignment certificate, not a pet document.
Work backwards from the entry date: confirm which document the destination accepts, confirm the vaccination is in date, then book the appointment that produces the paper. The animal health certificate guide covers the certificate route in detail, and country requirements lists what each destination asks for.
Sources: European Commission, GOV.UK, and USDA APHIS — checked November 11, 2026.
