Red Tape Travel

Flying a dog from Northern Ireland to the European Union

EU: The EU member states, for pets moving in from another member state or from outside the EU. Northern Ireland follows the same rules on its own page.

Last verified 15 primary sources

Conditional: yes, with 1 hard deadline

A dog can enter the European Union (The EU member states, for pets moving in from another member state or from outside the EU) from Northern Ireland without quarantine when every condition is met. It must fly as the airline allows, with the owner or an authorised person. It needs a primary 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, an EU pet passport and 1 more step (see the planner). If a condition is missed: A pet that fails the checks may be returned, quarantined until it complies, or, if neither is possible, put down. The owner pays for these measures.

Cabin
Airline decidesEU rules do not say whether a pet flies in the cabin, in the hold or as cargo; the airline's rules decide. The pet travels with its owner, or with a person the owner has authorised.
Quarantine
Noneno quarantine for a pet that meets the rules
Rabies titer
Not requiredAnother EU country, or Northern Ireland
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 receives its primary rabies vaccination. 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 identified by a microchip before, or on the same day as, its rabies vaccination. A clearly readable tattoo applied before 3 July 2011 also counts. Timing: on or before the rabies vaccination.

    Fails if: The chip does not meet the EU standard and the owner cannot provide a reader for it.

  3. By 23 days before arrival

    Rabies vaccinationHard deadline

    No later than

    The pet has completed its primary course of rabies vaccination at least 21 days before it travels, or has had a booster while its previous vaccination was still valid. Timing: at least 21 days before departure.

    Fails if: Done less than 21 days before departure.

  4. Arrival

    Arrive on

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 the European Union (Europe/Brussels).

Which airlines carry dogs on this route

No airline in our sources carries this route yet.

1 change in 12 months

  • The limit of five pets now counts per private vehicle

    Was
    Up to five pets per person.
    Now
    Up to five pets per private vehicle; five for people on foot, as before.

    Source: GOV.UK (Defra and APHA) · found at our first read

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 European Union, or what changed across the site.