CollarPassA UK dog passport is a small paper booklet issued by a veterinarian. It records the dog's microchip, rabies vaccination and any tapeworm treatment, and inside the European Union it is still the document that accompanies a pet on a non-commercial move between member states. It is not, however, a document that takes a dog from Great Britain to the EU any more.
Since 1 January 2021, when the Brexit transition period ended, Great Britain has not issued pet passports for EU travel. GOV.UK's current guidance is direct: if you live in England, Scotland or Wales you cannot use a pet passport to enter the EU, even if it was issued in the EU, and a dog travelling on one instead of an animal health certificate may be refused entry. This guide sets out the narrow cases where a passport still counts, the Northern Ireland exception, and the certificate that replaces it.
Sources: GOV.UK travelling to an EU country and GOV.UK animal health certificates — checked November 11, 2026.
What the passport records
The EU model is one booklet per animal. An official or authorised veterinarian completes and issues it, writing in the microchip code (or a readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011), the rabies vaccination details and, for dogs, any tapeworm treatment. The European Commission requires a passport for non-commercial movement between EU countries, alongside identification, a valid rabies vaccination and, where applicable, treatment against Echinococcus multilocularis.
The booklet is evidence that a vet certified those facts. It is not a rabies antibody report, an import permit, a fit-to-fly certificate or a substitute for a health certificate demanded by a country outside the EU. That distinction is why an old passport in a drawer does not answer the question "what do I need to travel?" on its own.
Sources: European Commission within-EU rules — checked November 11, 2026.
What changed on 1 January 2021
From that date Great Britain travels to the EU on a certificate, not a passport. The Commission now describes the EU passport as the document for movement within the EU, while GOV.UK tells GB owners to get an animal health certificate for each trip to an EU country. The government's December 2020 announcement described the change as "the use of a certificate, rather than a pet passport".
The date is also the cut-off for the one inbound use that survives. When a pet arrives in Great Britain from a country that does not issue pet passports, GOV.UK accepts a pet passport from Great Britain if it was issued before 1 January 2021. A passport issued after that date has no standing, because Great Britain no longer issues them for this purpose.
Sources: GOV.UK travelling to an EU country and GOV.UK pet passports — checked November 11, 2026.
When an EU pet passport still works
Two cases are still live, and neither is a GB resident travelling outbound.
- Northern Ireland residents can still enter the EU using an EU pet passport, according to GOV.UK.
- A pet arriving in Great Britain from the EU can travel on a pet passport issued in an EU country or certain other countries. GOV.UK also accepts a GB animal health certificate issued in the last six months, a Great Britain pet health certificate, or a GB passport issued before 1 January 2021.
If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, an EU-issued passport does not help you leave. The EU side says the same thing: the passport must be issued by an authorised vet and the animal must meet the identification, vaccination and treatment conditions; holding the booklet is not enough on its own.
Sources: GOV.UK travelling to an EU country and GOV.UK pet passports — checked November 11, 2026.
The animal health certificate that replaces it
The AHC is issued by an official veterinarian (OV) in Great Britain. GOV.UK says you need one for a dog, cat or ferret travelling from Great Britain to an EU country, and you can add up to five pets to one certificate.
Timing is the part to plan backwards from. The certificate is valid for entry for 10 days after the vet issues it; day one is the issue date. The same certificate covers onward travel within the EU for six months after you enter, and re-entry to Great Britain for six months. You need a new certificate for each separate trip from Great Britain to the EU.
Before the appointment, the dog must be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies. The vet needs proof the dog was at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated, and you must wait at least 21 full days after the first rabies vaccination (or the last of the first course) before travel. Take the microchip date and vaccination history to the appointment. GOV.UK's worked example is a vaccination on 1 October with a vaccine that takes 30 days to work: the certificate can be issued on 1 November and entry is allowed up to and including 10 November.
Sources: GOV.UK animal health certificates — checked November 11, 2026.
Northern Ireland: the exception
Northern Ireland is where the two systems meet. A dog travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland needs a Northern Ireland pet travel document (PTD), not an AHC. GOV.UK says the PTD is free, lasts as long as you own the pet, and the microchip is scanned at the port or airport and checked against the document. With a PTD, the dog does not need a rabies vaccination or tapeworm treatment.
The direction matters. If you live in Northern Ireland, you do not need a PTD to travel to and from Great Britain, and your pet still needs a microchip. There are no checks travelling from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. And, as above, Northern Ireland residents can use an EU pet passport to enter the EU, while GB residents cannot.
Sources: GOV.UK travelling to Northern Ireland and GOV.UK travelling to an EU country — checked November 11, 2026.
Five checks before you book
- Where was the passport issued, and when? A GB passport is only useful inbound, and only if it was issued before 1 January 2021. A GB resident cannot use an EU passport outbound.
- Where do you live? England, Scotland or Wales means an AHC for each EU trip. Northern Ireland means an EU passport remains possible for the EU, and a PTD covers the GB to NI leg.
- Is the rabies cover valid? The dog must have been at least 12 weeks old at vaccination, the chip must have been implanted before or at the same time, and 21 full days must have passed after the first course.
- Does the destination require tapeworm treatment? The EU lists Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland and Norway. Treatment must be given by a vet 24 to 120 hours before entry and recorded in the document the dog travels on.
- Are you coming back to Great Britain? An AHC issued in GB covers re-entry for six months; an EU passport is accepted from the EU; a GB passport only if it was issued before 1 January 2021.
Sources: European Commission within-EU rules and GOV.UK animal health certificates — checked November 11, 2026.
If you still have an old passport
Keep it for the vaccination history, but do not build the trip around it. For an outbound EU trip from Great Britain, book the OV appointment inside the 10-day window, carry the original AHC, and check the rabies and tapeworm dates before paying for the flight. If you are moving to an EU country and will become resident there, an EU vet can issue an EU passport under the EU rules; a GB vet cannot.
The animal health certificate guide walks through the appointment and endorsement, the pet passport guide covers the EU booklet in more detail, and the international pet travel checklist puts both in the order you need them. CollarPass explains the rules; it does not issue, stamp or endorse any document.
Sources: GOV.UK pet passports, GOV.UK travelling to an EU country, and European Commission entry rules — checked November 11, 2026.
