Flying a cat from Northern Ireland to Great Britain
Scope and research limits
UK — Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. Guide and assistance dogs follow the same rules.
This guide covers the journey and pathways stated here. Residence, travel history and connections may change which requirements apply. Confirm these before using the countdown.
Yes
A cat must fly as cargo to enter Great Britain from Northern Ireland.
To meet the entry rules
- no pet passport or health certificate
- a microchip before leaving Northern Ireland (if you live in Northern Ireland)
If a requirement is missed: Quarantine for up to 4 months, or refused entry if the pet came by sea. The owner pays any fees or charges.
Full answer
A cat must fly as cargo to enter Great Britain from Northern Ireland. Without quarantine, it needs no pet passport or health certificate and a microchip before leaving Northern Ireland (if you live in Northern Ireland). If any is missed: Quarantine for up to 4 months, or refused entry if the pet came by sea. Last verified 24 September 2026.
- Rules allow in cabin
- No (assistance dogs only)By 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 requiredNorthern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
- Lead time
- 0 days
Your deadlines, counted back from arrival
None of these steps is a hard deadline. Each step says how long before arrival it falls. Pick an arrival date and your browser works out the calendar dates; it fetches nothing.
Lead time: 0 days
Pick an arrival date to see the calendar date of each step.
Arrival day
Requirements without a countdown
These conditions still apply. Choosing an arrival date does not check them.
If you live in Northern Ireland, you need no health preparations or documents to travel to Great Britain, but the pet must be microchipped before it leaves. Applies if you live in Northern Ireland.
Fails if: The pet is not microchipped when it leaves Northern Ireland.
There are no checks on pets travelling from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, and no export health certificate is needed.
This plan assumes one air journey, with every step done before you leave. Unless you give a departure date, it assumes you leave the day before arrival or on arrival day. Times are local to Great Britain (Europe/London).
Which airlines carry cats on this route
No airline in our sources carries this route yet.
No rule changes recorded since
We have recorded no change to the rules on this page since , when our log began. See every recorded change.
Where every rule above came from
- DAERA (Northern Ireland)daera-ni.gov.uk/services/pets-exportsThere are no checks on pets travelling from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, and no…
- DAERA (Northern Ireland)daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/travelling-petsIf you live in Northern Ireland, you need no health preparations or documents to travel…; Northern Ireland follows the EU pet travel scheme
- GOV.UK (Defra/APHA)gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britainFrom Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, a pet needs no pet…; No more than 5 pets can come into Great Britain, unless they are attending or training…; England, Scotland and Wales; Quarantine for up to 4 months, or refused entry if the pet came by sea; A vaccination given before the microchip does not count, so the pet must be vaccinated…
- GOV.UK (Defra/APHA)gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain/travel-routes-petsBy plane, pets travel as cargo
- GOV.UK (Defra/APHA)gov.uk/guidance/put-your-pet-in-rabies-quarantineA pet that meets the pet travel rules, or travels within the UK or from the Channel…; Quarantine for up to 4 months, or refused entry if the pet came by sea
- GOV.UK (Defra/APHA)gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad/travelling-to-northern-irelandThere are no checks on pets travelling from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, and no…
- GOV.UK (Defra/APHA)gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroadFrom Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, a pet needs no pet…
Rules change without notice. Confirm each item against the linked official page before you book: we date every check, but the official page is the authority.
Related pages
See everything that applies in Great Britain, or what changed across the site.