Taking a dog or cat from the UK to France: the 2026 rules, step by step

The short answer

For the European Union, Great Britain is a third country listed in Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636, alongside the United States and Japan. The listing excludes Northern Ireland, which applies EU rules. For a dog or cat travelling from England, Scotland or Wales, it means:

• An EU animal health certificate (AHC), signed by an Official Veterinarian (OV) no more than 10 days before the pet enters the EU. You need a new one for every trip, and up to five pets can share one certificate.
• No pet passport for GB residents. A passport issued in Great Britain is no longer valid for the EU, and GOV.UK says that if you live in Great Britain you cannot use one issued in an EU country either.
• A microchip, then a rabies vaccination, given in that order. A first vaccination must be at least 21 days old.
• No titre test, no tapeworm treatment and no import permit for an ordinary pet dog or cat coming straight from Great Britain.
• A signed owner's declaration that the move is non-commercial, attached to the certificate.
• A declaration to French customs on arrival, at a travellers' point of entry such as Calais, the Channel Tunnel terminal at Coquelles or a Normandy or Brittany port.

This guide covers the journey from the UK to France. For both directions, the routes and what affects the cost, see our France ⇄ UK guide.

What the "new rules" for taking a dog to France are

The EU rules changed on 22 April 2026, when Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 and its implementing regulations replaced the 2013 texts. GOV.UK lists what changed for people travelling from Great Britain:

• Passports. EU pet passports may now only be issued to people whose main home is in the EU, and should not be used by people with a holiday home in the EU or who visit seasonally. GB residents need an AHC even if their pet already has an EU passport.
• Longer use after arrival. Once the pet has entered the EU, the AHC covers onward travel within the EU and re-entry to Great Britain for up to six months, as long as the rabies vaccination stays valid. It still gets you into the EU only once.
• Five pets per private vehicle, rather than five per person. A foot passenger can still take up to five.
• Written permission when someone else travels with your pet, within five days of your own journey.

A second change followed on 1 October 2026: the certificate now follows a new EU model, set by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/705. An old-model certificate is only accepted, until 31 March 2027, if it was issued before 1 October 2026. Any certificate issued today must use the new model, so check with your OV that the form is the current one.

Certificate or passport: which applies to you

The document depends on where you live. In the European Commission's words, "residence is what matters, not nationality or property ownership", and GOV.UK adds that a passport issued in the EU makes no difference for a GB resident.

The booster rule catches out families who spent a few months in Britain. French customs state that once a rabies booster has been given in the UK, the EU passport is no longer valid for coming back, and a certificate from a UK vet is needed. No official text says how long a stay in Great Britain must last before it counts as living there. If you have been settled in the UK, we recommend planning for a certificate.

Can your pet come? Age, breed and number

• Age. The rabies vaccine can only be given from 12 weeks, and a first vaccination must be 21 days old. France makes no exception for younger animals, so a puppy or kitten cannot arrive before about 15 weeks. DFDS sets its own minimum at 16 weeks. According to the French veterinary authority (DGAL), a dog imported from outside the EU must also have at least one adult tooth.
• Breed. Category 1 dogs (American Staffordshire Terrier, Mastiff or Tosa types without a recognised pedigree) cannot enter France, not even in transit. Category 2 dogs (pedigree American Staffordshire Terriers and Tosas, and Rottweilers with or without a pedigree) can enter with proof of registration in a recognised studbook, which is not needed for Rottweilers. The French Ministry of Agriculture confirms that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not a category dog. For a Bengal or Savannah cat, bring its pedigree or birth certificate: without proof of breed, the DGAL treats it as a hybrid, which needs an import permit.
• Number. Five pets at most per private vehicle, or five as a foot passenger. More are allowed only for a competition, show or sporting event, with written proof of registration and animals over six months old.
• Who travels. You, or someone you have authorised in writing who travels within five days before or after you, carrying proof of your journey. If the pet is being sold or rehomed, the move is commercial and other rules apply.

Dog- and cat-specific rules are on our pages about bringing a dog into France and bringing a cat into France.

Getting the animal health certificate, step by step

1. Microchip first

The microchip must go in before the rabies vaccination, or at the same visit. A vaccine given before the chip does not count, and the pet would have to be vaccinated again. Carriers read ISO 11784 and 11785 chips; with an older chip of another standard, bring a reader that can read it. A tattoo is only accepted if it was applied on or before 3 July 2011, is clearly legible and predates the rabies vaccination.

2. Rabies vaccination

The vaccine is given from 12 weeks of age. After a first vaccination (or the last dose of a first course), GOV.UK says to wait at least 21 full days, counting the day after the injection as day 1. Some vaccines take longer to work, so ask your vet. A booster given before the previous vaccination expired needs no waiting time; a missed booster means starting again.

3. Find an Official Veterinarian

Only an OV can sign the AHC, and not every practice has one. GOV.UK suggests asking your vet, who can help you find an OV if they cannot issue the certificate themselves. Take proof of the microchipping date and the full vaccination history. If your pet still needs its rabies vaccine, tell the vet at that visit that you will need an AHC, so they have time to prepare it.

4. The 10-day window

The AHC allows entry into the EU for 10 days, and the date of issue counts as day 1. GOV.UK gives this example: a certificate issued on 1 November allows entry up to and including 10 November. By ferry, the EU regulation extends those 10 days by the length of the sea crossing. Book the crossing first, then fix the OV appointment a few days before it. If the 10 days run out, for example after a cancelled sailing, you need a new certificate.

5. What the vet gives you

If France is where you enter the EU, the certificate is in French and English: the regulation requires a language of the Member State of entry plus English. The vet also gives you a declaration to sign, confirming that you will not sell or rehome the pet; it travels with the certificate. After the check on arrival, the same certificate covers travel within the EU and the return to Great Britain for six months, or until the rabies vaccination expires if that comes first. The next trip needs a new one. Our article on the EU animal health certificate explains what it contains and who signs it.

Ferry, tunnel or plane

EU law does not restrict which company you use to leave Great Britain. Approved routes are a British rule that only applies on the way back into Great Britain. Each operator sets its own conditions, and this is what they publish as of 4 November 2026:

Prices are the operators' own, not official fees. Kennels and pet cabins are limited, so book them early.

• Eurotunnel Le Shuttle (Folkestone to Coquelles) is the vehicle crossing under the Channel. We check Eurotunnel's pet check-in time and conditions with them for your date.
• Eurostar does not accept pets on trains to and from London, with no exceptions; guide and assistance dogs can travel if you contact Eurostar at least 48 hours ahead.
• Flights: EU law does not ban pets from the cabin on flights into France, so the airline's own conditions apply. easyJet, for one, carries no animals apart from recognised guide and assistance dogs. Check the airline's pet rules before you book; we confirm them for your route.

Arriving in France: the customs check

French customs describe three steps for pets arriving from the UK:

1. At check-in at the latest, declare the pet to the carrier: species, number of animals, microchip number and rabies vaccination date.
2. At boarding, show the pet to the ferry or tunnel staff. They scan the microchip, check the certificate and mark your vehicle with a sticker or a hanger.
3. On arrival in France, go to the customs desk with your pet for a document and identity check.

A pet from Great Britain must come in through a travellers' point of entry. For France, the European Commission refers to the 2021 list of border crossing points. It includes the ports of Calais, Dunkirk, Boulogne, Dieppe, Le Havre, Caen-Ouistreham, Cherbourg, Saint-Malo and Roscoff, the Channel Tunnel (Cheriton/Coquelles), and airports such as Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly, Beauvais-Tillé and Lille-Lesquin. There is no appointment to book. The DGAL says the certificate must always be shown to customs on arrival so they can stamp it; keep it, because it remains your pet's travel document for the next six months. See also our page on bringing a pet into France.

Pet food. Customs ban meat and milk products in luggage coming from the UK. The only pet food exempted is special food required for health reasons, so we advise against packing a supply of your pet's usual meat-based food.

After arrival: I-CAD, category dogs and the EU passport

• I-CAD within 7 days. Unless the stay is shorter than three months, a dog, cat or ferret imported into France must be registered in the national identification database (I-CAD) within seven days. A French vet enters the details from the certificate and gives you a provisional identification certificate valid for one month. The database operator charges a fee at its published rate.
• Category 2 dog. Keeping one in France requires a keeper's permit from your town hall. It is issued on proof of the dog's identification, rabies vaccination and liability insurance, an aptitude certificate for the owner after a seven-hour course, and a behavioural assessment of the dog by a vet on the departmental list.
• An EU pet passport. Once your main home is in France, a French vet can issue one. It then covers trips within the EU and back to Great Britain. Until then, the certificate stamped on arrival does the job for six months.

For everything else that comes with settling in (finding a vet, a category dog, a Bengal cat), see our checklist for moving to France with pets.

Going back to the UK later

The return trip follows Great Britain's rules, which GOV.UK sets out:

• Document: an EU pet passport issued in an EU country (once you live in France), or the AHC issued in Great Britain within the last six months.
• Dogs: a tapeworm treatment given by a vet no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (1–5 days) before arrival in Great Britain, every time, recorded with the product, date and time. If you leave Great Britain and come back within five days, your vet in Britain can give it before you leave, as long as you return between 24 and 120 hours after the treatment.
• Approved routes only: from France, the listed ferries from Calais, Dunkirk, Dieppe, Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg, Roscoff and St Malo, and Le Shuttle from Coquelles. Eurostar is not approved in that direction, and by air, pets enter Great Britain as cargo, except assistance dogs and pets on a chartered private plane.
• Banned types: a dog of a type banned in Great Britain cannot come back without a valid Certificate of Exemption.

Our guide to taking a dog from France to the UK works through the tapeworm timing, the French ports and what to do if a sailing is delayed.

Timeline: from six weeks out to arrival

What to have with you on the day

• The original AHC, issued no more than 10 days before entry and signed by an OV, with the certified copies of the vaccination details attached.
• The signed declaration that the move is non-commercial.
• If someone else is travelling with the pet: your signed authorisation and proof of your own journey.
• For a category 2 dog, proof of registration in a studbook (except Rottweilers); for a Bengal or Savannah cat, its pedigree or birth certificate.
• Your own chip reader if the chip is not ISO.
• A booking that shows the pet, plus a muzzle, lead, water and bedding for the crossing.

Mistakes that stop pets at the port

• Travelling on a pet passport while living in Great Britain, including one issued in France or another EU country.
• Getting the certificate too early, or not leaving a margin: a cancelled sailing can take you past day 10.
• An old-model certificate issued on or after 1 October 2026.
• A vet who is not an OV signing the certificate.
• A rabies booster given late, which restarts the 21-day wait, or one given in the UK to a pet that lives in France and was meant to come back on its passport.
• Turning up as a foot passenger with Brittany Ferries or on the DFDS Dover routes, or counting on Eurostar.
• Driving off at the French port without stopping at customs.
• Forgetting the return leg: a dog going back to Great Britain needs its tapeworm treatment and an approved route.

Frequently asked questions

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