Red Tape Travel

Flying a ferret from the European Union to Great Britain

UK — Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. Guide and assistance dogs follow the same rules. Northern Ireland follows the EU pet travel scheme. See European Union to Northern Ireland.

Last verified 16 primary sources

Conditional: yes, with 1 hard deadline

A ferret can enter Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) from the European Union without quarantine when every condition is met. It must fly as cargo, with an approved airline into an approved airport. It needs a rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks old or older, a microchip on or before the rabies vaccination, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before departure, a pet passport, animal health certificate or Great Britain pet health certificate and a signed declaration that the pet will not be sold or change owner. If a condition is missed: Quarantine for up to 4 months, or refused entry if the pet came by sea. The owner pays any fees or charges.

Cabin
Assistance dogs onlyBy plane, pets travel as cargo. Only a guide or assistance dog, or a pet on a chartered private plane, may travel otherwise.
Quarantine
Noneno quarantine when every rule is met
Rabies titer
Not requiredEU country
Lead time
23 days

Your deadlines, counted back from arrival

1 of these steps is a hard deadline. Changing the date re-dates the plan in your browser; it fetches nothing.

Lead time: 23 days

  1. By 107 days before arrival

    Birth

    No later than

    The pet is at least 12 weeks old when it is vaccinated against rabies. Timing: at least 12 weeks before the rabies vaccination.

    Fails if: Done less than 12 weeks before the rabies vaccination.

  2. By 23 days before arrival

    Microchip

    No later than

    The pet is microchipped before, or at the same visit as, its rabies vaccination. Timing: on or before the rabies vaccination.

    Fails if: Done after the rabies vaccination.

  3. By 23 days before arrival

    Rabies vaccinationHard deadline

    No later than

    After the first rabies vaccination (or the last of the first course), the pet waits at least 21 full days before travelling; day 1 is the day after the vaccination. Timing: at least 21 days before departure.

    Fails if: Done less than 21 days before departure.

  4. Arrival

    Arrive on

    Note: For a pet arriving at Heathrow through HARC, the shipper, exporter or airline can ask HARC to pre-check its documents. Send the request at least 72 hours before the pet departs, with evidence that the owner travels within 5 days of the pet's arrival. Without a pre-check number, extra charges apply.

This plan assumes one air journey, with every step done before you leave. It assumes you leave the day before arrival or on arrival day. Where a rule counts hours, it assumes you land at 12:00 local time. Times are local to Great Britain (Europe/London).

Which airlines carry ferrets on this route

No airline in our sources carries this route yet.

No rule changes in 12 months

We have recorded no change to the rules on this page in the last 12 months. See every recorded change.

Where every rule above came from

Rules change without notice. Confirm each item against the linked official page before you book: we re-check weekly and date every check, but the official page is the authority.

See everything that applies in Great Britain, or what changed across the site.